Chapter 14
Drake
I finish rinsing the shower gel from my body. Then I stand under the hot spray for a few moments, trying not to think about tomorrow. I concentrate on emptying my mind; each of my muscles slowly loosens until I am as relaxed as possible, given the circumstances.
I turn off the water and reach for a towel when a sharp knock echoes through my apartment.
I frown as I dry myself off, moving quickly when there is another harder knock.
I lift my brows.
What the hell?!
I pause, water dripping from my hair onto the bathroom tiles. The knocking continues, becoming more insistent with each rap against the wood.
It had better be something urgent, I think to myself as I wrap the towel around my waist.
There is another round of hard knocking as I walk through my apartment, leaving wet footprints on the hardwood floor. My irritation spikes.
I pull open the door, ready to unleash my frustration on whoever has the nerve to—
It’s Harlow.
Of course it’s her. No one else would have the audacity to pound on my door like they’re trying to break it down.
She stands there, eyes blazing, her jaw set in a way that screams trouble. Her dark hair falls loose around her shoulders instead of its usual ponytail, and she’s wearing a pretty summer dress that showcases her long legs and the swell of her—
Yeah…not going there.
“Why did you do it?” she asks before I can say or do anything. Then she pushes past me without waiting for an invitation.
“Harlow, what are—?” I start, but she whirls around to face me, and the fire in her eyes is blazing.
“You have some explaining to do,” she tells me.
I lift a brow. “This is exactly what I meant about being too familiar,” I push out, closing the door behind her. “What are you doing here? You should be with the other Tributes, celebrating completing Sky’s Edge. I’m the Academy leader. You’re a Tribute. You shouldn’t be here. It’s inappropriate.”
“Familiar, my ass!” she snaps, and I catch the faint scent of alcohol on her breath. “I’m not just one of the Tributes when it comes to you, am I? Not after what happened.”
The truth in her words hits harder than it should because she’s right, and that’s all there is to it.
“Have you been drinking?” I ask, trying to regain some control of this situation. “Are you inebriated?”
Her eyes narrow, and she takes a step closer. She looks beautiful when she’s angry, all fire and passion. I work hard at ignoring it.
“I had half a glass of champagne,” she says through gritted teeth. “No, I am not freaking drunk. I tried to leave it alone, but I can’t do it. What the hell is wrong with you?”
The venom in her voice takes me aback. I hold up a hand, trying to defuse whatever this is.
“If you insist on staying, you need to take a few minutes so that we can have an adult conversation,” I tell her. “Let me go change into something more appropriate while you calm yourself down.”
She widens her eyes before giving me a dirty look.
“I’ve seen you naked,” she points out. “Don’t bother on my account. Besides, I don’t need to calm down. I don’t want to calm down. This won’t take long.”
“Why are you here?” I fold my arms across my chest.
“I thought we were going to keep the whole mind-bond thing quiet,” she continues, her voice rising. “That we weren’t going to tell a soul. Why did you go back on your word? I met Amelia a little earlier. She ambushed me.”
“I told Amelia because she’s my rider,” I explain. “She needed to know.” I shrug.
“You should have told me you were going to tell her. I was completely blindsided by her.”
“I apologize; I should have. Again, Amelia is my rider. We are mind-bonded. I had to tell her about what happened.”
“Yes, your primary rider,” Harlow says, putting emphasis on the word in a way that makes it sound like an insult. “She made that very clear when she came to see me.”
I asked Amelia to speak with Harlow, but I didn’t expect her to be hostile about it. Clearly, something went down between the two of them.
“Amelia needed to know. She needed to be part of the plan,” I say. “I asked her to speak with you, so we’d all be on the same page.”
“Well, your rider is a bundle of joy,” Harlow says sarcastically. “What did you two discuss? What did you tell her to make her dislike me so much without even knowing me?”
I take a deep breath, running a hand through my damp hair.
“Amelia has been my rider for three years now. We’re friends. She’s both supportive and protective of me. She’s worried about what could happen if this goes wrong. She may have overreacted.” I thought I had calmed her down. I thought she had taken the news well…considering.
Turns out I was wrong.
“Well, she seems to think I’m going to mess up tomorrow,” Harlow says, stepping closer.
“I told you I was on board. I told you I wanted to go home.” She points her finger at me at chest height.
“She treated me like I’m an idiot. Like I can’t follow a basic plan.
What did you tell her about me? It could not have been good. ”
Her finger presses against my bare chest, tapping with each sentence. I catch her hand, wrapping my fingers around hers to stop the gesture.
“Don’t point at me,” I tell her, my voice gruff. “I don’t think you’ll mess up. I have every confidence in you. I told Amelia that. I don’t know why she’s treating you so badly. I think she’s worried about the whole thing.”
“I am too. You need to tell your rider to back off,” she says, still heated but slightly breathless now. “I can do this. I want off this island. I’ll follow the plan, I swear.”
That’s when I realize how close we’re standing.
She’s right there, her hand trapped beneath mine against my chest. I can smell her shampoo, something floral and clean.
There are tiny gold and green specks around her pupils.
Her eyes are quite beautiful. Her lips part slightly as her breathing becomes elevated.
Her gaze drops to my mouth, and I feel my control start to slip.
Fuck.
I want her. Want to kiss her. I want…
I lean closer, and her eyes start to flutter closed, her lips parting further.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Hard knocking at the door shatters the moment like glass. We spring apart.
Shit! What the hell was I doing? I very nearly kissed her…I very nearly fucked everything up.
“I will follow the plan,” Harlow says quickly, backing toward the door. “I won’t mess up.”
“Stop!” I hiss, panic flooding my system as she reaches for the door handle. I look down at myself. At the towel riding low on my hips. “Go hide in my bedroom. Do it now!”
“What?” She frowns, turning back to face me.
“Hide,” I whisper urgently. I have no idea who is at the door. There is no explaining why a Tribute would be in my apartment. “You can’t be seen in here. This would look bad. Go hide in my bedroom until they leave.”
I point toward the door to my room just as another series of knocks sounds.
Thank god, Harlow doesn’t argue. She hurries toward my bedroom, slipping inside.
I stride toward the front door, wondering who the hell this could be.