Page 34 of Moon Kissed

No, Orion wasn’t a golden boy. He was a dark prince. King of the outcasts, and every good girl’s secret fantasy. The one they’d throw it all away for the minute he smirks and crooks his finger.

“You’re here for the misunderstood loner’s club?”

He pulled a face. “What?”

“You said I had three guesses. That’s my first.”

Orion just rolled his eyes and dug in his backpack.

“You ran in here to cut one, but I was in here, so you’re playing it cool.”

More silence. More riffling. More pretending I didn’t exist.

“Hall isn’t here yet,” I mused. “I bet he’s kicking back, scarfing down his dinner while we choose between dying of boredom or starvation.”

Nothing.

“Oh, wait, I know. You’re here to fuck Hall up the bum.”

“What?” he cried, head flying up.

“Aha!” I snapped my fingers. “That’s it. You were hoping he’d be here alone, so you could have your secret hookup. Knew I’d get it.”

“No, you didn’t!” His eyes narrowed to slits. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you genuinely crazy?”

I shrugged. “Isn’t everyone?”

“No,” he gritted. “They’re not.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” I cocked my head, smiling at him. “Some would say it’s genuinely crazy to make trouble on thefirst day and get yourself thrown in detention when you need to graduate top of the class if you want to get your life back.”

His eyes went blank behind his glasses—dead. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So explain it to me.”

Orion turned his attention back on his bag, and off me.

“Seriously,” I pressed. “You’re not the first person to get a fate they didn’t want. Why in the world would your clan blame you? Going so far as to throw you out and threaten to cut your ears? That’s more than extreme.”

Orion finally found what he was looking for.

“Don’t,” I said.

Fishing out the pack, he tipped out a cigarette and lit up right in the middle of the detention hall.

“I said don’t! You know that smell is hell on a wolf’s nose.” I went straight to the windows and opened them. There was no one on the field anymore, including Nyx, Edric, and Badr. No doubt they were all enjoying a delicious dinner. “I know you can’t stand it either, so put it out.”

I may as well have been the wind for all the attention he paid me.

“Ugh. I knew I had it right the first time.” I sat on the windowsill, letting the fresh air wash over me. “You are here for the misunderstood bad boy’s loner club. You and your buddies were hoping to bond over how cool you are for blatantly breaking the rules.” I pointed to a poster behind him. “Smoking in the academy is grounds for a demerit. Five of them will get you expelled. Seemscrazyto waste a demerit on a cigarette that’s burning the hairs out of your nostrils.”

“Do you ever stop talking?” he murmured, blowing out a languid stream of smoke.

“Naturally. I have to sleep too.”

If I thought that would get a chuckle or quirk of the lips, it did neither.

“Tell me why you’re blowing your chances of getting your life back. You guys made such a show last night—bawling and whining about me stealing a year of your life.”

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