“There’s one last trial before you’re fully enrolled,” dad says slowly, peeling his orange in one long strip. “And that is your academic finals. If you pass those, then I won’t fight you on returning to the Academy.” I gasp, thrilled, leaning forward to thank my dad with all of my heart. “But!”
I was similarly frantic that night in the dream state with Luca. He clasped me in his arms, desperate to hear my story, to know that I was safe. I told him, briefly, what happened, and then begged him to let me go, to sleep, because I absolutely could not turn my mind away from the Chemistry test I
I sigh, shaking my head and moving on with it. “Neumann told all of my classmates that they were all being shitty people, that they were jealous, and that they were kidding themselves if they thought that trying to knock me out of the running because I’m physically the smallest and weakest was ever
“Because,” Jesse says, patting my knee and then getting up, “you’re safe now, Ari. Nobody’s going to mess with you.” “What?” I ask, my eyes following him as he moves over to his desk, writing something down on a piece of paper. “What are you talking about?” “You don’t have to worry about Wright
“Um,” I say, feeling utterly awkward as I look between Ben’s slack jaw and Jesse’s appalled expression. I am suddenly very, very aware of Jackson’s forearm tucked neatly below my ass, holding me up against him, and the way that my leg intuitively curled itself over his hip, like it belongs there.
“Luca!” Rafe shouts, just as Jesse shouts Jackson’s name, both of them baffled. I shake my head at Jacks, begging him to understand as I keep moving forward, as I place myself between my mates. And the moment I step actually between them, holding out a hand, palm out, towards each, begging them to
The room is silent for a long moment and I’m shocked when it’s Jesse’s voice that breaks it. “Whaaat the fuckkk,” Jesse groans, turning in a tight circle and covering his face with his hands before dragging them down over his features and turning to glare at me, just as Rafe is. The room explode
“What?” he sputters, disbelieving. “It’s true, but it’s not important – but she picked Jackson, she picked both of you for me –“ “That’s fucking impossible!” Luca yells, dropping his hands from my face and throwing them out to the side. “You get one mate – one – I don’t know who told you that yo