Seven Black Diamonds (Seven Black Diamonds #1)(40)

“I wouldn’t,” he said levelly. “I’d only give it to a friend.”

“Well, that’s not me.”

He shoved the necklace in his pocket like it was a cheap bit of trash and met her eyes. “So, breakfast?”

She nodded.

Wisely, he said nothing as they walked back toward the hidden door. He gestured at it, not looking her way, and the vines parted for him. She’d never met anyone else who could do that. Part of her wanted to ask him why he was showing her his secret. The more reasonable part knew to keep her mouth shut.

Abernathy Commandment #7: Secrets are valuable. Don’t part with them for free.

Zephyr pushed open the door and stepped inside. For a moment, he was consumed by shadows, but then he reached out, extending one hand behind him. Silently, Lily took his hand and stepped into what appeared to be a hidden tunnel.

As soon as she was inside and the door was shut, she tried to pull her hand free of his grasp. Partly, she wanted to touch the wall, to ask the old stone for anything it could share, and partly, she didn’t want to let Zephyr hold on to her.

He squeezed her hand in his. “I have a meager bit of light here, Lilywhite.”

“Lily,” she stressed.

“Lily,” he repeated quietly. “The tunnel twists, and eventually, you’ll need to descend a very narrow staircase.” His breath brushed against her shoulder, stirring her hair. “I’d rather not have to explain just how the notorious Nicolas Abernathy’s daughter broke a leg on her first night here.”

Despite her issues with him, Lily laughed. “I’m not sure you’d want to explain to Daidí what I was doing off campus either.”

She wouldn’t call the silence that followed comfortable, but it was a lot more so than when she’d first met him. She had an opportunity here: she could understand what he meant when he said he was looking for her, and she could learn an escape route from campus. Lily noted the tricks she needed to remember in order to exit through the tunnels.

Zephyr appeared aware of her water affinity, and he clearly was aligned with soil. A part of her wanted to ask Zephyr what he knew about their shared heritage, but his fae blood and the explosion earlier combined to let her know that he was somehow involved with the war.

That alone was reason to stay silent, so she did.

They’d only been walking for a few minutes when a voice from the darkness drawled, “Odd time for a walk, isn’t it?”

Zephyr sighed so softly that she wouldn’t have heard him if she’d been a step farther away.

“Creed Morrison.” He stepped forward, introducing himself as if they hadn’t spent part of the afternoon talking. “And you are?”

She had already decided to play along when he’d confessed that he’d kept their first meeting secret, so she met his gaze now and said, “Lily Abernathy.”

Creed looked at Zephyr, and his voice hardened as he asked, “Tell me, fair Lily, are you in need of a rescue?”

“No, actually.” She nodded toward Zephyr. “He was breaking out and offering to show me how to get off campus.”

“Ah. Strict parents?”

“Protective,” she said. “If I read correctly, though, yours aren’t?”

He wagged a finger at her. “Someone is a tabloid fan, I see.”

Lily shrugged, unembarrassed, and a little amused at their game. “I’ve been home-schooled via private tutors since I was old enough for lessons. What can I say? I get bored.”

“Oh, me too,” Creed confessed. “That’s how I end up in all of those rags.”

She laughed.

“Maybe you should go back to campus,” Zephyr suggested. “You couldn’t have slept very long. I heard you stumble in before I left.”

Creed shrugged. “I napped. I left.”

“Go back to campus,” Zephyr said.

“I’d rather he stay,” Lily interjected.

There was a long silence, and a meaningful look passed between the two boys.

“Well then,” Creed drawled. “You heard Lily. I’ll be staying, but if you want to head back, feel free.”

“I wouldn’t want Lilywhite left stranded when you go off to get drunk again or meet up with some—”

“You might be my boss, Zeph, but that’s only if I decide to stay in your little clubhouse.”

Lily shivered at the tone of his voice. She’d spent enough time around her father’s associates to know the difference between genuine threat and mere posturing. Creed wasn’t posturing. Softly, she pointed out, “Maybe I should head back. I’d rather not be photographed with either of you, now that I think about it.”

At that, Creed released her and shucked his hoodie. “Here. Just pull the hood up. We can protect your privacy. We do it all the time with Vi and sometimes with Will.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He was very obviously being warned off from her—by someone who had no right to make that decision for her. She might decide to only be friends with Creed, but Zephyr wasn’t going to decide it for her. No one made rules for her life other than Daidí, and even that was often open for discussion. Abernathy Commandment #1: Choices matter.

Silently, she accepted Creed’s shirt and tugged it on. It fell past her hips, and the sleeves hung down over her hands. Creed reached out, took her wrist, and rolled the sleeve until her fingertips were exposed. Then he repeated the gesture on the other arm.