Page 2 of Dark Embers

Ashlyn’s eyes narrowed with suspicion on me, just as mine did on Brett. “Hear what?”

Brett leaned in and said in a hushed tone, “Cora and her friends locked Arya in the sim room last night, and Tobias showed up just in time to get her out.”

“They did WHAT?!” Ashlyn snapped, slapping her hand on the table so loud that every head in the dining hall turned our way.

“Shhh!” I hissed, putting an assertive but calming hand on hers in a desperate attempt to dispel the attention we’d garnered.

Then I turned to Tobias. “You told them?”

He let out a breath, schooling his features as he nodded. “They’re my best friends, and I needed to talk through some things last night after.”

I frowned. I couldn’t blame him for needing to vent about it. But Brett had a big mouth! I didn’t want this getting out, and he was the last person I wanted to know. Well, okay, Caesar and Celeste were the last people I wanted to know, and if Brett knew, it wouldn’t be long before it got to them.

Shit.

“Omigod, are you okay?” Ashlyn asked at a much more private volume, eyeing me up and down as if looking for obvious injuries.

“Yeah, a little worse for wear, but all in one piece,” I said vaguely. I wasn’t in a place to share any gory details just yet. I may never be. I just wanted to forget it ever happened.

“Did you tell Caesar? Or Celeste?” she prodded.

I shook my head obstinately. “No, and I’m not going to.”

“What? Why not?” she insisted, getting more animated by the second.

“Because I don’t want them knowing they got to me,” I explained, shoving my hands between my thighs as my knuckles ached to curl up. “And I don’t want to look like a snitch who can’t handle her own shit.”

Ashlyn groaned an exasperated sound, shaking her head several times and biting her lips. “I am going to burn those bitches to a crisp!”

“Oh, trust me, I was incredibly tempted to do that already,” Tobias commented, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“I’d like to see that,” Brett snickered.

“No one is going to do anything,” I warned, then glared at Brett. “Orsayanything.”

He mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key before holding up both hands in surrender. “My lips are sealed. Promise. I won’t rat you out and make you look like a snitch.”

I eyed him a few seconds longer to make sure the warning stuck. “Good. Because I don’t need this becoming the hot gossip around school. I just want to forget it ever happened.”

I put my forehead into my palm as the stress compiled into a frenzy in my head, then ran my hand over the top of my pulled-back hair to center myself. A gentle hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked at Tobias as he squeezed the tight muscles there, the heat from his touch instantly relieving the tension.

“Okay, so I get that Tobias, like, saved you or whatever,” Ashlyn interrupted, clearly noticing the exchange. “So, is that why you’re all touchy and gooey with each other all of a sudden?”

Tobias’s hand fell away, and his posture stiffened, and my cheeks heated anew as I looked at my friend.

“Well, um, I guess, sorta,” I stammered, feeling very much in the spotlight all of a sudden. “We are actually going out tonight.”

I stole a glance at him as if asking for permission to share this information. He didn’t look at me, and judging by the glancesNiko and Brett exchanged, they clearly already knew that, too. That fact was oddly comforting.

“Yay! Finally!” Ashlyn squealed, then pointed a finger at Tobias as she grilled him with her eyes. “Don’t screw it up this time.”

He snorted a laugh. “I’ll try not to.” His tone was playful, but the look in his eyes was sincere.

I was really getting uncomfortable having my trauma and love life be the center of discussion, so I proposed a change of subject.

“Well, now that that’s all out in the open…” I cleared my throat, “I was wondering if you guys could give me advice on my Shifter Bio paper on imprinting.”

Beside me, Tobias shifted uncomfortably. Maybe he was getting just as tired of being in the limelight, too.

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