Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cade
I lean against the sycamore outside Lamb Hall, letting the rain drench my hood. You would think the heavens would have opened up after last night, but I think I pissed off the higher power. There isn’t a ray of light to grace the morning, and everyone that steps outside starts running without even a passing glance at me. Which is disappointing, considering I’ve put myself on full display for everyone to see, forgoing my hiding to make a point.
Sky is mine.
It’s nearing five minutes’ till class, and she still hasn’t come out. If I’ve learned anything by watching her, it’s that she’s obscenely early. Any million of things could be causing her to run late today, but all I can think is what if the prick with skull paint doesn’t know who he’s fucking with? What if I shouldn’t have taken Sky back to her dorm in the first place?
After our explosion , she fell asleep in the crook of my arm. She was so warm and soft, and it was so nice listening to her breathe. But my eyes kept drifting closed, desperate for sleep, and I didn’t trust she wouldn’t slip from my grasp and poke around in my things. We may have slept together, but she can’t learn my secrets.
She can’t learn that I am planning to bomb graduation.
I wrapped her in one of my fresh jackets and carried her back to her dorm. Her drowsy head rested on my shoulder the whole walk, her arms barely holding around my neck, and I don’t know if she was fully awake when I nudged her inside. We only barely spoke after coming undone, just enough to answer her timid question about all the dead birds.
There’s shelving that lines the barely held together ceiling of the shack, and I place the fallen birds I find on top. Cardinals, Blue Jays, Robins, and more. Their little carcasses are destined to return to the earth, but it’s nice to look at them for a while. I didn’t expect her to understand, but I was surprised to find her nodding along while I explained how their death is a comforting reminder about the cycle of life—that we all return to ash eventually.
The doors push open, and I exhale, agitated relief bouncing in my veins. Sky’s perfectly fine, besides the wince she gives at the downpour beginning to flood the quad. She hesitates under the small awning, biting her swollen lip and tugging at her skirt.
Jesus, did I make her lips so raw like that?
My dick firms almost immediately, and I grit my teeth. Stupid thing. Keep it together , we aren’t hiding today, I give it a command, and then step out from under the tree.
Sky spots my movement, and her eyes go wide. She gulps as I stalk towards her, and a smirk graces the corner of my mouth. Oh yeah, she has no idea she’s cuffed herself to the devil.
I plant a boot on the bottom step and look up at her. “Running a little late?”
“I overslept.” She brushes her hair behind her ear, glancing around.
“I wonder what could have made you so tired.” I flit my gaze between her legs.
A blush quickly creeps up on her cheeks, her skin so fair, the blood so saturated, that something in my chest swells in tandem. My precious angel, so shy and embarrassed. She has no idea I would take her right here if she allowed it.
Last night was tentative, cautious, a learning experience. For fuck’s sake, I almost came when she said I could do whatever I wanted. I had to pull out to slow my ascension. But if I get her alone again, I promise to do better.
She raises her chin. “Running for your life is pretty exhausting.”
My chest deflates like a popped balloon, and a growl escapes me. Her diversion would be amusing if her choice of tactics didn’t cause my vision to prickle red. I lunge up the steps and snatch her wrist. I drag her from the safety of the awning and secure her next to the tree, caging her against the massive trunk.
“Did you report it?” I stare down at her. My anger was already simmering beneath the surface, steeping in disbelief that someone had the nerve to attack my girl, but now said girl’s flippant disregard for discretion has me boiling. She has no idea what drawing attention to my forest will unveil. There is nowhere to move the bombs. No way to scrub my DNA away. She has to stay quiet, or I’ll be forced to make her stay quiet.
Her eyes flash with something like excitement, but then narrow to slits.
“Don’t manhandle me,” she snaps.
My brows hit the leaves above me.
“You didn’t seem to mind it last night,” I hiss, and then instantly regret it.
The seething comes naturally to me, but I don’t like how it sounds in her presence, something about it feeling like yelling at a puppy. My anger sizzles out as fast as it sprung to life.
Thankfully, she just huffs, and gives a slight eye roll.
“No.”
I can’t help it and my lips perk up. “No, you didn’t mind it?”
Jesus, my emotions are worse than a rollercoaster.
She goes back to glaring. “ No, I didn’t report it.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I was a little… drained after last night and honestly…” she trails off as her shoulders slump.
My stomach tightens, feeling her discomfort like it’s my own, and I watch as her brows pinch together, and she looks away.
My heart kicks up with dread. I know I should be more concerned with if she’s going to tell anyone, but now I’m nervous for a different reason. Did I misread last night? Was I terrible, and she’s going to tell me it was a mistake?
“Honestly, what?” I lightly tug her chin to look at me.
I’m on pins and needles as she avoids my eyes. All of my being puddles at her feet. Now that I’ve had her, I can’t not have her. There’s no way I can go back to idly watching, especially with what needs to be done.
“Can you not… you know, tell anyone what happened?”
That’s it? She’s embarrassed I’m going to spread rumors? Jesus christ, I almost threw myself at her feet.
“Oh, angel.” I scoff with relief. “I don’t kiss and tell. You don’t have—”
“I mean about being chased,” she cuts me off.
Her eyes turn pleading, and I still. So, she doesn’t want to report it? I blink. I mean, that’s exactly what I want, but something doesn’t feel right.
“I know you are going to say I should.” She hangs her head. “But I don’t want the attention, you know?” She starts to ramble. “There would be questions, and it’s not like anyone is going to believe me, anyway. And I really shouldn’t have been out past curfew. And my parents would get involved, and I would just like to forget it even happened. It was probably just some stupid freshman messing around.”
I study the way she squirms in her skin, like a frightened child, and I don’t like it one bit. Why should she be afraid to report it? Sure, she was out past curfew, but that doesn’t mean she’s allowed to be attacked. But… talking her out of it would be detrimental to my plans.
“I won’t say anything,” I tell her begrudgingly.
“You won’t?” She looks up at me with bright eyes.
“No,” I ground out. “Because I’m going to handle it myself.”