Reckless Souls (Saints Academy, #1)(75)

Pandora’s Box, but black and silver in comparison to my rich gold.

Please tell me I get to use one of those on Hector or Selene today, that would bring me so much

joy.

I don’t think I’m joking either which is unsurprising at this point. The stares from Selene and the

attack I know links back to her pisses me off so much I wouldn’t be sad to see her go. Would anyone?

And Hector, fuck, if he tries to corner me one more time I’m likely to cut his fucking balls off, shove

them in his mouth and enjoy doing it.

My glare is trained on the asshole in question, and the supreme bitch beside him. My body stiffens

from head to toe, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and my body feels like it might

explode into a million pieces.

I already know why before my eyes pull to the left, watching as the Elites stroll out onto the grass

with far too much swagger. It’s like a scene from an old movie, watching them head toward us in slow

motion, and I can practically hear every single person's heart rate increase as they take them in.

Especially the women. Especially fucking Selene.

My hands clench at my sides as I worry about her being an even bigger issue, which is ridiculous

since the current dynamic with Xander, Khaos, Adonis, and Zen, is them chasing me, and me freaking

the fuck out.

I wet my lips, my pulse pounding in my ears as time stands still, unable to move until I know

they’re close, and the smug as fuck grin on Xander’s face catches me by surprise. It’s the kind of look

I would usually get from Adonis, if any of them, but with Xander… it’s like he knows a secret that no

one else does.

And he does. They all do. My muscles start to twitch uncomfortably as worry fills my mind that

someone might recognize the intensity of our connection.

Xander holds his bag out for Zen to take, which he does, and as the other three drift to the side to

discard their satchels, Xander keeps his strides clear as he makes his way toward the group, or more

specifically, me.

Every nerve-ending in my body simmers beneath the surface, and when he comes to stand beside

me, our arms brushing ever so slightly, I hear a deep chuckle rumble from his chest. I hate that relief

rushes my body.

How is he laughing right now when I can barely fucking breathe?

Asshole.

“What’s so damn funny, Xander?” I snap, trying to keep my voice low as I glare at him, and he

simply shrugs in response.

“Nothing,” he says with a knowing smile, and I call bullshit, my blood pressure increasing as his

smile grows.

“Don’t lie to me, we have to trust each other, remember?” I retort, throwing their words back at

him, and he glances at me out of the corner of his eye, his smirk unwavering as he leans in to whisper

in my ear.

“Rhea, do you know what some of the abilities and strengths are of a wolf? Because if you’ve

forgotten, your sweet little pussy made me shift, and now I’m harboring them all.” His lips brush

against my ear with each word, my eyes slamming shut as I try to hide my emotions from appearing on

my face, but it’s obvious I’m doing a poor fucking job of it.

Trying to swallow past the lump in my throat, I squeeze my thighs together as need and desire

pulses inside of me. I scramble to remember anything at all about shifters, and more specifically,

wolves, but my mind comes up blank. Goodbye logical thinking.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I grunt back, trying to act unfazed as I blink my eyes

open, and tilt my head up high, avoiding eye contact with everyone as his chuckle blows against my

skin. I fold my arms over my chest, trying to enforce an invisible barrier, but it’s useless.

“My sense of hearing is heightened, so I could hear your heart rate kick up a notch or two as we

walked in, and your pulse throbbing in your neck as you watched us approach.” A shiver slips down

my spine uncontrollably, giving my body’s reaction away without him even needing to hear it, but he

continues. “My sense of smell is also more intense, which means I know that if I slip my hands

between your thighs, my fingers will come back… wet,” he enunciates, an almost purr on the tip of

his tongue.

Motherfucker.

Is what he’s saying real? Can he really sense all of that?

Before I can think of a smart and snarky response to tell him to fuck off so my steel walls can be

firmly planted between us again, Professor Riva claps his hands together, gaining everyone’s attention

as Zen, Adonis, and Khaos appear to the side of Xander.

I can feel their eyes on me, watching my narrowed, pissed off eyes battle against Xander’s

satisfied grin, clearly trying to read the situation between us, when I hear Adonis murmur under his

breath. “Why the fuck is she mad now?”

My jaw tightens with agitation as Xander stands back to his full height, making a show of

adjusting himself under his shorts as he offers me a wink. “She’s just pissy because I know how much

she’s denying herself by avoiding us. Isn’t that right, Rhea,” he says confidently, and I have no