Page 117 of The Order

“And who the fuck are you?” Valerie questions, only looking back at Fallan in annoyance when he nudges her away from him.

I lower my mask, watching her cocky grin drop at the sight of me.

“No fucking way,” Aaron’s familiar voice says, his red locks are visible from a mile away. He stands behind the counter next to Jolie, cramming his mouth with pastries. “The Untouchable girl,” he says, solidifying any suspicions Jolie might have had about our true identity.

“I can't believe this,” Valerie says, pointing her finger at Hunter. “You’re harboring their kind now?” she questions with disdain in her voice.

“This is my shop,” Jolie says, wiping the top of the glass counter. “If you must blame someone, then blame me,” she says, defending us for reasons beyond my understanding.

Valerie eyes Kai, ready to move toward him again but Fallan’s hand grabs her shoulder, stopping her from taking another step.

“Stop causing problems,” Fallan hisses, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Since when did you start caring about them?” Valerie says.

She watches me like a feral animal, ready to pounce on me at any moment. Hunter grabs my brother's shirt as he breaks away from Hunter, stopping him from grabbing the blonde and slamming her into the counter.

“Is it true? Are the two of you Untouchables?” Jolie questions, looking to me for some explanation.

I tap my foot, unsure how answering this question will benefit anyone.

“Can’t you tell? Look at the way they hold themselves like they’re better than us,” Fallan says hatefully, his nostrils flaring as he pursed his lips tightly together. I opened my mouth to let him have it but immediately felt a wave of calming reassurance surge down our connection.

How can one man be so confusing?

“She came back here to make sure you weren’t dead. Consider yourself lucky she even did that much,” Kai snaps, ready to take down everyone in his path.

“Why would you do something as foolish as that?” Jolie questions, her face filled with disbelief as she waits for me to answer.

Whatever connection drives me closer to Fallan makes it impossible to stay away. But I can’t tell her that.

“I have a few theories,” Aaron says, clearing his throat while adjusting the collar of his shirt.

I glance in the window again, seeing both it and my normal reflection. I’m startled to find the trail of love bites working up and down my neck. They peek out from the neckline of the hoodie as evidence of what being around Fallan leads to.

“Getting around, are we?” Aaron pushes, taking a step toward me. His hand reaches out to grab the front of my hoodie, ready to expose me to everyone in the shop.

Fallan’s hand slams down on Aaron’s arm, forcing it against the glass case. Valerie watches the two men, rolling her eyes at the sight.

“If I didn’t know any better, Markswood,” Aaron starts, smiling ear to ear. “I’d say you’re probably to blame for those hickeys I can clearly see on our new friend here,” Aaron says. Fallan’s mouth is curled into a scowl.

“I’ve heard enough from all of you!” Jolie says impatiently, moving away from the counter and shoving past us. I watch her move her grandson, urging him closer to me while whispering in his ear. He wastes no time pulling out the borrowed Cure-All, spraying a few layers along my neck while ignoring his friends' hateful stares. Kai takes the opportunity to move over to me, colliding shoulders with Valerie in the process.

“All of those Official assholes from your sector have been sniffing around here all day looking for the two of you,” Valerie says, cocking her head at the both of us.

“What do you guess the punishment is for sneaking into our sector and getting cozy with an Unfortunate?” Aaron begins, watching Valerie’s smile drop at the insinuation anything happened between Fallan and me.

“I would never let someone like him near me,” I finally say, feeling nauseous as the lie slips through my teeth.

“Glad we can agree on something,” Fallan says, allowing Valerie to settle into him under his arm.

My hands clench tightly at the sight of them together.

“You two being here is not safe for anyone,” Fallan says, moving away from her and closer to me and my brother. Hunter acts as a barrier between us, unaware of how little I want him to do that right now. “Better run off to find your Official, Little Dove,” Fallan seethes, the knife in my chest twists at the idea that he would purposely push me into Xavier’s arms.

“Gladly,” I say, moving past Hunter and getting right in his face. Once again, we find ourselves inches apart, threatening to burn each other if we move any closer.

“The sooner you are out of my life, the better,” I spit, wanting to feel his hands touch me once more.

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