Page 17 of Creatures of Chaos

Ensley and I exchange a look. He’s never spoken out about the House of Dragon like that before. And even if his words weren’t inflammatory, there’s no missing the bitterness in his voice. Something is definitely up with him. Something happened at that meeting, and I want to know what, but I also want to respect Becks’ privacy. I expect he’ll tell me when he’s ready. There are very few secrets between the three of us.

“Freckles, I was disappointed I didn’t hear from you. I did nothing else this weekend but sit by my phone and wait for you to call me.” Talon’s voice runs over my skin like hot coals, searing everywhere it touches.

I glance over to find him standing directly over my shoulder. I didn’t hear him approach, which is unnerving because part of me is always watching my back.

Talon grabs an empty chair from the table next to us, spins it around, and then wedges it between me and Becks. His eyes never leave my face as he sits down, his legs wide on either side of the chair as he rests his arms on the back and encroaches on my space.

I can feel Ensley’s gaze on me. Becks scowls from the other side of Talon as he scooches his chair away to reclaim his own space.

If I were to glance up and scan the courtyard, I’d bet I’d find a good number of the students staring at us. Becks, who’s as charismatic as he is attractive and powerful, has always drawn attention. It’s clear Talon has a similar effect. Having both of their attention right now isn’t going to do me any favors later. Some of the girls are going to be threatened by that and want to take me down a few pegs. I’m going to have to be on guard for the rest of the day.

Fantastic.

“Yeah, Locklyn,” Ensley says as she elbows me in the side. My face heats as I realize they were all waiting for me to say something. “Why didn’t you call our new friend, Talon?” Her voice is heavy with sarcasm, and I know I’m going to get it from her the moment he leaves.

I didn’t tell her or Becks about Talon’s visit to the shop this weekend. I considered it but didn’t want to deal with any questions about it from either of them. But now I wish I had because Talon makes it sound like it was something that it wasn’t.

“I have a very hard time believing that was the only thing you did this weekend,” I say, letting my gaze purposefully shift to where Vesper is standing, glaring at us from the other side of the courtyard.

“Oh, but it was,” he says, sounding nothing but sincere. “Nothing would have made me happier than to hear your sweet voice on the other end of the line.”

Ensley digs her elbow into my side again, prompting me to respond.

“I’m sure.” I give myself credit for containing an eye roll.

Talon leans in, his voice becoming intimate, and my body heats involuntarily. “You broke my heart a little when you didn’t call me.”

Ensley starts choking, and Becks releases a low growl; the smell of smoke tickles my nose. A telltale sign he’s pissed off.

A hint of a smile appears on Talon’s face, letting me know he enjoys stirring the pot.

Okay, enough of this. Becks’ scowl is starting to look murderous, and I’m going to have bruises peppered along my ribs from Ensley digging her elbow into me every time Talon opens his mouth.

I lean away from Talon, putting some respectable distance between the two of us. This seems to please Becks because the smoke clears. Ensley, on the other hand, continues to nudge me closer to the dark-haired troublemaker.

“My parents said they’d put out some feelers for the artifact you came into the store looking for. I gave them your number so they can get in touch with you if they find anything,” I say, letting my friends know that Talon is full of it and that the only reason he wanted me to call is about an antique he’s searching for, and simultaneously letting Talon know that any further information about the whereabouts of Shadow Striker won’t be coming from me.

“He came into the store?” Becks asks, looking a million times more relaxed than he did a minute ago.

“Yeah,” I answer, before Talon can open his mouth and spin it to sound more salacious than it actually was. “He’s looking for a particular artifact. A present for his father, I believe.”

“What are you looking for?” Becks asks.

“Something incredibly rare,” Talon says, his gaze still on me. The intensity in the gray-blue depths makes me want to squirm in my chair, but I keep myself in check. Something tells me that letting Talon know he’s affecting me would be a bad idea.

“There are lots of places to look for antiques around Everton,” Becks says.

“I know. But I think Freckles here might have exactly what I’m looking for.”

The scent of smoke permeates the air again.

Talon is specifically baiting Becks. I don’t know why, but it’s starting to piss me off.

“I don’t have anything you’re looking for,” I say, adding a touch of ice to my words.

“Don’t be so sure of that,” Talon challenges, leaning forward to recapture some of the space I’d put between us. “You have more to offer than anyone realizes.”

Talon hasn’t looked away from me since he sat down, and it suddenly doesn’t feel like we’re talking about looking for Shadow Striker anymore.

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