Page 262 of Entangled

One young man raises a shaking hand. “I’m claustrophobic. Can I switch teams? I don’t want to be in the tunnels.”

“For fuck’s—” Dom bites off his curse and begins making some quick, final adjustments.

Beau’s team is the first team scheduled to leave, so at Dom’s irritated nod, he reluctantly lets me go. I feel his loss like a gouge in my side, and I bite back the fear that tells me it could be the last time.

With a last, sweet kiss on my cheek, he gathers his team and exits onto the street.

I wrap my arms around myself, chilled.

“That’s it, then. Take care of yourself, darling girl,” Jasper murmurs.

I nod slowly, looking back at him and letting myself soak in his reassuring presence for a moment more, like I’m charging a battery of fortitude for our journey.

Something like longing slips into the nooks of his eyes, deepening the longer he looks down at me. Suddenly, breaking the moment, he clears his throat and steps back.

He holds out his hand.

I stare at it—at the slender fingers and the elegant turn of his wrist, and I’m confused. Maybe even a touch hurt. He wants to... shake my hand? I think of kneeling for him, of him ordering Lucky to lick me, of him fucking Lucky into me and then watching us in horrified amusement as we sucked down too many drinks. I think of every conversation we’ve had this week, talking about anything and everything.

Ignoring Jasper’s hand, I throw my arms around his neck, burying my face in him. He stands frozen still for a long enough moment that I begin to second-guess myself... and then his arms come fiercely around me.

In his arms, that feeling of safety, of steadiness and comfort fills me sweetly. I breathe in the soft skin of his neck and enjoy the strength he’s not bothering to be polite about for once. I need him to be okay. There’s too much unfinished between us. Too many nascent possibilities that need a chance to grow.

“I’ll take care of him, Eden. I promise,” he tells me, and reluctantly, I pull back.

My eyes burn, and my lip begins to shake again. He can’t think I’m only worried about Lucky. Not now. Not after everything.

I smooth down the front of his uniform, struggling to take hold of myself.

“Take care ofyourself.” I try to force a smile. “I still owe you an essay.”

Jasper takes a deep, unsteady breath, the barest smile brushing over his mouth. “It’sverylate.”

My smile warms, becomes more natural, and Jasper touches the curve with his fingertips. His fingers feel like the softest kiss, and I press my lips back against them in goodbye.

Jasper swallows, his dark eyes searing, then he nods and walks over to Lucky’s team.

Aching with worry, I turn back to Dom to find him watching me with a thoughtful expression. Our team is next to go.

Heather comes up beside me and nudges me with her shoulder. “Get your pack ready, babe. We have Sinners to smite.”

Chapter59

Lucky

Survival tip #71

Beware the danger pack.

Eden leaves with her team, tucked between Dom and Heather, and I’m caught somewhere between replaying the way she clung to Jasper... and praying that she’ll be okay.

“It’s time now, Lucien,” Jasper murmurs beside me, and I nod.

Today is going to suck, no matter how I cut it. There are alotof Sinners, and not a lot of us. We all need to play our parts perfectly.

But at least I get to use explosives. I have the danger pack all ready to go.

I run my eyes over my team one final time—and then again. I see the guy who didn’t want to go down into the tunnels with Dom, but there’s not a single face that looks like a baboon’s ass.

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