Page 17 of Heartless

A very long party guest list, I realized as I hovered in the doorway. It was being held in the equivalent of the Dud Dorm breakroom, although on a much bigger, more comfortable scale. The benches and tables had been pushed to the walls and over eighty students were circulating in the middle. A music station was set up at one end, and freshmen decked out in Marshall red were circulating with drinks and platters of food. All very normal high school party, until you saw the Clan Alpha standing in the middle of the throng, a vision in dark jeans and a tight blue Henley that made my body burn.

But before I could unglue my tongue from the top of my mouth, Callum was at my side, and he was all scowls as he looked me over. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“If you tell her to put your fucking jacket on, Cal, I’m going to pop a blood claw.” I blinked up at Jasper, who’d moved so fast he’d left at least one freshman server spinning in his wake. And although Callum just sneered at the threat, most of the surrounding shifters took a careful step away. Which might have been part of Jasper’s plan, because he instantly pulled me tight to his body. “First dance is mine,” he told my supposed mate, then swung his attention back to me. After his very public show of aggression, I was surprised by the uncertainty in his eyes. “That’s if you want to, Vail.”

Did I want to spend my last moments at the academy pressed up against Jasper Arras’s chest? “Yes, I’d like to dance with you, Jasper,” I told him, my voice a husky rasp. When he gave me a heated look, I bit the side of my cheek. “Just so long as it’s not a waltz.”

“No fear of that,” he muttered, scowling at the poor freshman who was in charge of the playlist. But that Cocky Jasper lightness came back into his face as I fit only too easily into his arms. He was beyond good at this, every sway and turn of his body like a prelude to a different kind of dance. Other kids were moving around us, some of them already locked at the lips and hips, but it was hard to focus on anything but Jasper. He wasn’t groping me, or thrusting his groin against mine, but every inch of my body was lit up and wanting more.

“You’re wearing hunter green,” he murmured into the hot skin next to my ear.

“Is that what’s it called?” I tried for nonchalance, but failed miserably as he dragged his nose down the length of my neck.

“It’s the color of evergreens, but it’s also one shade darker than your eyes.”

My stomach gave a warm flutter. “I thought it was good camouflage.”

“Not the way you’re wearing it,” he said, then pressed a long, hot kiss to my collarbone. It was so confident, so casual, like he had every right to kiss me wherever he wanted, and for a moment my brain shut down. I could hear a few mutters around us, but when my mind cleared enough to draw back from Jasper a step, I saw a ring of alphas around us. I recognized the backs of some of them – Baron and Felix, along with Reed’s lieutenants, Carter and Beckett. All so tall, they blocked out the rest of the room. Jasper touched my cheek, drawing my gaze back to his. “You know you don’t have to hide from me, Vail. I’m all in. And happy to let everyone know it.”

“It’s just a dress,” I murmured, conscious of the circle of ears, even if they were walling us off from the other students. “And I didn’t mean it to be some kind of declaration. This is Marnie’s night.”

Disappointment shone in his eyes for a moment, before he nudged Baron aside so I could scan the room for my friend. She was three deep in a circle of admiring wolves, and although she looked flattered by the attention, there was also a tightness to her smile. Some of these kids probably thought she’d just popped up out of nowhere, but I knew how deep the dud scars ran.

Jasper must’ve sensed my tension, because he flattened his hand on my spine, and rubbed it in a slow circle. “She’ll be okay, I promise. Even if Reed can’t swallow his pride long enough to admit what a great wolf she is, I’ll make sure everyone knows it.”

Carter snorted at that, proving that even an alpha wall likes to eavesdrop. But I was touched by the sentiment, and said, “Thanks. Marnie’s the closest thing to family I have here.”

He stiffened at that, but didn’t try to correct me. I might have been a Marshall by birth, fake-mated to a Sawyer, and with an Arras for a Clan Alpha, but underneath it all I was still the outsider who didn’t quite fit. And from the way the other students were eyeing me in his arms, I wasn’t the only one who thought so. When the song ended, I pulled away, conscious of the other girls hovering outside the alpha wall. Most of the bitches I wanted to put into the ground, but my heart clenched when I saw Nadia and Jasmine watching me with sad eyes. I needed to get out of there before I said or did something I’d regret. “I should go congratulate Marnie.”

He gave a slow nod. “I’ve got to make a phone call, but I’ll see you back here, okay?”

I was suddenly too upset to reply, and with a little wave, pushed through the other alphas. I instantly caught Callum’s eye, despite the crush. No doubt he wanted to spit something scathing about blowing up our fake mating, but I ignored him and headed over to Marnie and her admirers. She didn’t seem to mind me dragging her away from them, and it gave me a chance to properly admire her little black dress. “You are one hot shifter sister, Marnie.”

She giggled. “I thought our Clan Alpha was going to explode into flames when he saw you walk in.”

I hitched a shoulder. “Like always, the feeling’s mutual.” It took everything in me not to turn and look for him in the crowd. “But promise me you’ll be careful tonight. I saw Pearl earlier, and I don’t think she’s a very gracious loser.”

Marnie nodded, but dropped her voice, her hands clutching at mine. “You’re leaving soon?”

“It’s already gone eleven,” I whispered back, glad the freshman with the playlist was into thumping techno. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get off campus.”

“Okay. But as soon as you’re safe and settled, I expect a phone call.”

I nodded, pulling away before anyone realized how hard we clung to each other. On impulse, I veered over to Nadia and Jasmine. The two omegas threw their arms around me, almost teary-eyed when they realized where I was headed. “You don’t have to go,” Nadia whispered fiercely in my ear. “Jay will move mountains to protect you, Vail. Please. Just stay and give him a chance.”

I could’ve told her I needed to start protecting myself, but that wasn’t the omega way. “Look after him,” I whispered, and with a last squeeze, pulled away. I didn’t look for Callum again; I’d be damned if he was the last face I saw before I walked out of this school.

The freshmen had done a good job of handing out drinks and there was enough distracting behavior going on to slip out unnoticed. I took the stairs straight to the basement, my heart pounding as loud as my boot heels. Now I was moving, I felt like something was almost pushing me out the door, and I grabbed my duffel and changed clothes in record time. The service exit wasn’t far from the mineral pool and I took one last breath of that familiar smell. Like everything at the academy, it triggered bad memories along with the good, but I clung to the ones that would see me through the nights ahead.

Jasper’s security team had been everywhere since the Denner attack, but as I slipped away from the school, the night was eerily quiet. Maybe the alphas were already assembling for Marnie’s initiation, or it was just my turn for some good luck. Tucking my chin to my chest, I tried to look like your average maintenance worker as I strolled towards the tree-line. My boots crunched noisily on the snow, my quick breaths huffing white clouds on the air. I could almost feel eyes on my back, like they were just waiting for me to take one step too far. We were on lockdown. Midnight strolls were definitely off-limits. I tried to tell myself I was just being paranoid, but as soon as I hit the trees, I began to run.

It was too dark for a full-on sprint, but the cold wind still pricked the corners of my eyes as I hurried through the trees. Bittersweet tears, I decided, as I followed the path I’d planned to the security wall, and tossed my duffel over the top. My heart was still hammering, my hands trembling with adrenaline, but Marnie was right. This far into the woods, the fence was steel instead of stone, and I could jam the toes of my boots into the rings. All that cheer work had strengthened my arm muscles, and I quickly pulled myself up and over the top. Dropping to the other side, I snatched up my duffel and began cutting a path back towards the road.

Darkness. Darkness. Darkness.

His name was a prayer on my lips, and when I finally caught sight of a truck parked up on the shoulder, I felt my chest begin to unclench. I knew he’d be there, but I didn’t want to let myself believe it, because I was pretty sure the disappointment would have killed me. Palming my chilled cheeks, I realized I was grinning like a crazy person as I bounded towards him.

A few things struck me at once, freezing the smile on my face.

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