Reckless Souls (Saints Academy, #1)(48)
that the extended family are all getting together this year too. It’ll keep them occupied,” he grumbles,
rubbing a hand over his jaw before swiping a hand down his neck.
The move reminds me of the final remnants of his moment with Rhea in the woods. I only caught
the way he stood over her, chest heaving as they stared into each other's eyes, and that was enough to
leave me surprised.
Out of all of us, Khaos was the hardest to break, the one on the straight path to his fate. No
distractions, no pointless bullshit as he likes to put it, yet there he was, just as enraptured as the rest
of us.
“Thank you,” Zen finally says, his voice much calmer now as he offers an appreciative smile
around the table. The second he said his parents were still going to be out of town this Christmas, we
made the necessary arrangements to all be here together with him.
No questions asked.
No separating our circle of trust.
Just the four of us, with some peace and fucking quiet, and I’m so here for it.
“Don’t mention it,” I reply, squeezing his shoulder in comfort, before returning to my food.
The table settles into silence, but it doesn’t stop the glances from other students coming our way.
From Selene, who is our public enemy number one, desperate to be the center of our group, to Hector
fucking Ariti who wants to be a part of us.
It’s annoying as fuck, and embarrassing on their part, but it’s the joys that come with being one of
the Elites. My brothers and I have been stuck like glue to each other for as long as I can remember and
we have the kind of bond that means we will never let anyone infiltrate our group.
The normal life of a supernatural being is to be sent to boarding schools for other people to train
and aid us until we’re twenty-one, and I’ve never cared to moan about it since I found my unwavering
friendship with the guys who sit at the table with me.
After the war, that’s when the unit situation became more of a thing, when men outweighed the
women. Most of our parents are in monogamous relationships, and even they don’t really understand
the level of trust the four of us have together. It’s not something they ever needed.
Everyone wants a piece of us, though, all except the one woman who I thought would.
Rhea.
It’s beyond clear I was wrong about her, and the four weeks that have passed since she arrived
have only proved that to be true. Now it’s hard to deny how pissed I am with myself.
Finishing my burger, I swipe my napkin across my mouth as my eyes cross the dining hall to her
again. Nope. She’s still not looking over here. An indescribable emotion swirls through me.
It doesn’t help that her back is to us, but it’s beside the fucking point. I don’t know what I want
from her, not really, but I want to catch her looking our way, just like she does to us.
My hands clench at my sides, the shifter inside of me warring to be released and stalk across the
room to her. It feels like needles pricking my skin, desperate to feel her touch.
I haven’t mentioned it to the guys, the war battling inside of me ever since Halloween, when my
wolf somehow managed to get a sniff of her as she walked away from the drama Selene was causing.
My wolf shouldn’t be making an appearance yet, not to the outside world at least, but I’ve felt my
connection with him for the past two years, slowly learning and adjusting to having what feels like
two sides of the same person. It’s a sensation that I can’t describe, yet it makes total sense to my body
at the same time.
“Are we going to address the elephant in the room?” Zen asks calmly, slouching back in his chair
as he looks at each of us. He has that knowing look in his eyes, all wise beyond his years, and it
catches me by surprise.
I frown, squinting at him as I respond. “What’s the elephant?” I stretch my arms back behind my
head as I wait for him to answer, forcing myself not to glance to the corner again.
“He means the fact that we all keep looking at the new girl,” Khaos grumbles in response, raising
an eyebrow at Zen, who simply nods, rubbing his lips together as he fights the need to glance at her
once more.
“She did nothing but decline our attempts to help last week. Repeatedly,” Zen grouches, his hands
clenching on the table as he scrambles to understand that fact alone.
It was bizarre to all of us. We were so used to people taking from us, that we simply expected her
to do the same, but she never did, which only entices me more. We aren’t used to rejection either,
which stings in its own way, but I’ll never admit it out loud.
Seeing her beaten and discouraged did something inside of me, which I think caused my wolf to
stir, and now I’m left gaping at her like a fucking puppy, no pun intended, desperate for attention.
“I didn’t even manage to catch a glimpse of her,” Adonis adds, folding his arms over his chest. “I
thought for sure I would be able to talk to her, but she keeps managing to elude me in the adjoined
bathroom too. She started to lock the fucking door.” The pout that appears on his face is comical.