Page 63 of Savage Torment

“Any luck with the chalice?” he asks, and I shake my head even though he’s not looking at me, but I can’t manage to find the ability to make my mouth work.

“No. We focused on her magic,” Asher offers, and Tatum offers me a half smile as he tucks his hands into his pockets.

“Progress?” he asks, and I nod, still unable to make words with my lips.

“Have you fucked the attitude out of her?” Lincoln asks, his question clearly aimed at Asher, but he glances over his shoulder to stare at me.

I think my face might actually be on fire.

“No, she’s just on that post-orgasm high. I’ll be sure that she’s back to giving you hell before we leave,” Asher offers, earning a chuckle from Tatum and Wylder, while Lincoln rolls his eyes, grumbling what I think is ‘asshole’ under his breath. “Now, politely, get the fuck out so she can get ready.”

“I don’t mind staying. It sounds like a view worth having,” Wylder says with a grin as my eyes widen, but he’s already heading to the door. Tatum follows after him while Lincoln lingers for a moment longer.

It’s almost as if there’s something he wants to say, but he either doesn’t know how or doesn’t want to. Either way, nothing parts his lips before he trudges toward the door and Asher kicks it shut again behind them.

“And then there were two,” he says with a soft smile ghosting his lips, and the corner of my mouth curls up too.

“The chalice?” I breathe, and he nods, running his fingers through his hair again as he glances at the golden object on my desk.

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you last night, but now that we have it, you might be able to help us figure it out.”

“I like the sound of that,” I admit, and he nods, reaching for his t-shirt, and I immediately miss the view of his ripped chest.

“Perfect, then that’s tonight’s plan, okay?” he confirms, and I nod my agreement. “And Polaris,” he murmurs, his eyes darkening as his tone shifts, and I cock a brow at him as the silence stretches between us until he clears his throat. “What happened here, me hurting you… that was never my intention. It won’t happen again, I swear it,” he promises, and I realize the darkness that lingers in his marbled eyes is pain, but not his, mine.

I dart from the bed, moving before I can even think. It’s only when I’m leaping off the bed and catapulting toward him that I panic, but he captures me mid-air and I cling to him like a spider monkey.

As much as I want to hide in the crook of his neck, I don’t. Leaning back, I level him with what I hope is a serious stare before I speak. “If nightmares like that come often, Asher, then you bet your ass it’s going to happen again because I’m always going to try and help you.”

With a pastry for breakfast,courtesy of Tatum, I made it to the first class of the day with them hot on my tail. One class leads into another and another, and I manage to have an uneventfulday, which is pure bliss as I make my way to my final class. I avoided drama at lunch, which feels like a huge success, but as I sit in the final lesson, where we’re all together, everything quickly becomes a blur once the professor starts talking. I can feel eyes on me.

Wolf eyes.

Vampire eyes.

Gossiping eyes.

It’s impossible to acknowledge my own thoughts, never mind hear someone else speak. My start to the morning definitely didn’t help. That’s the excuse I’m going with, at least. It definitely doesn’t help that I shuffled into class with four broody wolves a step behind me, because Bianca clocked it straight away and she’s spent the entire class whispering with her friends.

As the end of the lesson draws near, I’m eager to get the hell out of here so I don’t have to deal with her shit and inevitably do something stupid like hit her again. As if sensing my prayers, the bell rings, and I rise from my seat, darting for the door.

I don’t make it two steps before I’m stumbling over my own feet, nearly face-planting on the floor like a true spectacle, when a pair of arms wrap around my middle, stopping the inevitable from happening. With my heart thundering in my chest, I peer over my shoulder to see who my hero is and freeze.

“Amica Mea.” My breath hitches at the two words that are barely more than a whisper, and before I can genuinely register what the hell just happened, Blaze releases me from his hold. “Watch where you’re going,” he grunts, harsher and louder, as he takes a backward step, clearing the path for me.

His words sting, yet his actions somehow soothe the interaction.

“Asshole,” Minnie grunts from a step behind me, and she quickly links her arm through mine and hauls me toward the door.

Embarrassment threatens to claim me once again, but I cling to my friend instead.

“Are you okay, Polaris?” Tatum asks, appearing by the door as we step over the threshold, and I nod.

“I’m fine,” I insist, and he nods, but I don’t miss the glare he aims over my shoulder.

I know who the recipient of that look is. But even more than that, I know he won’t care.

Heading down the hallway, I don’t bother to look back, still overwhelmed with embarrassment when shouting echoes through the corridor. Minnie frowns, glancing at me, but I shrug, just as confused as she is.

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