Page 44 of The Prom

“But nothing. No thank you.”

Summer effectively ends the conversation, and Jesse sighs. “Fine. Have it your way.”

He turns his attention to me and, leaning in, whispers, “We’ll catch up at the party afterwards. Don’t go anywhere. We need to talk.”

I nod, glad of the mask that is covering my face because if he could see behind it, he would know in a heartbeat that a word with him is the last thing I want.

As he heads off, I whisper, “Do you think he heard us talking about him?”

“I’m not sure, but I wasn’t taking any chances.”

“What do you mean?”

She lowers her voice. “After our conversation, I wasn’t going to turn my back and leave you with him. If he is playing away with Jenna Sloane, he doesn’t get the perks of alone time with you. He will have to work harder than that on my watch, so honey, drink up because there are plenty more beers where that came from.”

I laugh out loud as she rummages in her bag and pulls out two more beers and as we settle down for the long wait, I am more than happy it is Summer sitting beside me rather than Jesse.

TWENTY-ONE

DRAKE

I breathe a little easier from my vantage point in the trees when I see Jesse head back the way he came. Watching the two girls chugging beers wearing the sinister costumes is a glorious sight to behold.

It amuses me to picture the challenge they enact every Friday night throughout the semester.

It’s an interesting one for sure, and when Ryder told me about it, I could tell he didn’t share my amusement.

Jack came clean about a lot of things relating to life at Rockwell and, if anything, I admire Frankie’s imagination. It’s pretty harmless unless you count the first one, when one of the female challengers was abducted by a member of The Serpent Society.

Jack assured Ryder that Frankie had stepped up security, and it appears to have worked because there have been no other incidents since the inaugural one.

It appears that centurions are recruited from Frankie’s select band of the chosen and I’m not surprised that Summer and Imogen were given the riverbank. When Jesse attempted to take Summer’s place, I held my breath because watching Imogenmake out with another guy was a sick scenario I’m not certain I could stomach.

I even formulated an intervention plan where I would casually jog past and question their costumes. However, I settle back in my virtual cage as I notice Jesse slink off back down the tunnels.

Ryder studied the blueprint of the tunnel network and I have also memorized every twist and turn just in case I’m needed. Security has already been set up by Frankie and I must hand it to him he does all the right things in caring for the people he loves.

After the first challenge, when a girl was abducted through the tunnels, they were discovered and steps taken to make certain it never happens again.

However, if I was planning any dark deed, the tunnels would be my first choice.

Imogen’s soft laugher floats toward me on a breeze, causing me to smile softly. Ryder’s acceptance of the situation is one huge step, but Flash may have other ideas.

We are good friends that will count for shit when he learns of my interest in his daughter, and I must be respectful of that. It’s probably best to leave our involvement right where we left it and revisit it when the dust has settled and Imogen is back at the compound, away from Rockwell and making decisions for her future.

A future that may not include me.

Two hours pass without incident and I see another centurion head out from the tunnel with a flashlight. The girls follow the light and as they disappear into the darkness, it’s as if they were never here.

Part of me wants to race after them and break up the party that always happens after The Claiming ceremony. Jesse will waste no time in hitting on Imogen and I must swallow my aversion to that and trust that she can take care of herself.

With a sigh, I dust myself off and start to jog the way I came and as I near my house, I groan when I register Principal Constable waiting on the veranda.

She calls out as I approach. “Drake, at last.”

“I’m sorry. Did we have a meeting planned?”

She shakes her head. “No, but I was at a loose end and wondered if you fancied grabbing a drink in town.”

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