Page 30 of A Taste of Torment
We walk down a trail leading to a small garden, and soon, I can no longer feel the eyes boring into my back. “Kinda,” I admit.
He’s quiet for a few more minutes. We pass under a white willow, and my fingers graze the glossy leaves.
“You could leave if you want. I’ll find her killer and make them pay. I promise.”
I snort. “I’m not leaving.”
He nods. “Didn’t think so. Figured I’d offer anyway.”
I look up into the leaves above. Though there’s a glass dome above the garden, it doesn’t feel like it. The breeze still blows, the sun still warms my skin. It’s pretty here.
“We should…” He rocks back on his heels. “Maybe talk about the logistics.” Heleans against the bark of the large tree, again with his hands in his damn pockets.
“Like?”
“Well, if we’re dating, there’s going to be expectations.”
I nod. Rules. Boundaries. I like that idea. “Okay. What did you have in mind?”
“You should eat lunch with us and spend at least an hour in Elite Hall after classes every day.”
“No.”
His eyebrows rise. “No?”
“No, I’m not coming to Elite Hall every day. I’ll give you lunch. And I get that I’ll have to come to Elite Hall sometimes, but not every day.”
“So, how often? Three days a week?”
I pause to consider then tentatively nod.
“And one weekend night. Two hours minimum.”
“What?” I squeak.
“It’ll be expected of a dating couple. To be honest, that is a modest amount of time. Those two hours can be spent in public, the library, or my room.”
I cough. His room?What the hell am I getting myself into?I close my eyes and let the smell of lavender ease my anxiety.
“You have control over this Candice. If you want to back away from this plan, we can. It’ll be harder, but I fully intend to get to the bottom of it. If you want to be in Elite Hall to be part of the investigation—”
“Yes, I want to be part of it. It’s just—” I’m not going to get into this with him. Not now. “I’ll just need a little time to adjust. This first week, let’s take it easy. I’ll sit with you at lunch and spend one hour in Elite Hall. To be determined.”
“Deal. Let’s plan on Saturday. We can take a trip into the Forest of Nails if you want. Do a little digging there. Only if you want.”
My stomach twists, gazes cast to the ground. The Forest of Nails is where my sister died. He wants to check out the scene, I guess.
And yet, the idea of going into the forest alone with him seems like an unwise choice. “No, I don’t think so.”
There, I’ll leave it at that and hope he assumes I’m just nervous about facing my sister’s place of death. Which I am. But that’s not the reason I don’t want to go.
He examines me for a beat and then nods. “Have you seen…” He trails off, brow furrowing.
“What?”
“The autopsy?” he asks gently.
I swallow. “It’s confidential. My parents wouldn’t tell me anything about it either.”
