Page 81 of Cruel Academy (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 2)

As quietly as possible, I crawl for the tent door, unzip it just enough to squeeze out of, and then hurry for the tree line.

The rest of the campsite is quiet. My guess is that the other Golden Boys won’t be awake for a few more hours yet, but I still don’t want any of them to see me in my pajamas.

When I’m done, I jog back across the dewy ground and hurry back into the tent.

“You running from a bear?”

I let out a yelp of surprise and fall on my ass on the tent floor. When I see Caleb smirking up at me, one arm thrown casually above his head while he watches me, I curse under my breath. “You scared me.”

“It looked like you were already scared,” he says. “What were you running from?”

“I didn’t want anyone to see my pajamas.”

He quirks up a brow, studying my thin cotton shorts and tank top. I’m keenly aware of my bralessness. “I’ve seen them. Does that mean I’m no one?”

His repetition of the question from the night before brings all of the confusion right back to the forefront of my mind.

With no other response springing to mind, I default to his. “I don’t know who you are to me.”

His eyes, puffy from sleep, narrow. “I think maybe we’re friends.”

“Excuse me?” I’d considered the possibility, sure, but hearing Caleb admit it so freely still catches me by surprise.

He props himself up on his elbows behind him, his torso stretching and flexing in a way that makes me want to burn the word “friends” to the ground.

Right now, I want to be so much more than friends with him.

“I mean, you know my secret, and I know yours. That seems rather friendly.”

I nod, chewing on my lip, uncertain if I should say what is on my mind. In the end, it’s impossible to keep it in.

“What happened in the woods, though … that felt …”

Earth-shattering? Glorious? Like we invented sex itself?

“Friends with benefits.” Caleb pulls his full lips into a devious smile. He shifts his weight to one elbow and reaches out with his other hand, circling his finger on my knee. The skin beneath his touch grows warm and goose bumps race up my thighs.

“No wonder you and the Golden Boys are so close.”

Caleb’s eyes go wide for a second before he barks out a laugh. “That isn’t funny.”

“It was kind of funny.” I smile back for a moment before turning serious. “But really, your friends seem great, Caleb. They’re willing to step up and defend me just because you like me. So, I have to assume they would understand if you told them about the fights and why you have to—”

“No.”

“But they already know you like to fight, so it’s not like they’d be surprised. Plus, you’ve been making this work for years. Nothing would change except you wouldn’t have to lie about—”

“I said no.”

Caleb’s voice is forceful this time, and he pulls his hand away, leaving my knee suddenly cold.

He sits up and crosses his legs, looking more comfortable in his boxers than most people look fully dressed, and folds his hands in his lap.

“My friends want to go to war with the Hell Princes because they hate the Hell Princes. You are just a convenient excuse. And they don’t need to know about my fighting because it’s my business. Like I already said, I’m not ashamed. I’m just private. Every other Hell Prince has managed to keep their mouth shut about my fighting this long, so you can, too.”

I don’t love the idea that my “new friends” might just be using me as a reason to start a ridiculous war, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.

More than that, though, I don’t love that Caleb feels he has to keep these secrets. He has to know that, at some point, the secret will come out.

---