Chapter 21
Large hands snaked out faster than should’ve been possible, closing around mine and keeping me from cracking my head open on the tile.
The moment his skin touched mine, I was assailed with images.
The first was a young boy sitting alone in a treehouse.
I could feel his sadness, the deep ache in his chest and longing for someone.
Then it was replaced with an entirely different image.
It was an older guy, maybe eighteen or so, with white-blonde hair and gray eyes that turned silver as he gazed down at a girl. At me.
I blinked rapidly as I was righted, the guy from my vision morphing into the hulking form in front of me. The same height as Ronan, his shoulders were broad, and the blazer he wore did nothing to disguise the muscles beneath it.
The guy’s nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched as those gray eyes turned to molten silver.
Crap. Crap. Crap. He was mad. So mad. And I got it. I’d crashed into him, practically knocking him over. If you could knock over a mountain.
“I-I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. I didn’t mean to crash into you. I should’ve been more careful. Sorry, again.”
I started to dash around him, but the guy caught my elbow.
“Wait.”
I cringed, slowly turning to face him, and braced for rage in his expression. Instead, I was greeted with…wonder?
“Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
The guy’s voice wrapped around me with each syllable. It was husky and rough, but there was a tenderness beneath that gave me the sudden urge to cry.
“I’m fine. Just about to be late for my class.”
He released my elbow. “What class do you have?”
“English Lit,” I answered automatically, as if he had complete control over my reactions.
He grinned, and the effect was devastating. It made his whole face light up. “I’m in that class.”
“Oh.” What a genius response.
“Come on. I’ll walk you. Make sure there are no more collisions along the way.”
Embarrassment heated my insides. “Thanks,” I mumbled.
“I’m Declan,” the hulking giant said.
I swallowed, trying to clear the dryness in my throat. “Leighton.”
“You’re new here.”
It wasn’t a question, but it begged for an explanation. I wasn’t exactly sure how much to share, what Colt wanted public. So, I opted for a short answer. “Yeah, it’s my first day.”
Declan looked down at me as we approached a classroom door. “It’s gotta be tough starting somewhere new during your senior year.”
I shrugged. “It’s not so bad.”
Those silver eyes bored into mine. “I’m glad you’re here, Leighton.”
My name on his tongue was a caress and a promise all in one. And my stomach dipped and rolled.
This guy was lethal.
As the teacher talked animatedly about the themes emerging in the first chapters of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, I could feel eyes on me.
It wasn’t the entire class, thank goodness.
This was one set of eyes in particular. And I knew if I looked to my right, I’d see gray eyes staring back at me.
I forced myself to keep my gaze locked on the teacher or my notebook.
Because every time my eyes collided with Declan’s, I wanted to drown in his stare.
There was something warm and kind about it, accepting.
Maybe I was just inferring that because he’d offered to scan his notes from the first week of classes to catch me up and readily shared his syllabus.
After the drama I’d dealt with in my new home, Declan’s easy welcome was a breath of fresh air. But I had no doubt he was the focus of many girls’ attention, and I didn’t need that kind of trouble.
“Please read chapters twenty through twenty-five for tomorrow’s class,” Ms. Piper said.
I winced. It looked like this school was going to be a bit more demanding than my last one. But if I could get good grades here, I’d have an even better shot at a decent scholarship.
“What class do you have next?” Declan asked, his gravelly voice skating over my skin in a pleasant shiver.
I pulled my schedule out of my notebook. “AP Bio.”
He frowned. “I’ve got Calculus.”
“Do you know where the bio class is?” I asked hopefully.
“I’ll walk you,” he said instantly as he stood.
One of Chloe’s two minions, the one with blonde hair, glared daggers at me.
Crap. I did not need to be on mean-girl radar. “That’s okay. Just point me in the right direction.”
“No, I’ll walk you,” Declan said.
“That’s okay. I’ll figure it out.” I grabbed my backpack and dashed from the room. One thing I had on my side was that I was smaller than Declan. I could slip through the crowd more easily than he could.
I felt like a jerk for ditching him. But I didn’t want blondie setting her sights on me. I still wasn’t sure if she was Mimi or Grace, but it didn’t really matter. I wanted nothing to do with either of them.
Glancing down at my schedule, I read the room number. A-34. I looked around, breathing a sigh of relief when I realized I was already in the As. Fifty-two. Fifty. Forty-eight. Once I picked up the pattern, I hurried down the hall until I reached thirty-four.
Rushing inside, I found a seat in my usual invisible zone. But the teacher locked eyes on me immediately. He gave me a warm smile. “You must be Leighton Carmichael.”
I swallowed and quickly nodded.
“I’m Mr. Greg. Welcome to Castle Prep. If you need help getting caught up, just let me know, and we can set up some tutoring sessions. The curriculum here is quite strenuous, and I don’t want you suffering in silence.”
The blonde girl from earlier snickered as she entered the classroom. “Good luck.”
“Mimi,” Mr. Greg warned.
She gave her best innocent smile as she flounced into an open seat close to the front of the class.
I sank lower in my chair. Thankfully, the teacher didn’t single me out any further.
But my hand didn’t stop moving the entire class.
Mr. Greg moved through the material much quicker than my previous teacher, and I could tell I was behind.
There were going to be some late nights of catching up in my future.
As I headed out of class, Mr. Greg nodded at me. “My door is always open.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
Glancing at my schedule, I realized it was lunch. I should’ve packed something. I nibbled on the corner of my lip as students all headed in the same direction.
The idea of braving any sort of cafeteria situation had dread pooling in my belly. I’d rather be hungry when I got home than deal with that. So, I headed in the opposite direction as everyone else. Maybe I could find the library and use the time to catch up in bio.
As I wound through the hallway, a voice raised above the crowd.
“LeeLee.”
I cringed as people started to look my way. I could make a run for it, but Colt would just yell louder. My shoulders slumped, and I turned around.
Colt hurried toward me. “Where are you going? The dining hall’s that way.”
“I was thinking I’d use lunch to catch up on my bio reading. I’m really behind.”
He frowned. “You need to eat.”
“I had a big breakfast. I can eat when I get home.”
Thankfully, the crowd had mostly dissipated now, and no one was here to overhear our conversation.
Colt’s hand closed around mine. “Come on. I’ll help you with bio tonight. But you need lunch.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but when I took in Colt’s expression, I knew it would do no use. “You’re so damn stubborn,” I grumbled.
He chuckled and tugged me down the hall. “Works to my advantage most of the time.”
“It’s annoying.”
“You mean endearing.”
I snorted. “Must be nice to be that delusional.”
Colt kept hold of my hand as he led me into the dining hall. The moment we stepped inside, the din of conversation quieted, and every pair of eyes turned to us.
Panic gripped me. So much for my invisibility superpower.