Page 75 of Consume Me

“I thought you and Bailey weren’t on speaking terms.”

“We aren’t. What does one have to do with the other?” he grumbles, heading to his classes.

A weekend with my dad will do me good. I can’t get used to sleeping with Blake again. With my decision made, I send my father a text to let him know that I’ll be staying overnight.

Some quality time with my father is exactly what I need. He has always been my anchor, never letting me drift away. And I need him now more than ever.

Mia went to class with the girls, along with Hunter and Dane watching over them, and with the myriad of guards following stealthily.

Stop being a paranoid asshole.

I drag a hand down my face when Kaden says, “So?”

“I’m not in the mood to talk. Shouldn’t you be watching Celine?” I try to redirect his attention, hoping he would get off my back.

“Nice try.”

“What do you want me to say, huh?” I sound like I feel—resigned.

“You’ve been sneaking into Mia’s room all week.”

I grit my teeth, teetering on the edge. “She needs protection.”

“How is that working for you? You’re about to snap.”

He would, too, if he had to fall asleep with the girl he wanted without doing anything about it. I am a damn sinner, but apparently, I have the self-control of a saint. It’s getting harder to justify why I shouldn’t just make her mine already. I will never come as close to heaven as I am with her. Not being able to do that quickly reminds me of the other problem in my life.

“Where the fuck could those two assholes be?” The moment I find where Felix and Caleb are hiding, I will personally deliver them to hell.

He slams his palm down on the kitchen table. “I don’t fucking know.”

“So what? We’re going to stay here like sitting ducks?”

“Do you think I like this any more than you do? They will make the first move, and then we’ll be on them. And that goes for whoever helped them cover their tracks.”

“That’s risky.” I cock my head. “It’s either Bailey’s or Abigail’s parents. It has to be someone from Felix’s close group.”

“Yeah, but there are four people, and Cassandra doesn’t want to start an internal war without proof.”

He looks at me intently. “I won’t have to worry about that.”

“No, asshole, because we would always have your back.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t get emotional on me now.”

I stand up, needing to go to the main campus and see Mia. Every minute without her in my vicinity escalates my unease, making me restless, like I can’t find my damn place without her.

While I spend my nights wrapped in her warmth, not being close enough to her haunts my days. I don’t fucking know what is happening to me, but she does things to me that I can’t explain or comprehend.

“I can’t do this without you,” Kaden says, pulling me from my train wreck of thoughts.

“Don’t even start.”

“You’re family, Blake. If you leave, a piece of me will always be missing. You did it for Cassandra.”

“Ah, so you want me to pledge my loyalty to you as well? It doesn’t fucking matter where I am. If you ever need me, I’m going to be there.”

---