“No, but guess who did?” He winks, and I can’t help snorting with laughter.
“Fuck off. Did you? You’re too good.”
“Am I?”
I open my mouth to respond, but I soon find that I have no words.
“You’re not the only one who likes to keep the past in the past, dude.”
“Okay, well, lead the way, Mr. Grand Theft Auto.”
As naked as the day we were born, we start tracking through the forest.
Sticks, stones, and God knows whatever else digs into my bare feet until by some miracle Alex navigates us to a house.
“Is that—”
“Just as I suspected. Now, whose baby did you want?”
“You can steal those?”
“No, there’s no fucking chance. I can barely remember how to do it to an old banger.”
“I fucking believed you,” I snap.
He shrugs. “Come on. We’ve made it this far.”
“We’ll get pulled over for indecent exposure. We can’t walk down the fucking street like this.”
“I know a back way. Come on.”
He drops back into the forest and takes a wide berth around the back of the house.
By the time our dorm comes into view, my feet are a bloody mess and I’m ready to fall headfirst into my bed and sleep for a week.
Sadly, that’s not what happens, because the second we push through into the communal area of our dorm—after amusing more than a few fellow students with our mortifying walk of shame—we stumble straight into an ambush. Sitting on the couch is none other than the motherfuckers who did this.
“You all owe me a hundred bucks,” Ashton announces, jumping up in delight.
“Smug motherfucker,” Brandon mutters, pulling a few bills out of his wallet and throwing them at Ashton.
Anger explodes in my stomach, my entire body trembling with my restrained fury.
“You were fucking betting on us?”
“All’s fair in love and war, Easton. Stop getting your panties in a—oh, that’s right, you’re not wearing any.”
“You’re all fucking sick. What did you give us?”
“Just something to make sure you had fun.” The smirk on Cade’s face has me stepping toward him, my fists curled at my sides, ready to take a swing at him.
“You’ve got three hours until tonight’s dinner. You’ll both find suits in your rooms.”
“Fuck. You. I’m not doing anything else you fucking say, you sick bastard.”
“Oh, but I think you will.”
My teeth grind as our eyes hold, hate crackling between us.
“You don’t show and I’ll make sure something very precious to you gets broken. And not just by me.”
He must read the horror on my face, because an accomplished smile curls at his lips as the images from my time locked underground come back to me.
“I don’t want to share her. But I will, if I need to. And I’ll make sure you get a front row seat.”
I fight not to react, but I fear it’s pointless. He already knows.
“Fucking cunt,” I mutter, knowing he’s got me over a barrel.
“Make sure you’re at Gravestone Hall by seven. If you’re late, I can promise you, you will regret it.”
“I’ll probably regret it if I’m on time, too,” I mutter under my breath. “Are you done throwing your weight around, boss?”
“Just make sure you’re there. Or don’t, actually. I think I might enjoy your punishment too much.”
He pushes from the couch and steps toward me. If he wants me to cower to him, then he’ll be bitterly disappointed.
“Don’t let me down, Easton.”
He breezes past me, his little minions following soon after.
Channing’s eyes hold mine for a second too long, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to tell me something, but I’m too exhausted to attempt to decipher it.
“I need sleep before the games continue,” Alex announces, turning toward his room.
“I’m so fucking sick of this,” I bark, watching him go.
“Tonight is the last test. It’ll be over then.”
“We might initiate in, but I think we both know this isn’t going to stop. Not unless we kill that motherfucker.”
“We’ll see how it goes, eh? I’m gonna pass out now.”
He damn near falls through the door before slamming it behind him.
Following his lead, my feet take me to my room before the others return—assuming they were banished the second the Electi turned up.
My chin drops the second I step into my room.
All my stuff has gone.
All that’s left is the furniture and a black suit hanging on the closet door.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, looking around, but in all honesty, I don’t care right now.
I fall into bed, not giving the fact that I have no alarm set for a few hours time a second thought as I pass out.
“Wake the fuck up,” someone shouts as my shoulder starts to shake.
“No, it’s too early.”
“It’s really fucking not. I suggest you shift your ass unless you want Cade to follow through on his threat.”
Ripping my eyes open, I blink a couple of times as the blurry image of Channing standing over me emerges.
“Why the fuck are you in my room?”
“You should be thanking me, Easton. If he knew I was here he’d kick my ass.”
“You think I give a shit? You’re no better than him.”
“Really? I thought you were fucking smart, Easton.”
“Whatever.” I wave him off and push to sit in bed, keeping the sheet over my waist, not wanting to flash him twice in one day.
“You’ve got thirty minutes to be at Gravestone Hall. Get your fucking ass moving. Mia needs you."
My eyes find his, and for the first time, I see genuine concern in his depths.
"Fuck, okay." I jump from the bed and make a beeline for the bathroom.
"Is Alex up?" I shout over my shoulder.
"Going there now. I'll be down in the parking lot. Be fucking fast."
I have the quickest shower of my life. It's hard fucking work, because my limbs don’t want to move as fast as my head tells them to. But finally, I drag on the suit that's waiting for me and head across the living area to grab Alex before
