Chapter 11
DAMON
“Hey!” a high, feminine voice cries. “Stop.”
I swing my gaze toward the voice, and the interruption seems to startle my attacker enough that he releases some of the pressure on my throat.
My vision clears as a small figure steps off the footpath in front of the building and races toward us, one hand in her purse and a long braid swinging behind her.
“Let him go,” she cries, skidding to a stop a dozen feet away.
Now that I can see, and think again, I nearly do a double take when I recognize her, and I almost swallow my tongue when she raises a silver gun and levels it at me.
My attacker freezes, and we both stand there like statues as she glares at us menacingly. Her hand is steady as she keeps her gun trained on us, and some of my panic disappears as I realize she’s aiming it at my attacker and not me.
“Get the fuck out of here before I do some target practice with your ass,” she says, her voice equal parts firm and shrill. “Go!”
My attacker hesitates, but another sharp command from her is enough to make him step back and take off into the shadows as he races back down the way we came.
The loss of the threat is enough to make all the adrenaline bleed out of me in a rush, and my legs give out as I’m hit with a wave of dizziness that makes more static dance in front of my eyes.
My hands grab at the wall behind me as I try to stay on my feet, but they slip over the rough bricks as I slide down it and land on my ass like a balloon being deflated.
“Are you okay?” Eden asks as she rushes over to me, her gun lowered but still at the ready.
“Not sure,” I mutter dazedly and let my head fall back against the wall as she kneels next to me.
“Are you the good guy here?” she asks warily. “Or did I just save the bad guy and now I’m going to regret it?”
“I’m not the bad guy,” I tell her, my voice rough and a bit raspy, like I just tried to swallow sand. “But feel free to keep that gun trained on me until you’re sure.”
The world around me is starting to look clear again, and it doesn’t feel like the planet is tilting on its axis anymore, but I still feel weird and off-kilter. It almost feels like I’m out of sync with reality and everything is moving a few seconds faster than me.
Eden studies me for a few beats, her gaze shrewd, then nods like she’s finishing a silent conversation with herself and tucks her gun back into her purse.
We’ve never spoken, and she’s a few years younger than me, but Eden has a similar reputation around school as I do. We’re both loner weirdos who didn’t grow up in this world, and because of that, we’re outcasts.
The big difference between us is that I still have some acceptance around here because of my father and my position in the Keepers.
Eden’s older stepbrother is one of the leaders of the Rebels, but Jordan uses his position to isolate her, and there’s a standing order around campus for every guy to leave her the fuck alone if they don’t want to deal with him.
“Thanks,” I say as she peers into the darkness my attacker disappeared into. “Is he gone?”
“I think so.” She bites her lip as she looks down at me again. “Can you get up? Or is this one of those times where you’re not supposed to move because it could make things worse?”
“I can get up,” I assure her. “I just won’t be moving very fast.”
“Can I help you?” She reaches for me but stops and quickly drops her hands. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here. I’m making everything worse.”
“You’re not,” I tell her as I get my hands under me and push myself up.
The pain in my wrists and chest makes me wince, but it’s the pain in my side and knee that makes me gasp as I try, and fail, to get to my feet.
“Are you sure?” she asks, looking torn. “You know who I am, right?”
“I know who you are.” I let out a long exhale that turns into a groan, and it’s then I notice that my temple hurts.
I gently touch the spot and wince at the sting of pain.
It feels wet and tacky, and I pull my hand away to look at my fingers.
There’s a smear of blood on them, probably from when my head scraped against the wall when he shoved me headfirst into it.
Pulling in a shaky breath, I slide my gaze back to Eden. “And you just saved my ass, so if you’re willing to help me, I could definitely use it.”
“You’re not worried about what will happen if I do?” she asks as she moves so she’s beside me.
“What’s your stepbrother going to do to me?” I ask as she grips me under one arm. “Kick my ass? Take a number, dude.”
“He can do more than that,” she says. “On three, okay?”
I nod.
“One, two, three,” she counts down.
With her help, I manage to get on my feet, but the world around me spins as my vision flickers, and I lean back against the rough bricks of the building to steady myself so I don’t fall over.
When the dizzy spell passes and I can see again, I carefully step away from the wall and shoot Eden what I hope is a smile, but something tells me it probably looks more like a grimace.
“I’m not afraid of your stepbrother. If he wants to come after me because you helped me, then that’s a him issue.
I’ll deal with it if I need to. I’m Damon, by the way,” I add belatedly.
She lets out a soft laugh and adjusts her grip on my arm. “Yeah, I know. You’re as famous as I am. Or would we be infamous?” She shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter. Can you walk?”
“I think so, but not without help.”
“Should I call the school doc?” she asks, wrapping my arm over her shoulders and holding on to it.
She’s short enough that I have to bend down a bit, but the support helps, and I try not to lean too heavily on her.
“No. I don’t want to deal with them.” I blow out another breath as the pain in my knee flares when we take a small step forward. “And I don’t need this getting back to my father.”
“What about campus security?” she asks as we take a few tentative steps down the path.
Well, she starts walking, and I limp beside her as I take stock of my hurt body. Thankfully nothing seems broken, and I start to relax as we move a bit faster.
The worst of the pain is concentrated in my knee and side, but my throat and lungs still feel like they’re on fire. At least some of the tightness in my chest is fading, and we pick up speed as the rest of my muscles loosen up.
“Not them either,” I say quickly. “I didn’t see his face, and I doubt there are cameras back there. I just need to get back to my room and get off my feet.”
“Do you have a friend or someone who can come help you?”
“Friends?” I huff out a laugh. “What are those?”
“Right?” She snickers. “I haven’t had those in years. Well, that’s not true. I have one friend, but that’s pretty much it.”
“I have one friend too,” I admit. “But he’s off campus for the weekend.”
“What about your frat brothers? Isn’t this the sort of thing you’re supposed to be able to count on them for?”
I snort-laugh. “Yeah, maybe the other guys can, but no one is going to ditch their Friday night plans because I got my ass kicked by some random.”
“Then what’s the point of being in the frat and going through all that stuff during initiation?” She sounds genuinely baffled. “I thought hazing and humiliating each other were supposed to bond you together and create a sense of family.”
I snort-laugh again. “Yeah, that’s what they tell us, but my theory is that it’s just a way to continue the abuse. They had to go through it, so now it’s their turn to inflict it on others. Like a full circle thing.”
“Guys are so messed up,” she says. “I mean, I know sororities aren’t that much better, but at least their torture is mostly psychological and not physical. Not that I’ve been in a sorority or could ever be in one, but that’s what I’ve heard they’re like.”
“Guys are messed up,” I agree. “But so are lots of girls. I think at this point it’s just people who are messed up.”
“Yeah, especially the people around here.” She pauses. “You’re moving better. How are you feeling?”
“Not as bad,” I tell her. “Not great, but not any worse.”
“Do you think we should get off the path?” she asks hesitantly. “I know you said you don’t care about Jordan knowing I helped you, but it might be better if we stayed out of sight.”
“I don’t care if we pass half the school,” I say honestly. “I don’t like when people tell me who I can or can’t talk to, so I really don’t give a shit if anyone says anything to him. If he doesn’t like it, then he’ll just have to deal with it.”
We fall silent as we continue down the path.
Despite her worries, we don’t pass anyone until we’re almost at my dorm, and even then, it’s just a bunch of first-years who know better than to stare or make a big deal when they pass us.
I can’t guarantee that they won’t sing like canaries to everyone they see later, but whatever.
I’ll deal with Jordan and anyone else who wants to be a dick about things if I have to.
“Do you need help getting inside?” she asks as we come up to the gate. It’s wide open, like it usually is on weekends, and we pause in front of it.
“Yeah. I doubt I’ll make it very far without you,” I say honestly.
She digs around in her purse and pulls out her ID card.
“I swear I’m not getting fresh with you,” I say, injecting as much sincerity into my voice as I can when I realize my dilemma. “But I don’t think I can get my ID out right now.”
“What pocket is it in?”
“The side one closest to you, in my pants.”
She has to step away from me and pull up the side of my jacket, but I manage to stay on my feet as she digs into my pocket and pulls out my ID for me.
“Here.”
I take it from her and wait as she taps her ID on the gate sensor to log her entry, then I do the same with mine.
“How the hell are you so calm right now?” She pulls my arm tighter around her shoulders as we walk through the gate. “You just got attacked by some guy in a mask, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal.”