Page 21 of Lock Up the Darkness

“To want what everybody does?” Killian demanded, his tone harsh and undoubtedly intending to eviscerate anyone not on board with his line of thinking on the subject matter.

Professor Richards eyed him with intrigue. “And what do you believe that to be?”

“To carve out their own path. To control their own fate,” he answered with a tired tone, as though it should already be beyond obvious.

The words left me before I could even hope to pull them back. “To be free.”

Killian’s gaze snapped to mine.

For a moment that hostility that was always there was nowhere to be found.

In its place was a mixture of awe and more than just a little intrigue.

I looked away first, and thankfully, the professor moved forward with the discussion.

Time seemed to drag like a real bitch for the rest of the two-hour lecture, until I finally heard Professor Richards’ watch alarm blaring and indicating the end of class. He had one that he needed to get to right after that was over on the other side of campus, so the seconds counted for him.

Yeah, I noticed things about people. Details others likely wouldn’t.

It wasn’t that I was creepy.

It was a survival tactic. Self-preservation.

Thanks, Dad.

The professor was out the door in the next second, then the grating of chairs and numerous conversations filled the room, echoing all around, as we all responded in kind and started packing up too.

I wasn’t really in any rush right now, because this was my last class of the day and I didn’t have work tonight. No, that came tomorrow with back-to-back shifts all weekend long.

Liza nudged me and the next thing I knew, she was shoving her phone into my eye line. She tapped the screen with a wild finger. “I actually got an invite!”

I took in the creepy skull and crossbones invitation, smoke swirling through the video format.

The Blowout.

Liza had been dying to get an invite.

It didn’t actually make sense that she’d been granted access.

It was something hosted by the Infidels and her sticking by me against Killian’s followers should have warranted the opposite for her.

“This is really strange,” I warned her.

She scoffed and waved her hand dismissively, not paying any mind to my concern as she said, “You’re being paranoid.”

“I am?” The hell I was.

“Yeah. This is just a peace offering. The end to this messed-up hazing shit.”

“It’s not hazing, it’s—”

“Look,” she pushed, scrolling down, then showing me something that upped the shock factor a whole lot.

Bring your friend along. Bygones, Aurora?

“See?” she cried excitedly, practically squealing with it. “They probably would’ve contacted you directly if they’d had your number.”

They wouldn’t be getting my number. At least, not until I was ready to give it to them for my own specific purposes. The security I had on my phone—and all my devices—would see to that.

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