6. Cáel
I followed Hayden’s scent down the hallway of the science building. It was faint now, mixed with the smells of humans, but just that hint of her was enough to take the edge off my beast. He’d been riding me all day. Since I didn’t have any classes with Hayden, I hadn’t seen her much, and my animal wasn’t pleased.
Ever since we’d all touched her, the need to be close to Hayden had intensified. Add to that the fact that we’d almost lost her, and it was a miracle my dragon hadn’t gone feral yet.
Just the memory of it had scales rippling across my back. I struggled to bring my ragged breathing under control.
Knox fell into step beside me. “You okay?”
I jerked my head in a nod, not able to speak just yet.
“You ready to head home?”
I nodded again. “Where’s East?”
My voice was rougher than normal, a telltale sign my beast was close to the surface.
Knox surveyed me again, and I didn’t miss the concern in his eyes.
“East?” I pressed, desperate to get the focus off me.
Knox turned back to the hallway ahead, now mostly empty of students. “Dunno. At the car, probably.”
My steps faltered. Knox always knew where his twin was. But since the incident, he’d barely been able to look at Easton, let alone talk to him. The new normal had me twitchy, the feeling of our unbalanced bond settling in deep.
I clenched and flexed my hands at my sides. “Do you…uh…want to talk about it?”
I wasn’t good at this crap. Talking. Feelings. I’d shut all of that off for so long that it seemed impossible to open it up again. With anyone but Hayden.
Knox’s gaze flicked to me. At first, his expression was full of annoyance, but it quickly melted away. His shoulders slumped as he sighed. “I’ve dealt with his bullshit for years. I understand it. But he went too far this time. I could kill him for putting Hayden at risk, but more than that, he’s made her doubt us.”
I stopped dead in my tracks at that. “What do you mean?”
Knox slowed, turning to face me. “Haven’t you felt it? She’s hesitant with us now. Unsure. She doesn’t know if we want her or if this is just the bond controlling us all.”
“It’s both.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I shook my head. “We’re a bond because we balance each other. Because…” I struggled to find the right words.
“I know,” Knox assured me. “We’re perfect complements. There’s no way we couldn’t be drawn to one another, but that just means we appreciate all the unique intricacies of Hayden like no one else would.”
I grunted. Knox was always better with words than I was. But maybe that was okay. Because I brought other things to the table.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and I turned to see Easton striding toward us. He frowned. “Where’s Hayden?”
Knox scowled at his twin, not saying a word.
“We were just going to find her. She’s got Pete with her,” I hurried to explain.
Knox started walking again, eager to avoid his brother. I didn’t miss the slight stoop to Easton’s shoulders at Knox’s rejection. Hell, those two needed to work this out in the fight circle.
I moved after Knox, coming up short as we rounded the corner and found Pete standing alone in the hallway. Everything in me tensed. “Where’s Hayden?”
Pete scowled. “With her advisor. I couldn’t exactly follow her inside.”
Easton tensed at my side. “Brent?”
Pete nodded.
Easton muttered a curse.
“What?” I demanded.
Easton’s jaw clenched. “I don’t like the way he treats her. I get a bad vibe.”
Without waiting for anything from us, Easton strode up to the door and knocked. Loudly.
“Come in,” an annoyed voice said.
I stepped to the side so I could get a slice of a view of the room. Hayden was hurrying to her feet and grabbing her bag. Her face was paler than I’d seen it since her attack.
A growl built in my throat, and Knox grabbed me by the shirt.
“Keep it together,” he bit out.
“She’s upset,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I. Know.”
“Hello, Professor,” Easton said with a fake smile. “I had a question about the group project for psych.”
The professor glared up at East. “These aren’t my office hours. You can ask me in class tomorrow.”
Hayden rounded the teacher, giving him a wide berth as she slid out of his office. “Thanks for your help, Professor,” she muttered.
“We’re not done, Ms. Parrish,” Brent clipped.
Knox stepped forward then. “Hi, baby.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave the professor an easy wave. “Doctor said Hayden needs her rest, so she’s gotta get home.”
Professor Brent snapped his mouth closed, but his gaze focused in on the arm around Hayden’s shoulders.
Another growl built in my chest, but I swallowed it down.
“We’ll see you in class tomorrow,” Easton said, forcing the teacher’s attention back to him.
He muttered something under his breath as he shut the door in Easton’s face.
Knox was already guiding Hayden down the hallway, away from the male none of us liked.
Easton fell into step next to me. “I don’t have a good feeling about him.”
Neither did I.