Page 79 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Enough!” Jax’s deep voice boomed. “You”—he turned to Elias—“will tell me if you start to feel out of control. And you”—he pointed at Liam—“will stop poking him every five minutes. You couldn’t be more obvious about wanting an ass kicking if you sent an engravedinvitation.”

Liam shrugged. “He’s never been this easy to rile up before. I can’t helpmyself.”

Elias knew that Liam didn’t really want an arse kicking. Well, that wasn’t true. He’d probably love to spar with Elias in his current mood, but like Aston and Ra, Liam was practically a brother to Elias. Liam was poking, as Jax put it, because he was concerned. Then again, brothers needed their arses kicked every now andthen.

* * *

“I can’t believethe dance is tonight,” Shelly said for the seventh time that day. Tara knew because she’d beencounting.

“You’ve already said that,” Tara pointedout.

“Andyou’vealready saidthat,but you don’t hear me complaining.” Shelly shut her locker and turned to faceTara.

“You literally justcomplained.”

“Only because I had to in order to make mypoint.”

“And by doing so, you made your pointmoot.”

Shelly let out a low growl as she headed for the doors. The school day had dragged. Everyone was excited about the prom and unable to focus. Three of her classes had ended up with the teachers just telling them to use the time as a study hall. Not that anyone actuallystudied.

“Are you walking or riding?” Shellyasked.

Tara looked up at the sky. It was partly cloudy, but they were the white, fluffy clouds. So unless there was some fluke storm like she and Elias had experienced in the woods, she should be good. “I’ll walk,” she finallyanswered.

“I’ll be by at seven thirty to pick you uptonight.”

“Doesn’t the dance start atseven?”

Shelly nodded. “But we have to be fashionablylate.”

“Don’t people have to care that we’re coming in order for our lateness to be considered fashionable?” Tara could feel the ire radiating off her best friend. She should probably ease up because Shelly was really excited about going to the prom, even if they didn’t havedates.

“Don’t get hit by a car on your way home. I’ll be ticked off if I have to go to the dance alone and depressed because my BFFF who I thought was indestructibledies.”

“Love you too, Shells,” Tara said as she headed off down the sidewalk while Shelly went in the opposite direction to the student parkinglot.

Tara was a little over halfway home when the back of her neck tingled. She stumbled as she came to a halt. She turned slowly, her eyes scanning the trees, houses, and streets around her. Tara refused to even think of the name of the person she knew she was looking for … hoping for. There was no reason for him to be hiding out behind a tree watching her. That would be creepy. What did it make her that she actually hoped to find him hiding out behind a tree watching her? Creepy squared, that’s what. She shook her head at herself. “Shame your weirdness later,” she muttered under herbreath.

Why do I feel like I’m being watched?No, not watched,stalked. Tara could almost see something out there dogging her steps, something more dangerous than herself. Not that she was really dangerous at all. Her only superpower was the inability to get hurt. So, basically an assailant could beat the crap out of her … repeatedly.When she didn’t find a creepy Elias lurking, or a creepy anyone else for that matter, she pushed the feeling away and continued on her way. The faster she got home, the faster she could get herself safely behind a lockeddoor.

When she finally made it to her driveway, Tara hurried to the front door, slipped her key in, and quickly opened and shut the door behind her, immediately turning the deadbolt. She tossed her bag and then went to the kitchen and made herself a quick snack. If she was going to have to endure Shelly’s perkiness and Tucker’s attention, she was going to need a long, hot bath beforehand. She was headed for her room when her phone rang. She considered ignoring it, thinking it might be Shelly, but decided to at least check the caller ID. Tara pulled the phone from her pocket and felt her stomach flip as she saw Elias’s nickname, given by the aforementioned best friend, pop up. She hadn’t talked to him in three weeks, not since he’d left. And even though they’d been texting daily, she was suddenly nervous at the idea of actually speaking withhim.

She stared at the screen and finally tapped it to answer thecall.

“Hello?”

“Bloody hell, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice.” Elias’s deep voice filled her ear and warmed the cold places inside ofher.

Tara sighed. It felt like she’d been holding her breath for the entire three weeks they’d beenapart.

“Luv? Youthere?”

She nodded and then remembered he couldn’t see her. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’mhere.”

“How areyou?”

“I’m good,” she said.I am so, so much better now that I can hear your voice and know you’re not this elaborate figment of my imagination that I’ve convinced myself is texting me. “How are you?” Tara asked him after she’d had her inner freakout.

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