CHAPTER 18 #2
Regretting my question even more now, I was about to change the subject when Thorne replied, “His death is still a mystery. Some say he committed suicide, but I believe he was murdered.”
He was murdered, but I wasn’t going to let Thorne know how I knew that.
“So, you don’t know who killed him?”
Wow, I was really pushing my luck here.
“No, but you don’t need to worry about that. I won’t let that happen to you.”
Why? Because it would make you look like an incompetent mentor?
I stuffed down the words, zipping up my skirt and saying instead, “Someone already broke in here and almost murdered me. There’s a good chance they’ll try to again.”
“Which is why you’re not staying here any longer.”
My fingers froze halfway through buttoning my shirt. “Excuse me?”
“You’re relocating to Sapphire Wing. To my dorm.”
What. The. Hell? He said it so definitively, like I had absolutely no say in the matter.
“Like hell I am,” I said, my tone laced with warning, with bite. He had no right to make decisions for me like that. No right.
Slowly, he turned around, his jaw set like granite. I set mine as well, preparing for a fight. He took in my defensive stance, lingering too long on the cleavage my half-buttoned shirt couldn’t hide before replying, “Don’t fight me on this, Snowflake. You’ll lose.”
“Why, because you always win? Well, I hate to ruin your big plans, but unless you’re going to keep me prisoner in your dorm, I won’t stay there.”
His entire body went rigid. Anger flashed in his eyes, but something else did too. Confusion. “I’m offering you protection. Why won’t you accept it?”
Wow, I’d really rattled him. I doubted he’d ever been turned down like this before.
Two rejections in one day by the school’s pariah must definitely sting.
I wasn’t rejecting his offer of protection out of spite, though.
That would be stupid. Without a doubt, I’d be a lot safer in his dorm than mine, but . . .
“Because if I leave, it’ll make me look weak,” I told him. “You’re the one who told me not to run and hide every time I’m afraid, and that I won’t survive this place unless I’m willing to defend myself.”
“This is different.”
“Why?”
“Because you almost died.”
I threw my hands in the air. “So? Then you wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore.
I know you have a reputation to protect, but so do I.
This is my one chance to change things for my family, and I can’t do that if you stuff me in a box and throw away the key.
I’m sorry, but I can’t hide behind you just because I almost died.
I need to prove that I belong here, and staying in this drafty haunted tower is how I do it. ”
Thorne was silent for a long time, studying me in a way that made me worry I’d told him too much. But it wasn’t like he didn’t already know why I was here. Why I wanted so badly to stay. Why else would I risk dying?
Ever so slowly, I watched his anger and confusion melt away. Something else filled his eyes, then. Not resignation, but something that I most definitely didn’t expect. Understanding.
Uncrossing his arms, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. “Here. My number is already in there, along with Oz and Riku’s. If you won’t stay with us, then you’ll at least let us keep tabs on you.”
Realizing he was holding a phone, I started to shake my head. “First years aren’t allowed to have any devices.”
“They are if I say they are,” he said in that matter-of-fact way of his. “This is non-negotiable, Winter. Either take the phone, or I’ll drag you to my dorm and throw away the key.”
Cute. He thought I’d be cowed by that, but I would gladly accept the phone if it meant being able to call home.
I desperately missed Wyatt and Gran’s voices, and the thought of hearing them again gave me a fresh burst of energy.
Striding forward, I took the phone from him, not surprised that it was the latest model.
“How will I charge it? I don’t have a cord—or electricity, for that matter.”
“I’ll see to it that you have a charging cord and electricity restored to the tower. And a new window installed.”
I almost protested that last part since it felt like cheating, then thought better of it. Almost dying should earn me at least one perk. I returned to the bed to put on my blazer and tie, then quickly ran a brush through my hair, wishing I had time to put on some concealer.
Oh, well. The dark circles further accentuated my ghostly vibe, which should unsettle a few of my peers, at least. When I finished and announced my readiness to leave, Thorne’s expression darkened once more.
“Forgetting something, Snowflake?”
I glanced down at myself, then back up at him. “No.”
Lips thinning, he stalked around me and grabbed something off my bed, then headed back, saying, “You need to carry this phone on you at all times. No exceptions.”
Without warning, he strode right into my personal space and plunged his hand into my skirt pocket. My eyes flew wide, a small gasp escaping me when I felt his fingers graze my hip through the material. Pleasurable tingles erupted over my skin, making my body hyperaware of his.
He didn’t pull back right away, keeping his hand where it was as he bent his head down toward mine and rumbled, “Do you understand?”
I swallowed hard, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. “I understand.”
The words came out breathless, submissive. Where the hell did my backbone just disappear to?
“Good,” he said, satisfaction heavy in his tone. He held his position for another beat, probably taking sadistic pleasure from the power move he’d just played, then slowly slid his hand free and turned for the door. “Then let’s go.”