Page 49 of Daughters of Chaos

Viper recoils like I slapped him. His body slumps as he shakes his head, his anger quieting. "I didn't fucking know you existed," he says. "If I had known . . . " He shakes his head again as he searches for the right words.

It doesn't matter; my rage is overtaking me. Nothing he says will change that now. I saved his enforcer, and this is the thanks I get.Are you fucking kidding me?

Before either of us can say another word, Bear steps in. "Why don't we take this back to the house? We can regroup there."

"Fuck that!" I shout. "I'm going home."

Viper lets out a heavy breath as I storm away. "Archie, come back with us. You can fill us in. J, Reaper, get Raven back to her house safe."

I'm still seething as we pull into the driveway. Inside, Jesse nudges my side. "You good, Rocky?"

"Fine," I huff.

He chuckles, pulling me to the sink. "Let's get you cleaned up. That was a hell of a fight, babe. You're kind of a badass."

"Yeah? Well, tell that to your leader," I chirp.

He winces as he washes my knuckles under the warm water, ignoring his own wounds. "He was worried about you, Rae."

"He shouldn't be."

Jesse knows I'm livid and wisely drops the conversation, concentrating on tending my wounds. I'll return the favor when I calm down a bit. Jesse doesn't deserve my ire. Sucking in a breath, I turn away, finding Reaper, bloody and bruised, already watching me.

His eyes are narrowed like they were earlier in the bar, once again appraising me, only, this time, he doesn't look irritable. The look in his eyes now is different—one I haven't seen in them before. He almost looks as if he's in awe of something. Of me.

Maybe he's just grateful he didn't get stabbed. Maybe he can't fathom thatIwas the one who helped him. Either way, it doesn't matter. I only did what I had to. Before his eyes meet mine, I look away.Now, you owe me one, Big Guy.

27

Phoenix

Phoenix.”

“Phoenix?”

“Earth to Phoenix.”

I look up from my notebook to find Kat and Martin staring at me expectantly. “Sorry, what?” I reply, shooting them an apologetic look.

It’s been hard to concentrate since the attack at the bar. Even with my entourage blending in with hoodies around the library, it feels like someone sinister is watching my every move. I’ve felt that sensation ever since Raven told me what happened. Even here with my friends in the campus library, something feels off.

Kat’s eyes narrow as she sits back in her seat, appraising me. “Is everything okay? You’ve been spacy the last few days.”

I nod, giving her a tight smile. “I’m fine. I just haven’t been sleeping well.”

She doesn’t believe me. I can see it in her eyes, but she drops it, letting me keep my secrets for now. I’m sure she’ll ask again when it’s just the two of us, but with Martin here, she’s giving me some breathing room.

“See, babe, all’s good,” Martin tells her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “That boyfriend of hers has probably been keeping her up late,” he adds with a wink.

Kat rolls her eyes, batting him away playfully. They started dating shortly after I introduced them one day when Kat and I bumped into Martin at lunch. They hit it off immediately, and now, between classes, the three of us hang out in the library. It was awkward at first after Martin and I met the way we did, but Kat is smitten, and he seems equally enchanted by my friend. I’m glad they’re happy and that he hasn’t made things weird since I turned him down.

I try not to cringe as I shake my head. The feeling of being watched starts to grow, and I turn my head, finding Archie posted in his seat, watching everyone around us. There's no one else there, nothing amiss. I shake off the feeling and dive back into my work, pretending that nothing is wrong. Since the attack, I haven’t been able to relax, but with finals fast approaching, I need to try.

Taking a deep breath, I launch myself back into my work, ignoring the sinking feeling in my gut. After a while, Kat and I head to class, saying goodbye to Martin. As soon as he’s out of earshot, Kat tugs on my arm. “Hey, what’s going on?”

I can’t tell her the truth without putting the guys—and Kat—in danger but I know she’s not going to drop it when she can see something is going on. I sigh, opting to tell her the only bit of truth that I can. “I’m on edge lately because of something that happened the other night.”

She stares at me, waiting for me to elaborate.

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