Page 15 of Cruel Elite (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 3)

Tank’s smile sharpens. Moonlight glints off his front tooth. “The source is me. I saw you talking to him in the trees earlier.”

“Oh.”

“‘Oh,’” he mimics in a high-pitched voice before his eyebrows drop. “I saw the two of you looking much closer than friends, actually.”

The mention of it brings back the heat and the burning itch beneath my skin that being close to Noah caused.

He had me pinned to a tree with his hips and his hands.

In another lifetime, it would have been hot as hell.

As it is, though, there has been a very big misunderstanding.

“He was threatening me,” I correct him. “That wasn’t sexual.”

Tank shrugs and grins wickedly. “I guess I don’t really know the difference.”

The comment makes my stomach flip.

I’ve got to get out of here.

I slide my keys between my fingers, ready to gouge an eye should the need arise, and start to walk past him towards my car, giving him a wide berth.

“Well, if you want Noah’s friends, there’s a whole group of them at the party. I’m not one of them.”

For a second, I think he’s going to let me go.

But just as I move to pass him, Tank sidles in front of me and blocks my way.

He is massive. So much bigger than I realized before.

His chest takes up my entire vision, and I stumble backwards with a yelp. He grabs my arms to keep me from falling… and to hold me close.

“What do you want?” I ask again. My fear and desperation is hard to hide.

Tank grabs a strand of my hair and tugs on it gently, almost in a soothing way, though my body is on high alert.

“Calm down, angel. You’re not in danger with me.”

He lets me go and I back away again, putting a few feet between us.

“Not yet, anyway,” he adds. He shrugs and smiles casually, clearly comfortable with threatening people.

“Noah hates me. I don’t know what you want with him or what you think I can do for you, but he doesn’t care about me. You have a better chance of talking to him yourself than I do.”

Tank crosses his arms, making himself wide. “I’m not as dumb as you think I am, angel.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Stop looking like one.” Tank winks crudely. A shiver moves down my spine. “I know you and Noah have been friends for a long time. In fact, I know a lot about you.”

“Oh, yeah?” I arch a brow.

“I know you live in a big white house with lions out front.”

My entire body freezes. I can’t move or breathe. I just stare at him, eyes wide.

Based on the smile on Tank’s face, he loves it.

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