Page 62 of Echoes

Clutching my hand, he pulls me into the hall as students sit down for dinner. I spot Damon at his usual table, immediately giving Grey a brisk nod when their eyes meet.

Despite his reassurances, I can't help but feel like it's not an empty threat.

Sure, Mr. Whittingham doesn't have the power when it comes to them. But they can't protect me twenty-four-seven.

And inside, I have the niggling suspicion that we've just started a war.

I walk into the library, hand-in-hand with Grey, my eyes immediately scanning theCirque des Mortscrowd for obsidian eyes. Frowning, I look at Grey when I don't find Theo.

"He'll be here," he mutters quietly to me, giving me a smile. "We're just a little early."

I return the smile, looking around until my eyes land on Damon in the corner. He's talking heatedly with Jillian, who looks uneasy.

The two of them glance over at us as we approach, their conversation dying off. Damon gives her a final nod before Jillian sighs, heading off to join a crowd of people near the food table.

"What was that about?" Grey asks warmly.

Damon's gaze flickers to me for a brief second before returning to his second-in-command. "Capello. It didn't go as planned."

"Vivian is vulnerable right now," I interject, feeling sorry for the girl.

Sure—she's made my life hell ever since I arrived. Her piece of shit boyfriend assaulted me, she stole my file and plastered it around the hall to expose me… but still, despite it, I feel a little bit sorry for her.

"That's called the consequence of her own actions," Damon answers. "Perhaps if people listened the first time, they wouldn't make stupid mistakes."

"I know," I say in agreement, nodding. "I don't forgive her for what she did. But we're all facing battles here. And that's exacerbated by her boyfriend's death now."

My eyes shoot heatedly over to Grey, who looks at me with innocence.

"What?" he mouths.

I shake my head. "You know what," I snipe back.

Damon watches our exchange closely. "You told her."

It's not a question, just a definitive observation. Grey nods casually at him.

"Oops," he offers unapologetically.

Damon shakes his head, suddenly pausing to look behind us. His face drops as his eyes darken slightly. I instinctively turn around to see what has his attention, face lighting up when I spot Theo entering the library with Jemison.

"Hey," I say brightly when he reaches us.

"Hey, you," he answers, giving me a brief smile before glaring at Damon.

My heart races nervously. Did Grey clear this with Damon beforehand? I have to assume so, but then again, I never see it coming what they do next.

"Ashwood," Damon greets lazily with a sneer. "I see that you are joining us this evening."

I quickly look at Grey for reassurance, noticing the smirk on his face.

Still can't fucking tell…

"You knew, right?" I ask Damon, unable to help myself.

His light green eyes flicker over to me. "Obviously."

I let out a sigh of relief—even though it might only be temporary. We still have the whole evening to deal with. I can already see the other members of the society looking at us curiously. While it's now been confirmed that Damon knew in advance, it's clear that they didn't.

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