Page 7 of Twilight of Embers
A red film covered my vision, and I struggled to keep my breathing under control. Shit. I could not lose it. Not now. Not here.
I’d worked on control since I was a little boy. Tons of exercise to keep my beast just the slightest bit tired. Meditation to keep him calm. But none of that was helping right now.
I let my claws elongate just the slightest amount, pricking them into my palm. Pain was the best plan of attack to get me out of a rage state. Otherwise, I’d end up doing something regrettable, like gutting my friend in the middle of the quad.
“Uh, Frank. You might want to avert your gaze. Knox looks like he’s about to remove your head from your body,” Jason warned.
Frank jerked his focus back to me, his eyes widening. He held up both hands. “Shit, man. I meant no harm. Didn’t know it was like that.”
“Stay away from her,” I gritted out. My voice held a growl that had Frank taking a step back.
Jason smacked me on the back. “Chill, dude. He’s not making a move on your girl.”
Your girl.
I liked that too much. Something about it just sounded right.
I tried to shake off the thought, cracking my neck. “She just doesn’t need a walking hard-on making a pass at her.”
Jason snorted. “Who does?”
“You’re both assholes,” Frank shot back.
Jason cast me a sidelong look. “Who is she, anyway?”
I shifted uncomfortably. I didn’t want anyone looking too closely at Hayden. That could be a recipe for disaster, especially if what I suspected was true. “Not sure. Just met her today.”
“Someone’s a tad bit possessive for just meeting the chick today,” Frank grumbled.
A hint of red was back in my vision, but I breathed through it, letting it pass. “She seems like a nice girl, that’s all.”
Frank and Jason went quiet for a moment, staring at me, dumbfounded.
It was Jason who finally spoke. “A nice girl? Are you a pod person? Tell me the truth. Is the real Knox up on some spaceship getting anally probed?”
I gave him a shove. “Piss off.”
Frank snorted. “I don’t know, a little ass play’s nice sometimes.”
“You two need to get a life.”
Jason grinned. “Now, why would we do that when yours is clearly so much more interesting?”
They had no clue how right they were. Sure, we were friends. As much as I had human friends. We shot the shit. Mostly talking about football and classes and girls. But it never went past that surface level. It couldn’t. Not when I had too much to hide.
We’d never have the kind of relationship I had with my brothers. Brothers forged in blood and battle. Brothers who knew me down to my soul. Brothers I needed to call about my possible discovery.
“Come on, let’s get books before you’re tempted to propose to the frosh you’ve known for two-point-five seconds,” Frank chided.
I scowled at him. “I’m gonna shove a textbook up your ass if you don’t watch it.”
“Careful,” Jason warned. “He said he likes ass play.”
I just shook my head and started toward the student center and the bookstore inside. But my gaze pulled to the side yet again. Hayden was at one of the tables now, talking to a sophomore who was handing her a packet. I wanted to rip his arm out of the socket.
I needed to make that call and now.
I inclined my head toward the building. “I’ll meet you inside. I gotta call Mad real quick.”
