Except they had all crushed me and shattered my heart, so I wanted no part of them. Ever again.
I shut off my bike and put down the kickstand. I belonged here as much as they did, and I wasn’t going to let them keep me from learning everything I could when they were the problem. I shored up my mental and emotional armor as I climbed off my bike and headed down the walkway that would take me to my dorm as if they weren’t there.
As one, they raised their left arms up as if they were showing me a new watch on their wrists… Except they were bare.
But as I got closer, I saw they weren’t. It was most noticeable against Darby’s super pale Irish skin. There was a tat around his wrist, about the thickness of thin cooking twine. I knew it made a full circle without having to see the full thing, as I knew that tat well.
It was the same one Zack and Ray had to magically lock their minds about my secrets so no one could ever find out. If more secrets were added, a section had to be retraced with powerful magic or could wind all down the arm, depending how deep the secrets and who might come for them. Marshall, Sean, and the other guards who now worked for me had also gotten the tat.
I had thought it overkill, given there were charms to wear, but Geiger had given me a lecture that charms could be taken off when injured or restrained. This tat couldn’t be taken off unless by the person whose secrets they kept… Meaning me.
So the four of them were stating loudly they were willing to go the distance to keep my secrets and me safe since magical tats hurt a lot more than human ones. Too bad they hadn’t cared enough for me before so they didn’t risk breaking me and our relationships as they had.
I kept walking, only reacting when Darby stepped out in front of me. I took several steps back and curled my lip at him in warning.
“I missed you, agra,” he whispered.
I snorted and went to step around him, but Craftsman moved in my way.
“Welcome back to school, love.”
It took everything I had not to slap both of them. “I was very clear that I’m not your agra, or your anything, Dr. Craftsman.” I stepped around him, and there was Lucca.
“No more running, kitten,” he said gently.
“Why the fuck would I need to run from any of you? We weren’t even anything to break up or dump. I didn’t run. I cut ties after you all betrayed me.” I wasn’t surprised when I stepped around him and Hudson moved in my path.
“I’m not letting you go, my princess. We’re not letting you go or giving up. Ever.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t care what you want. Any of you. I’m more than allowed to say I’m done and walk away. You don’t want to accept that, it’s on you, but don’t make this like I’m the problem.” He tried to block me when I stepped around him, but I was ready for that, throwing up a barrier that shoved him back so he stumbled a few steps. “Don’t approach me again.”
“We’re not giving up, love,” Craftsman argued.
I sneered at him over my shoulder. “Good luck with that. None of you are my problem.” I walked off with my head held high, but wanted to sigh when I saw I had another group waiting for me… With Blake Ward standing in front of them.
The corruption and hypocrisy of the supe world was at a crazy level that she could just start sophomore year like nothing had happened. It boiled my blood, but I knew how to fuck with idiots like her, giving the group a dismissive smirk and glancing at my phone like that was all the attention I’d give them. In truth, I was starting a recording, as I wanted this for leverage later.
Call me pessimistic, but I didn’t think they were gathering to apologize.
“Were flares sent up upon my arrival, or did you all just gather almost a week before classes just to welcome me back?” I mocked as I moved my hand over my heart. “I’m touched. Truly and deeply, I’m touched you’re waiting for me.”
“We’re giving you one chance to make amends before classes begin and—” she started.
“Yeah, not going to happen. I never received any of your apologizes for us to let bygones be bygones.”
“It’s you who needs to apologize,” one of the guys snarled at me.
I’d forgotten his name, but he was one of the guys who had drugged, puppeteered, and gang raped a vampire student glamoured to look like me, and posted the video for all to see. And he had the balls to say I needed to apologize to him? Oh, that was too much.
“So you’ve lost your mind on your hiatus from school,” I chuckled darkly. “For the record, if you come at me again and try to rape me as you wanted last year, I will defend myself by using that celibacy rune so you can’t. I’m clearly stating how things will play out, as your whole crew already owes me a debt, as I warned you what would happen should you ever drug someone.
“You did, drugging and gang raping that poor woman who now lives protected at my haven, and your fucking corrupt, sexist council chastised her while not punishing you as they should. So no, I won’t apologize for shit, and you need to be very, very careful how things are going forward, as I don’t like unpaid debts.”
“Fuck you, bitch,” he snarled, fisting his hands. “Our families lost almost everything. We more than paid any of your fucking debts by—”
“That wasn’t
