Page 51 of The Claiming

“What problem?”

I fill him in and he shakes his head in confusion. “She wasn’t in the tunnel with the girls. That is the only way out unless she retraced her steps and slipped past Ali at the door.”

“How could she without him seeing her and why would she? Kennedy made a valid point when she said they signed up for The Claiming for a reason and it wasn’t to end up single at the end of it.”

“I suppose.” Jack sighs. “Hopefully, she’s back at the girl’s house and will have a reasonable explanation in the morning.”

* * *

We soon reachthe house and as we make our way inside, we head for the communal kitchen. As I set about preparing some coffee, Jack says, “I’ll head to the shower.”

He turns to Siri, “You can use the guest room if you like. You must be freezing.”

“Thanks.” Her eyes light with gratitude and he adds, “I’ll find you something to wear and leave it in the room.”

“Thanks, Jack and–” She hesitates and after a triumphant glance in my direction, adds, “Thanks for helping me in the river. I doubt I’d have reached the other side without your help.”

She stabs me with a triumphant smile.

“So, Frankie. It appears that I won and am now subsequently free to enjoy the semester with no restrictions.”

“Why do you think you’ve won, Siri?”

She shrugs. “Because I made it out of the tunnel.”

“But not to the other side.”

Her face falls as I grin. “You said yourself that Jack helped you to the other side. That means he caught up with you and even if one of his fingers landed on you, it counts as a win.”

“No way. You’re making that up,” Siri gasps.

Cassie’s eyes flash as she hisses, “You are a cheat, Frankie. There is no way Siri lost that challenge.”

“Did she make it out without a centurion helping her?” I state the obvious, and Jacksmiles.

“I guess it’s a gray area. Perhaps we should talk about this after Siri has warmed up. She doesn’t want to catch a chill to add to her problems.”

He nods toward the door. “Come on, darlin’, I’ll show you where the guest room is.”

As soon as they leave, Cassie turns to me, her eyes blazing.

“Siri won fair and square and you are altering the rules to suit your own agenda.”

“Think about it.”

I hand her a mug of coffee as I add, “If Siri didn’t have Jack’s help, she would have been stranded at the tunnel entrance. The rules were she must make it to the other side, where Jesse was waiting to declare her safe. That didn’t happen, so whether you like it or not, Siri is now Jacks’ woman and she will be controlled by him for the entire semester.”

“You’re a fucking prick, Frankie.”

Despite her anger, she snatches the coffee from my hands and turns her back on me, as she comes to terms with a very bad outcome for her and her friend.

I take the barstool and watch her deal with the situation, and then Santi and Ali head inside, their expressions grim.

“Nothing.” Santi sighs as he kicks a stool away from the counter and sits astride it, and reaches for the mug of coffee I poured for him.

Ali nods. “There is nothing in there but the creatures that call it home.”

“Did you check the iron door again?” Cassie turns as natural curiosity replaces her anger.

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