Page 7 of Into the Light

“What?” I shot out. “Tell me.”

“She’s . . .” He scuffed his boot against the wood floors of the cabin.

“Fucking spit it out,” I demanded, my tone getting more intense and anxious with each passing second.

“She’s back in Isles for the semester,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, so I had to lean in to make sure I understood what he said.

“B-back in Isles?”Why didn’t I know this?

I was so caught up in my own issues I didn’t check with Santiago about her plan for the new semester.

I gripped his jacket, pulling him closer. Pico was larger than me in most ways—taller, broader, and generally more built, however, my relentless training at the gym since the bonfire incident had leveled the playing field between us.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” I growled.

“Chill, man. You asked me not to talk with her, and I told you I wouldn’t. Marissa just told me.” He shook me off like I was nothing.

“Why is she coming back?” I rubbed my temples. This wasn’t part of the plan.

This wasn’t part of the damn plan . . . not even close. I slammed my fist against the wooden wall next to the door, my frustration boiling over. Ash would’ve known how to handle this shit, how to turn it around. But no, fate thought it would be funny to make me the leader, me—a guy who never asked for this, who never wanted to be in charge, who was stumbling through the mess like a raging idiot. Just a pissed-off college kid forced into a role I never signed up for.

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” Pico stood on the threshold, shuffling from foot to foot.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“She’s staying on campus.”

“I mean, if she’s coming back to Isles, there really isn’t anywhere else to stay.” I was exasperated at how long it was taking him to get to the point.

“What I meant to say is that she’s staying in the same apartment building as Marissa.” I closed my eyes momentarily, imagining the look on her face when I told her to leave Isles and the way she broke in front of me as I told her the news of what happened.

“Okay.” This wasn’t a big deal, and honestly, I was glad she was staying with people she actually knew and not strangers that could ostracize her. I swallowed, walking away from the door, letting Pico leave.

“You know you can talk about it. He’s not around, it’s okay if you li—”

I growled. “Shut the fuck up.”

I didn’t want to talk about it. My feelings confused me enough. She was Ash’s, and even though he wasn’t here anymore, she still was.

“Okay, okay.” He let out an exasperated sigh before saying goodbye and leaving one ATV and a radio with me in case I needed anything.

I closed the door and turned back to the small cabin. It was just one simple room with a small outhouse in the back. It had been built for the Den for the spring bonfire, and in the ten years it had been standing, no one from the Alpha house had found it.

I dropped to the edge of the small full-sized bed and looked toward where I was torturing the fucker from the Alpha house.

“Fuck you, Ash,” I whispered.

My existence was meant to be veiled in shadows, a phantom lurking in the background. This transformation into someone else, someone unexpected, was forced upon me, and I would give anything to revert to the simplicity of before. I wished everyone could grasp the unfiltered truth I carried, the truth of what truly unfolded. Ash’s internal battles were known only to me, even more intimately than Ember could fathom. I knew Ash had killed himself, so searching for a murderer was pointless. I needed to arrange the puzzle pieces to see the larger picture.

I guarded the knowledge of his struggles relentlessly, even in death, protecting his vulnerabilities, and I did this for one reason, for one person. She deserved to hold onto the perception of him as her heroic figure. He deserved the dignity that extended beyond this chaos. Which is why Mr. Ortiz’s relentless pursuit was nonsensical. This entire campus-wide uproar, spawned by the enigma of Ash’s fate, was ridiculous. The most frustrating aspect was that, regardless of their stance, people placed some level of blame on Ember. As she returned, she’d be heading right into the lion’s den. Marissa would have warned her about the rumors, but I wasn’t sure she understood the extent.

I was ready to do whatever it took to keep her safe, not because I had to or because of any obligation, but simply because . . . damn it, I wanted to.

Chapter three

“How does it feel to be all moved in?” Marissa, who was wearing an oversized hoodie and a pair of leggings, sat on the brown leather couch that took up the entirety of my living room, but it made the perfect reading chair, so I didn’t care how ridiculous it looked.

“I am happy that I got everything done before classes start tomorrow,” I stated while opening two seltzers for us in the small kitchen and walking over to hand her one.

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