Chapter 13
My fingers tapped along my thighs as Colt guided the SUV on the route to school. For the first time, Trace hadn’t jumped in to ride shotgun. Instead, he’d taken the seat next to mine.
All the guys had been sticking close since the cops’ visit yesterday, but Trace had barely left my side. He’d slept wrapped around me, snarling at anyone who’d tried to take his place. I loved his closeness, but I worried about how on edge he was.
I reached over and took Trace’s hand in mine. His gaze jerked away from the passing scenery and toward me. “You okay?”
The lilt of his voice wrapped around me in a way that left pleasant shivers behind. “Nervous but okay. You?”
Trace’s jaw hardened. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“I wasn’t worried about that.” I probably should’ve been, with Damien clearly messing with us. But the guys made me feel incredibly safe. “I just don’t want to have a magical freak-out that exposes my phoenix mark to everyone.”
Declan leaned forward, kneading my shoulders from behind. “Just remember to keep breathing, and you’ll be fine.”
Dash twisted in the front passenger seat. “We’ll be sticking close, making sure that nothing gets out of control.”
I nodded, nibbling at the corner of my lip.
“Cameras looking good?” Colt asked, his gaze lifting to the rearview mirror.
Ronan looked up from his phone. “Everything is running smoothly. We all have access to every vantage point.”
Colt hadn’t wanted me to go back to school so quickly, but Darius had reminded him that the cops could be paying attention to my attendance. So, here we were.
Colt flipped on his blinker and turned onto campus. The parking lot was already full of students milling around. Their focus instantly shifted as they caught sight of the Escalade. Groups huddled tighter together, whispering.
I couldn’t help but groan. “Do we really have to deal with high school drama on top of everything else?”
Declan chuckled. “It does seem a little unfair.”
“They’ll stop staring soon enough,” Trace growled.
I squeezed his hand hard. “No bodily harm.”
He frowned in my direction.
Ronan barked out a laugh. “He looks like you just took away his favorite toy.”
“She did,” Dash said with a grin.
Trace tugged on his lip ring. “I can’t help it if I have certain gifts.”
I stared at him. “Torture is your gift?”
He shrugged. “Everyone has their thing.”
Colt swung into his parking spot. “Let’s all try to keep a low profile today, okay?”
“Good luck with that,” Ronan muttered.
Colt turned off the vehicle and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just once, I’d like to have a boring day.”
Dash clapped him on the shoulder. “You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself.”
Trace opened his door and slid out, keeping hold of my hand.
I grabbed my backpack and followed him out. I felt eyes on us before I actually saw them. The energy of that focus made me squirm.
Trace’s glare swept over the crowd. Most of the students were smart enough to look away, but a few couldn’t help themselves.
“Nosy bastards,” he muttered.
Declan and Ronan climbed out of the SUV behind us.
“It’ll pass by lunch,” Declan said, dropping a kiss to my temple.
Whispers caught on the air and made their way to my ears. I shouldn’t have been able to hear what anyone was saying, but I could.
“Her mom was found dead yesterday.”
“I bet Trace did it. Everyone at The Assembly meeting saw her crazy scars. Her mom did that.”
“Maybe she snapped and did it.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to shove out the sounds. Colt’s super hearing was a gift I didn’t especially want right then.
Colt appeared at my side and rubbed a hand up and down my back. “You sure you’re up for this? I can take you home. We’ll say you’re sick.”
I shook my head, forcing my eyes open. “I’m okay. Really.”
Trace muttered something under his breath I couldn’t quite make out.
“Let’s get this over with,” Ronan said. “First period will be the worst. It’ll just get better from there.”
I took a deep breath and started toward the school. I did my best to ignore the people around me. Humming faintly to try and keep their conversations out of my head, I let my gaze go unfocused. That way, I couldn’t see the looks on students’ faces. I didn’t want to see their pity or their disgust.
Someone came to a stop in front of me, and I had to blink a few times before I could see who it was. Sam’s look of concern filled my vision. “I’m so sorry, Leighton. I just heard about what happened. Are you holding up okay?”
Her mates, Seán, Liam, and James, stood sentry behind her. Now that I knew how rare female dragons were, I understood their protectiveness a bit more.
“I’m all right,” I said.
Sam frowned at me. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”
I laughed, and it felt good to loosen a little of the tension running through me. “Okay, I’m as all right as you can be when your mom tries to kill you.”
Sam’s gaze hardened. “I’m not exactly sorry she’s dead.”
“Join the club,” Ronan muttered behind me.
The bell rang, and Sam pulled me in for a quick hug. “Let me know if you need anything at all.”
Warmth spread through me at her kindness. “Thank you. I will.”
The guys behind her lifted their chins in a series of agreement, and Liam sent me a wink. That wink had a couple of growls filling the air behind me.
Sam smacked him. “You’re incorrigible.”
He bent and nipped her neck. “But you like me that way.”
I laughed as they disappeared down the hallway.
“That overgrown lizard needs to watch where he steps,” Trace gritted out.
“He’s harmless,” Declan assured him.
“Whatever,” Trace mumbled.
We headed toward my homeroom, but my stomach twisted as I caught sight of Chloe, Mimi, and Grace in a huddle outside the classroom.
The moment Chloe saw me, her voice rose. “I heard the police wanted to arrest her. The Assembly won’t be pleased. I bet they cast her out by the end of the week.”
“Good riddance,” Mimi scoffed. “At least I won’t have to see that fire engine hair anymore.”
An evil smile spread across Grace’s face. “Can you imagine having your own mother hate you enough to try and kill you? Pathetic.”
Chloe laughed. “I bet her dad’s not even dead. I bet he just ran off to get away from her.”
The flash of fury came so fast and hard there was nothing I could do to stave it off. I could take insults about my appearance, Maryanne’s hatred of me, and my lack of supernatural abilities, but my father was one area no one could go.
Rage kicked that ball of energy that lived inside me into high gear. I was moving before I knew what was happening. Superhuman speed took over, and I was on Chloe in the blink of an eye, knocking her to the floor.
“Say that again,” I snarled.