Page 38 of Twilight of Embers
My palms dampened. “I don’t know…that sounds like family time.” Because even if these guys weren’t all blood related, it was clear they had created their own family.
Knox shook his head. “You’re coming. Cill is dying to meet you, and I want to show you our place. Please?”
I couldn’t resist the pleading tone of Knox’s voice. “Okay. I just can’t stay too late. This course load is going to kill me.”
Worry flashed across Knox’s expression. “Do you need help with any of your classes?”
I shook my head. “I just need time to study.”
His mouth thinned. “Okay. I can study with you this weekend if you want. We can hole up in the library and only break for food.”
Something shifted inside me. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever had a friend who would offer to do that with me. Only, friendship wasn’t exactly what I felt for Knox. For any of them. I shoved that thought down. “Sure. That’d be great.”
He beamed at me. “Awesome. I’ll see you at six.”
“See you.”
I walked back to my dorm in a bit of a haze. Knox and Cáel had made me feel unbelievably welcomed and accepted. It was everything I’d hoped for when I’d thought of starting college. Yet there was this part of me that wanted so much more.
I flashed my key card over the lock to my dorm room and stepped inside. I pulled up short as I took in my bed.
There were five different jackets laid out on the mattress. One looked like it would’ve prepared me for an excursion to the Arctic. Another was slightly thinner but still made of that puffy down material. The third was a bit more fashion-forward. It was army green but lined with some sort of insulation I knew would make it super warm. The fourth was a rain jacket that looked like it would protect me from torrential downpours. The fifth had an invisible fist squeezing my heart.
It was a gorgeous black leather motorcycle jacket. My fingers skimmed over the fabric. It was the softest thing I’d ever felt. I couldn’t imagine how expensive it must’ve been. And its presence meant one thing.
Cáel.
20
HAYDEN
I thumbed through my closet, searching for something appropriate. But I didn’t have the first clue what that might be.
Grabbing my phone from the desk, I typed out a text, the first one I’d sent Knox.
Me
What should I be wearing to this dinner?
I tapped my fingers along the back of the device as three little dots appeared.
Knox
Would it be wrong to say as little as possible?
I choked on a laugh as my cheeks flamed.
Me
Not helpful.
Knox
All right, then you should wear whatever you’re comfortable in. There’s no dress code. I’ll see you in five.
Crap. Five minutes wasn’t enough time.
I dropped my phone back to the desk, pulled on a pair of jeans, and grabbed a sweater from my closet. It was a deep teal that made the violet in my eyes pop. I pulled it over my head and grabbed an older pair of boots in my closet. They’d been a secondhand shop find. The leather was worn, but it looked purposeful as opposed to falling apart.
