Page 13 of Midnight of Ashes
A tiny laugh escaped me, muffled by Knox’s chest. “Thank you. I’d much rather have a study buddy than a blank check.”
Knox dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “Understood.”
I felt heat at my back and twisted in Knox’s hold to find the source.
Cáel hovered close, his face twisted in worry. “You’re okay?”
Guilt swamped me, and I sniffed. “I’m okay, Big Guy.”
He didn’t look convinced.
I pushed out of Knox’s hold and wrapped my arms around Cáel’s waist. “I promise. This has all just been…a lot.”
Cáel pulled back a fraction to take in my face. “You mean it’s not every day you find out you’re going to transform into an overgrown lizard and have five mates for all eternity?”
I choked on a laugh. “Cáel, you’ve got jokes.”
He grinned and shrugged.
“If it isn’t the little faker,” a voice singsonged from down the hallway.
Delaney made her way toward us, with Maggie and Bella in tow. “What lengths won’t she go to for attention?”
Maggie and Bella shared a nervous look but didn’t say a word.
“Shove a sock in it, Delaney,” Easton muttered. “Nobody needs your nasty-ass bullshit today.”
She huffed as she flicked her dark locks over her shoulder. “What? Now I’m not allowed to state an opinion? I might hurt your whore’s feelings?”
Cáel let out a growl that had Delaney stumbling back a few steps and straight into Maggie and Bella.
“Ow,” Maggie squealed. “Watch it.”
Delaney turned her glare on Maggie. “Shut up.”
Maggie’s cheeks went pink, and she opened her mouth as if she might tell Delaney off, but whatever she saw in her queen bee’s eyes made her snap her mouth closed.
Delaney turned back to us, her gaze settling on me. “People are going to find out the truth about you. I hope you’re ready for that, slut.”
I was tired. So damned tired it felt like my bones ached. There was a part of me that just wanted to lie down and take Delaney’s bullshit. But I’d dealt with the crude comments one too many times today.
I shrugged out of Cáel’s hold and took a step toward her. I smiled as angelically as I could. “Delaney, it’s so sweet of you to be so concerned for me. I was so lucky to have you as my roommate for those first few weeks. But I promise, you don’t have to look out for me anymore.” I leaned forward, picking up a stage whisper. “People might start to think you’re a little obsessed with me. We wouldn’t want that.”
Easton choked on a laugh behind me, while Knox started coughing. Cáel simply grunted.
Delaney’s face turned the shade of a tomato. “I am not obsessed with you.”
I gave her a look of mock confusion. “You’re not? I don’t know, you sure talk about me a lot. Try to find out details about my life, who I spend time with, and what I’m doing. I can see how people might misconstrue that.”
Bella rolled her lips over her teeth in an attempt to keep in her laughter as Delaney sputtered.
“I just think people should know the truth about who’s in their midst,” Delaney argued.
“Oh?” I asked innocently. “And who’s that? Someone who is perfectly happy minding her own business and not bothering anyone?”
“You said you were sleeping with Knox and Cáel!”
I shrugged. “So? Why do you care?” I made an over-exaggerated pause. “Could it be because you’ve been working on some sort of warped plan to get Knox to yourself? Or was that Cillian? They’re honestly interchangeable to you because you don’t know either of them.”
