What if she realized she’d seen me? What if she came back out of that shop, and–
And because Wilson had cursed my whole fucking bloodline after the trial, my bad luck only grew, the day getting worse in the only way it could.
“Wyatt?”
I looked up, and I know I didn’t hide my grimace in time.
Carissa.
How the fuck…
All thoughts about Regina and the massacre and her threat on my father dissipated from my mind in an instant. Carissa was clutching herphone to her chest, and I couldn’t fuckingbelieveI hadn’t turned my location off for her.
Rafe was going to lose his fucking mind.
She looked as pretty as always, though much like the last several times I’d seen her since the start of first term, the prettiness didn’t affect me quite like it used to. Her brown hair was straightened, pulled back into a high ponytail that was suspiciously similar to how Skye wore her hair most days. She wore her usual skin-tight workout leggings and running jacket, the zipper pulled down so that her cleavage was almost indecent.
It really hit me, then, for some reason, as the indecent cleavage gave me a sensation of…annoyance?
It used to really do it for me, which was probably why she wore it that way. Come to think of it,whywas she wearing her hair that way? She couldn’t possibly know I liked that style on Skye.
Except she’s a creep who stalks you, Rafe’s imaginary voice snarked in my mind. I’d always told him he was full of shit when he implied that Carissa was a stalker, but it takes one to know one, I suppose. I couldn’t disagree with that argument anymore, not when she was here in front of me because she’d followed my phone location.
“I thought you’d be here,” she said, offering me a soft smile. She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear –another move that reminded me of Skye– and then took a sip of her coffee. My vision focused on the cup, glad to see it wasn’t from Skye’s shop.
I cleared my throat, not sure what to say. Carissa was on edge, standing on the balls of her feet while she shifted her weight back and forth. I knew that stance. My jaw was already sore from clenching because I knew that stance. My stomach was practicallycrampingbecause I knew that stance.
We were about to fight.
“Well, Rafe’s here.” I said, trying to keep my tone friendly.
Was I a coward for mentioning my best friend to my ex-girlfriend who hated him? Maybe. But Rafe would approve. He’d always had it out for Carissa, it’d just taken me too long to see why.
Also…part of me realized I hadn’t actually thought of her as anexuntil this very moment. I would have been proud of myself if it weren’t for the sour look on her face.
Carissa scowled. “What’s he doing here?”
I breathed out slowly. “You know I’ve found my Key. Rafe is in our Chain.”
Her face changed, going carefully blank in a way that had my hackles raising. My entire nervous system was already in flight mode to get the fuck away from this conversation.
“Yes, I know,” she said calmly. “The Key who rejected you. A student, right?”
It was my turn to scowl.
Carissa had admitted to me that she’d eavesdropped on mine and Skye’s conversation after the incident with Aiden. Skye had actually clipped Carissa with my office door when she shoved her way out after rejecting me. I’d successfully avoided Carissa since then but her texts had ramped back up since she saw my location in the islands.
“Mom asked if you’d be coming by again,” Carissa said when I hadn’t responded, giving me a shaky smile that I didn’t return. I blew out a breath, looking toward the coast. It really was pretty here, with the sparkling waves and salty air. The sunset was going to be beautiful, the sky already washing with orange and pink.
Skye went out to the beach every day to watch the sunset. Aiden was with her most of the time, sometimes with Zephyr as well. I wondered if they were out now, and which beach they went to. I wondered briefly if I’d ever be welcome to go with them.
Either of them, really. I owed Aiden an apology as much as I did Skye. I’d been considering what I’d say to him, but with Skye as a sort of guard dog behind him, he was shaping up to be quite the little shit.
I couldn’t even blame him. I’d be acting exactly the same.
“I won’t be coming by,” I said softly. “She’s my Key, Carissa. I can’t be spending time with you, not even like this. It’s not right.”
“She rejected you,” Carissa hissed, sounding a little more menacing than she probably intended. She looked around quickly to make sure no one watched us before she took a step closer to me, and I took a step back. Her lip wobbled before she spoke again. “She…she doesn’twantyou, Wyatt. But…I do. Why can’t that be good enough?”
