Page 56 of Endless Anger
I roll my eyes and shift Lucy toward him; he grabs her arms, holding her so I can haul her over my shoulder. The forest is starting to feel like it’s bearing down on us, the darkness beneath the full moon cloaking the air like a vile film. Almost as if everything about this town is as putridand evil as I always said it was. Not that I ever told Lucy that, nor do I think she would’ve listened.
Stubborn girl.
My arm envelops her legs, and I tug on the hem of her skirt, pulling it so her ass is fully covered. Foxe purses his lips, watching me silently.
He doesn’t ask again about what I was doing before I found Lucy, and I’m glad. I don’t need him to know that I’m making them accomplices to my own crime.
“This really does take me back, you know?” he jokes, nudging me as we start toward campus.
“Shut the fuck up, and let’s just get her back to the dorms in one piece.”
“Aye aye, captain.”
18
ASHER
The dorms are outdatedand stuffy. Despite their lavish, historically preserved exteriors, each hall feels like a time capsule, catapulting us back to when Avernia was first built. Of the four main housing buildings, Erebus Hall is the worst offender and, of course, the place Lucy’s called home since she enrolled.
At one end of her floor is a private suite, and I slide a key from the back pocket of my pants, unlatching the lock and pushing the door open. My hand gropes the wall, searching for the switch as Foxe slips in behind us, kicking the door closed.
The light flicks on, casting a warm glow on the neat, unpacked room. Boxes are stacked on the desk and in front of the twin bed, while a welcome kit sits on top of the sole dresser next to the window.
Lucy wakes as soon as we’ve closed ourselves inside. As she stirs, I bend, slowly placing her feet on the ground and giving her a moment to gather herself.
She blinks, then quickly twists out of my grip. “I cannot believe you did that.”
“You were panicking.”
“Rightfully so, you fucking asshole! Someone was murdered out there tonight. I think that’s a pretty valid thing to freak out over.”
“Sure, but you having a panic attack when the killers are at large would have drawn unnecessary attention. Did you want to join your classmate?”
Scoffing, she crosses her arms over her perky little tits, turning her head from me. “This is”—her brows furrow as she pauses, eyes darting around the small space—“not my dorm room. Uh, this is the RA’s assignment. We can’t be in here.”
Snorting, Foxe grabs the first volume in a volleyball manga series from the top of one of the boxes, flopping down on the mattress as he flips open to a random page.
She gives him a dirty look, then narrows her eyes at the cover of the book. Slowly, her gaze slides to my face before slinking around the room again and then back to me.
“Okay, seriously. What the fuck is going on?”
I shove my phone into her hands. “Don’t you think you should email the dean or campus security? We need to report a crime after all.”
“That’s what I said.” She pauses. Swallows. “Answer my question, Asher.”
“Aw,Asher.” Foxe pouts from the bed. “What ever happened topretty boy? Do you not think he’s handsome anymore, Lulu?”
“Oh my God.” Whirling around, she chucks the phone at his head.
He drops the book, catching the device effortlessly.
Lucy seethes, gritting her teeth. “If you don’t tell me what you’re doing here, I’m going to reportyoufor murder.”
Smothering a grin, I reach for the hem of my sweater, tugging it over my head. “Jeez, Luce. Can’t your new RA unpack before you start accusing him of horrible crimes?”
“My…” Her eyes widen, two endless pools of clear ocean. She studies my face, shaking her head. “No, that’s…impossible. You don’t go here.”
“As of this morning, I do.”
