Page 75 of The Pretty Savage

Twelve fucking days and not a single word from Adrian. Not that he was at the Academy at all.

The man disappeared the day we found the second body, and I wasn't brave enough to ask Dante or Jax where he had gone. But he wasn't here, and I wished with my entire being that I didn't care. That it didn't bother me that he had such a visceral reaction to me being harmed, only to completely disappear, leaving me behind.

But I should've gotten used to it by now.

People left, whether I liked it or not. This was exactly why I never allowed myself to start feeling, to start dreaming about all the possibilities, behaving like a lovesick girl just because someone had shown me an ounce of attention. But I was starved for it, desperate to feel just a little bit of happiness, no matter how toxic it was. I hid all those parts of me, pretending to be this well-rounded adult, ready to take on the world, but in reality I was still the little girl whose mother got locked up and then died just three years later, leaving me all alone in this big, bad world.

I was still just a girl whose best friend disappeared, who never had anyone she could call her own.

I recognized the signs the moment I walked into Dean Jansen’s office, constantly thinking about Adrian and his reaction. I completely disregarded the fact that I wasn't here to fall for a man, especially one that was my target, and started overthinking and dissecting everything he said and everything he did.

Only to be left behind.

Again.

I should've known better. God, I should've been smarter, but almost two weeks after his disappearance, I still pondered over the events of that day, and I had no idea what to do to erase him from my mind. Rationally I knew it was a good thing he wasn't here.

We were swimming through dangerous waters, and I had no doubt he wouldn't look at me the same if he only knew the truth. I wasn't even sure I liked him, not really, but when darkness was all you ever knew, even the smallest flickers of light had a tendency to pull you in and lock you in a new cage.

And caring about someone else was a cage. A gilded one, but a cage nonetheless.

Jax took over Adrian's classes, and while he mostly kept to himself, I didn't miss the glances he threw my way, or the worried look on his face every time our eyes clashed. I also didn't miss the way he followed Yolanda around the class like a lost puppy, while my friend was completely oblivious to the fact.

Dante became my shadow, and after talking to Andries and explaining that I had no idea what was happening, they decided it would be best if I wasn't left alone at any time.

But it was getting tiring having the massive man follow me from my building to classes, and even Yolanda noticed that I wasn't my usual self. I couldn't exactly tell her that it felt as if my heart was slowly breaking, because Dante wasn't the one I wanted to see. I couldn't tell her that as much as I appreciated the fact that the staff at the Academy took all the precautions to make sure everyone was safe, I still felt as if someone was watching me, waiting, lurking in the shadows, and I didn't appreciate feeling like an animal in the zoo, with every single person monitoring my every step.

They turned the Academy upside down, checking everything from the records to the tunnels underneath, where The Brotherhood held their little meetings, but they hadn’t found anything. And I had no idea if that made me feel safer or more worried, because whoever caused this ruckus was here somewhere, and we still needed to find them.

A bone deep fatigue had slowly seeped inside me, making each and every day harder to get through. Alena called several times, but I wasn't in the mood to talk to her or even pretend that I had something to report. I kept going over the files I was given, but nothing I could read there would solve the mystery in my head, which was this unexplainable attraction I felt toward Adrian.

It was more than just his good looks or the fact that one look felt like scorching heat on my skin. I knew what it felt like when you simply felt attracted to a person on a physical level, just wanting to scratch an itch. But this was more than that, and with each passing day without him here, I felt the darkness seeping inside further, telling me I wasn't good enough even for someone like Adrian Zylla.

Then there was the whole other issue I didn't want to think about.

The Brotherhood.

Dante and Jax kept the information to a minimum and I wasn’t too eager to constantly talk about it. What was the point when there was someone at the Academy trying to get to me? The Brotherhood could wait.

For now.

I walked outside of the main building, buttoning my coat, seeing Dante already in front, leaning against the wall as if this entire arrangement didn't piss him off. I doubted he wanted this, considering he probably had ten other things he would rather be doing.

But he still came, every single day, and I liked to think we were becoming somewhat friendly with each other. He spoke of Italy, and I mainly listened, telling him I would need to visit.

I had only ever been to Rome once, and that trip was one I would much rather forget, considering it almost cost me my life.

"Ready to go?" Dante asked when he saw me, his frown deepening as I approached. "You look like shit, Vega."

"Well, good evening to you too, sunshine," I chuckled, closing the distance between us. "You look like you just came out of some super-fancy magazine, but not all of us can look pretty all the time."

"Cut the crap, V," he murmured, leaning closer, inspecting my face. "Your dark circles have dark circles. Are you sleeping?" Barely, but I didn't want to admit it.

My mind didn't want to shut up. I was tired—beyond tired—but the moment my head hit the pillow it was as if everything that was plaguing me came rushing at me, and imaginary scenarios started playing out, keeping me awake for most of the night. Fear wasn't exactly an emotion I would use to describe what this unknown entity was awakening in me.

Anger, more likely. Pure fury, but the fury I felt wasn't only directed at this faceless monster they were trying to protect me from. It was directed at Adrian and it was also directed at myself.

Leave it to me to fall for the first man I saw on the train, turning me into a brainless idiot, just because I had more damage than normal people.

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