Page 183 of Tag

“Oh, she was so worried you’d get Marked, she stayed up all night clutching her prayer beads like they’d stop anything bad from touching you. Dad kept telling her no one would dare put you in The Hunt.”

I wonder if this elite mindset was why we ended up in this game. Dennis had alluded to that, too. I swallowed, forcing a tight smile. “Well, it’ll be here soon.”

Shakira’s brow furrowed. “What’s campus like?”

I shrugged, stacking the last plate with what I hoped passed for casual ease. “More or less the same. I mean, there’s the usual hurrah about it, but no one’s gone screaming down the halls... yet.”

“Yet,” she echoed, lips twitching into a half-smile.

When I glanced over, my sister was still watching me.

“Are you okay?” she asked, quieter now. “Like… actually, okay?”

“For the most part,” I quipped with some pep.

“Sanji, you don’t have to tell me everything, but if something’s wrong, I’m here. However, you need me. Always.”

“I know. I just…” I needed to be careful of what I said.I would never dump all this on my baby sister. Shakira would worry herself sick about me or get involved somehow. My sister was not like me. She was confrontational to the extreme.

“College is a lot sometimes, that’s all. I can’t say half of it out loud without sounding completely unhinged.”

When she came over and wrapped her arms around me, something clicked

If I made it through this, really made it, then I’d know exactly what to do if Shakira ever found herself in my position. I’d be the one who could guide her through it.

“Hey, even if you go batshit from pressure, I’d still ride for you.”

I hugged her tighter. “You’re kind of the best.”

“I am,” she agreed with a teasing grin as she pulled back.

Voices drifted in from upstairs, familiar ones that had her breaking away from me and pretending to organize the napkins. I bit my cheek, so I didn’t laugh at her. I turned to head for the cinema door, but it swung open first.

Cadence burst in and launched herself at me like a missile, much like my sister had that morning. I caught her with a laugh, staggering back. “I missed you!”

She pulled away just enough to beam up at me. “I missed you at least five times more.”

I grinned. “That’s impossible, Cadence.”

“It’s true.”

Behind her, Ryder and Cade filled the doorway.

Cade’s smile stretched wide as his sister practically climbed me like a tree, and Ryder’s eyes met mine over her shoulder, quiet, unreadable, warm in a way that made my stomach flip.

Cadence let go and gave me a once-over. “Okay, but seriously, your body is even more amazing than the last time I saw you. Teach me your ways.”

I laughed. “This is the work of a tyrant named Roxxanne Sterling.”

Cadence recoiled in mock horror. “I take it back. I’ve heard the horror stories.”

Laughter rippled from the doorway.

Shakira moved over to hug both boys, cheeks going faintly pink when Cade smiled down at her. Cadence caught it instantly. We shared a look, trying not to crack up. Her little crush really was the cutest thing. A moment later, the basement door opened again, and the rest of the Voss family filtered in—Billy and Tiffany leading the charge.

“There she is,” Billy Voss said, pulling me into a hug. “You get prettier every time I see you.”

I could’ve said the same about him, but Ryder and Cade would never let me live it down.

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