Page 43 of After Darkness Falls

One thing disturbed her. She would have sworn she felt eyes on her, particularly when she walked alone outside of the school. But Chloe knew it probably had to do with the people who were looking for her back in the real world. She was projecting, that was all.

Then she remembered things, little things that made her think she maybe wasn't all that paranoid. Like the "wake-up phone call" on her first day. And sure, it had been useful, but who had it been? At the time, she didn’t think the voice had sounded like Levi, and she hadn't met any other man yet. It was all very strange.

All that said, this place was entirely safe from humans. The bounty on her head was irrelevant. Here, she only had to worry about accidentally setting off a hex if she walked too close to the wrong hill. And the angry werewolves, of course.

By Saturday, she was definitely looking forward to a paintball race.

Jack told them to dress in warm, weatherproof gear and meet him at noon. Chloe woke up early and headed out of the dorm with her wallet. She'd been meaning to go shopping all week, but the one true emergency had been buying a coat. As she now had one, she allowed her classes to distract her.

Blair was heading out of Oldcrest for the weekend—she had some family in the Highlands she visited occasionally. Gwen wanted a lie-in, as they'd woken up early every weekday. When she’d mentioned shopping the previous evening while making hot chocolate before bed, Tris offered to tag along. Chloe wasn't one to refuse company.

The woman looked slightly odd without her hunter gear. The huntsmen trained every day, so Chloe had always seen her in leather gear, but today, she was wearing denim shorts with thick wool tights, a wooly hat, and a red leather jacket. She belonged on the cover of a damn magazine. Chloe sighed as she glanced down at her leggings. At least her coat rocked. Never mind the fact that it didn't go with her Converses.

"You look awesome."

"Don't I just?" said Tris, winking. "I got us a ride to civilization."

Chloe was about to ask what she meant when a dark green convertible emerged from the garage on the other side of the main—and only—street. A very fancy vintage car she couldn't name. Jack was driving, a pair of dark glasses perched on his nose.

The cousins really could have been rock stars.

"Our ride, I assume?"

There didn't look to be room for more than one passenger, but the front seat turned out to be a bench with two seat belts. Chloe and Tris were just small enough to fit comfortably.

Jack was listening to blues, somewhat uncharacteristically.

"Everyone's buckled in?"

"Yes, sir!"

They headed out of Oldcrest with the roof down, although it was the middle of January. In Scotland.

The huntsmen didn't seem to mind.After putting up with the cold for a few minutes, Chloe couldn't take it anymore.

"Guys, it's colder than a witch's tit here!"

"Do you have personal experience with a witch's tit, Cheetah? Because we're gonna need you to spill," Tris said, pressing a button.

"Har, har."

The roof slowly uncurled from the back of the car, and Jack turned on the heat.

"I'd play with Blair's tits," Tris said, shrugging. "And Gwen's. And—"

"Just about everyone in the dorm. We're aware," said Jack with a grimace.

He apparently wasn't into discussing his cousin's sex life.

"Like you don't get any."

"Not in Oldcrest, I don't."

Chloe was fascinated with the conversation. She wasn't blind—or deaf, for that matter. She knew most people in the dorm had no issue bed-hopping, and if she was honest, she would have thought that Jack was one of them.

From the very start, she'd decided to avoid complicating her stay with casual sex, or a relationship. She was here to make friends and get her degree. Banging someone she basically lived with sounded like a recipe for disaster.

She’d been surprised to realize that her point of view wasn't shared by many in the dorms.

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