Page 85 of Burning Embers

“Oh, dear god.” Lissa stares up at me in wide-eyed horror. Then, unable to help herself from divulging the newest gossip, she leans forward to speak softly. “Apparently his last Yearbook partner transferred schools because he was such an ass to him.”

“No way.” Jake snorts. “That’s just a rumor.”

“It’s the truth!” Lissa insists, pouting. She folds her arms over her chest. “I heard it from the guy’s friend.”

“What did I tell you about gossiping, Lissa?” Hale asks as he steps into the kitchen, Seth trailing along behind him.

The younger boy doesn’t even glance up from his tablet, despite the conversation going on around him.

Lissa makes a face at me and rolls her eyes. “It’s not gossiping if it’s true.”

“There’s no fucking way that nerdy Ansel scared a guy all the way to a new school,” Jake protests with a bark of laughter.

“Ansel…” Hale taps his finger against his chin contemplatively. “Ansel Harthorne?”

“I have no idea what his last name is, but probably.” Jake shrugs. “Super smart, kind of an asshole, about this tall.” He places his hand out to help Hale visualize the height.

“Oh please. He’s definitely taller than four feet,” I say around my laughter.

Jake suddenly sits upright on his stool, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Oh! Speaking of four feet…I talked to Silas last night about hiring you.”

Hale inserts himself into the conversation before I can respond. “How the heck did four feet remind you of Silas? That man is massive.”

Jake waves a flippant hand in the air. “Don’t judge the process. My mind works in mysterious ways. Anyway…” He swivels on his stool once more to face me. “He said that youcan come in this weekend to interview! So bring a resume or whatever shit you need.”

Excitement fills me at the prospect of actually getting a job. A real job, not one that involves my fists. It only solidifies the fact that I may stay here longer than a few months. I’m not saying this town will be my forever home, but…I like it here. I like the people and forest and community.

Almost as soon as my excitement arrives, it dissipates.

How can I have a job, when I don’t even have a car or my license?

Hale interrupts my internal musings. “I’m proud of you, Izzy, for taking that initiative.” He offers me a kind smile. “The theater isn’t too far from the house. I’ll be more than happy to drive you to and from work until you can get your own license. And if you get hired, we can even talk to Silas about aligning your shifts with Jake’s so the two of you can ride with each other.”

“Oh yeah!” Jake fist pumps the air like a total doofus. “We’ll be work buddies!”

Lissa then proceeds to whine for the next half hour that she wants a job too, with Jake butting in every few minutes with remarks that only rile her up.

It’s loud. It’s chaotic. It’s frenzied.

But it feels a little like home.

Twenty-Eight

EMERY

Ifiddle with my lip ring for the one millionth time since I first entered the school—a nervous habit I’ve had ever since I got the damn thing. I keep my eyes pinned to the front of the school as I wait against the lockers with a feigned casualness I don’t truly feel.

I’m both excited and anxious to see Izzy. We’ve been texting almost nonstop since I first met her, and I have to admit she’s pretty cool. Even if I didn’t feel the mating bond between us—potent and electric—I would still want to get to know her.

Not only is she ridiculously beautiful, but she’s funny, witty, and insanely smart. I don’t know a lot about her past, but the few things I’ve picked up from our text conversations hint that she may have had a rough time.

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be bounced from foster home to foster home, never settling down, never staying in one place longer than a few months.

An almost blinding, incandescent rage courses through me at the prospect ofanyonehurting Isabella. I’m not stupid. I’ve read about the horror stories some of those kids have to go through, and the thought of that happening to Izzy…

I inhale sharply, attempting to modulate my sudden erratic breathing, when I feel a presence behind me. I stiffen involuntarily, every muscle in my body locking together as Desiree’s familiar perfume assaults my senses.

“What do you want, Desiree?” My words are a strange combination of a growl and a weary sigh.

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