Page 56 of Cruel Destinies

An idea struck me, and I hopped on Instagram. Ashlyn couldn’t go anywhere without posting pictures of her escapades—the food she ordered, graffiti she thought was actually artistic, and the countless selfies! I had unfollowed her because I was tired of seeing it. If she went out today, there would definitely be pictures.

I navigated to her account, and sure enough, there were pictures of her and Arya in front of the Bean—and they were with thewitch.My blood boiled so quickly it practically vaporized inside my veins.

As I glared at my phone, a new post appeared. A picture of a chili cheese burger. She tagged her location: The Grill.

Goddammit, Arya!

I found Brett in the Great Hall when I ran in.

“Did you find them?” he asked, combing his fingers through his shaggy hair.

“Yeah,” I said behind gritted teeth, holding my phone up with the screen facing him.

“Oh,” he said with a grimace.

“Let’s go,” I ordered, not waiting for his agreement as I stomped toward the front entrance.

I was so angry that the train ride was a blur of red in my vision, seeming to take only seconds. As soon as we got topside, I ordered an Uber to take us directly to the restaurant.I didn’t know what I would say or do when I found her. I only knew that Ineededto find her.

My heart stopped beating for several breaths when I saw her coming out onto the street as we pulled up. My relief was powerful but brief as my anger renewed at the sight of her here, far from the safety of the school.

I shoved the door open and jumped out before the vehicle came to a complete stop, stomping toward them.

“What the hell?” I growled.

Several heads turned in our direction, then quickly away.

“Can we help you, Tobias?” Ashlyn asked, her voice calm but with an edge of a tease.

I wasnotamused.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I demanded, my scales prickling just beneath the surface of my flesh.

Rage flashed in Arya’s eyes as she met my gaze, but her expression remained aloof and somewhat mocking.

“Girls’ day out,” she answered, lifting her chin slightly. “We needed a girls’ day.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, barely restraining my temper. “Are you two complete idiots? Don’t you remember our little incident only a week ago?”

Arya’s blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’re making a scene,” she hissed.

“And you’re being really fucking careless!” I shouted. “It’s not justyourlife you’re risking.”

She flinched at the volume of my voice, and a distant part of me inwardly cringed at the way I was clearly making her feel.But I couldn’t stop. I needed to make her see how dangerous this was.

“Look, dude, take a fucking chill pill,” the witch said, jutting a hip as she regarded me down her nose. “It’s only two o’clock in the afternoon, and I was going to have them back well before sunset.”

“You!” I seethed, my dragon’s growl rumbling up my throat. “This isyourdoing.”

“No, actually, it’s mine,” Ashlyn stated, inserting herself between me and the witch with a fierce scowl on her face. “I needed to get out because your asshole friend broke my heart. So if you want to blame anyone, blame him.”

“Oh, please,” I snapped. “Get over it already.”

Arya shoved in front of Ashlyn, her rage seeping from her eyes into her features and looking all the more dangerously beautiful for it.

“That’s enough, Tobias! Regardless of what you apparently think, I am not your property. There are no rules that say I am never allowed to leave the Dome. I’m not going to live the rest of my life in hiding. It’s broad daylight, and I am perfectly safe. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to make the best of our time before we return at four. Don’t bother checking in when we get back.”

She hooked her arms around those of the other two girls and stormed off without so much as a look back at me.

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