7. Hayden
“What happened in there?” Knox asked softly.
I knew he could feel my body trembling against his. But I didn’t want to lay this at his feet. The guys were already worried enough about me. If they knew my professor was being a total creeper, they’d lose it.
“He got on me for missing school. I hate feeling like I’m in trouble.”
It wasn’t a lie. All of those things were true. I just left out the part about his hand on my leg. But I’d dealt with that. I’d moved, scrunching my body against the arm of the couch.
An image filled my mind of Professor Brent’s face. The way it had twisted in anger just before Easton had knocked on the door.
“He thinks you were fucking shot, and he’s giving you shit about missing a few classes?” Easton clipped. “I know you already turned in all your assignments.”
My gaze flicked to him. How did Easton know about my studies?
“He knows I want to go to medical school and that I’ll need a scholarship. I have to have impeccable grades for that.”
Knox glanced down at me. “You don’t need a scholarship.”
I halted in the middle of the empty hallway. “Uh, yeah. I do.” It wasn’t like I was a secret billionaire.
Knox grinned. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of rolling in it.”
“Yeah. You are. Not me.”
Knox’s amusement quickly transformed into a scowl. “Whatever is ours is yours. That’s the way it works.”
My heart beat faster. “No, it’s not. It’s yours. I’m not just going to take your money. It’s bad enough that you won’t let me pay rent. I’d never just let you cover sixty grand a year for my school.”
I slid out of Knox’s hold and kept walking. I needed Cillian to deal with the Corbetts however he was going to so that I could get back to my job at the diner. I needed that sense of self-sufficiency, of control.
Knox hurried to catch up to me, Cáel, Easton, and Pete trailing behind. “You want to work yourself to the bone instead of just letting us help you?”
“Yes,” I snapped.
He caught my arm, stopping me. “Why?”
“Because I take care of myself. You don’t have to fix everything.”
Hurt flashed across Knox’s face, and I instantly wanted to take back my words.
A burn lit in my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. I sent up a million silent curses as tears filled my eyes. “I’m used to taking care of myself. Everything is changing, and I just need some of that normalcy.”
Knox wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “I’m sorry. I was pushy. I know this is new. But it’s in our nature to want to take care of you, to tend to all your needs. I know how easy it would be for us to pay for your education, so it seems silly not to. But if you want to get a scholarship, then I’ll be your best study buddy for the next four years.”
A tiny laugh escaped me, muffled by Knox’s chest. “Thank you. I’d much rather have a study buddy than a blank check.”
Knox dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “Understood.”
I felt heat at my back and twisted in Knox’s hold to find the source.
Cáel hovered close, his face twisted in worry. “You’re okay?”
Guilt swamped me, and I sniffed. “I’m okay, Big Guy.”
He didn’t look convinced.
I pushed out of Knox’s hold and wrapped my arms around Cáel’s waist. “I promise. This has all just been…a lot.”
Cáel pulled back a fraction to take in my face. “You mean it’s not every day you find out you’re going to transform into an overgrown lizard and have five mates for all eternity?”
I choked on a laugh. “Cáel, you’ve got jokes.”
He grinned and shrugged.
“If it isn’t the little faker,” a voice singsonged from down the hallway.
Delaney made her way toward us, with Maggie and Bella in tow. “What lengths won’t she go to for attention?”
Maggie and Bella shared a nervous look but didn’t say a word.
“Shove a sock in it, Delaney,” Easton muttered. “Nobody needs your nasty-ass bullshit today.”
She huffed as she flicked her dark locks over her shoulder. “What? Now I’m not allowed to state an opinion? I might hurt your whore’s feelings?”
Cáel let out a growl that had Delaney stumbling back a few steps and straight into Maggie and Bella.
“Ow,” Maggie squealed. “Watch it.”
Delaney turned her glare on Maggie. “Shut up.”
Maggie’s cheeks went pink, and she opened her mouth as if she might tell Delaney off, but whatever she saw in her queen bee’s eyes made her snap her mouth closed.
Delaney turned back to us, her gaze settling on me. “People are going to find out the truth about you. I hope you’re ready for that, slut.”
I was tired. So damned tired it felt like my bones ached. There was a part of me that just wanted to lie down and take Delaney’s bullshit. But I’d dealt with the crude comments one too many times today.
I shrugged out of Cáel’s hold and took a step toward her. I smiled as angelically as I could. “Delaney, it’s so sweet of you to be so concerned for me. I was so lucky to have you as my roommate for those first few weeks. But I promise, you don’t have to look out for me anymore.” I leaned forward, picking up a stage whisper. “People might start to think you’re a little obsessed with me. We wouldn’t want that.”
Easton choked on a laugh behind me, while Knox started coughing. Cáel simply grunted.
Delaney’s face turned the shade of a tomato. “I am not obsessed with you.”
I gave her a look of mock confusion. “You’re not? I don’t know, you sure talk about me a lot. Try to find out details about my life, who I spend time with, and what I’m doing. I can see how people might misconstrue that.”
Bella rolled her lips over her teeth in an attempt to keep in her laughter as Delaney sputtered.
“I just think people should know the truth about who’s in their midst,” Delaney argued.
“Oh?” I asked innocently. “And who’s that? Someone who is perfectly happy minding her own business and not bothering anyone?”
“You said you were sleeping with Knox and Cáel!”
I shrugged. “So? Why do you care?” I made an over-exaggerated pause. “Could it be because you’ve been working on some sort of warped plan to get Knox to yourself? Or was that Cillian? They’re honestly interchangeable to you because you don’t know either of them.”
Knox scoffed behind me. “Wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.”
“Guess you’ll need to be focused on Cillian, then. Good luck with that,” I said nonchalantly as I started walking again. I was so beyond done with this day.
Delaney spat curses after me, but I didn’t let any of them land. I just kept right on walking.
Knox jogged to catch up with me, slinging an arm over my shoulders. “That was a thing of beauty.”
I shook my head. “Can we go home now?”
It was Easton who answered as he, Cáel, and Pete reached us. “Please, before Cáel guts Delaney in the hallway.”
Cáel grunted. “She’s a woman. I’d make it more painless. I’d just snap her neck.”
I couldn’t help it; I laughed and patted his chest. “Such a gentleman.”
Knox’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He grinned as he put it on speaker. “Cill, you would not believe the verbal bitch-slap our girl just laid down.”
“Not now, Knox,” Cillian clipped.
Everyone stilled.
“We have a major problem. The dragon council is here.”