Chess stiffens, and I whirl on him. My finger jabs into his chest. “Don’t even start with me.”
He opens his mouth to argue, but I shove past him.
I barge into the one solitary toilet cubicle in the corner of the room, acutely aware of the loaded silence directly outside the door until someone – Buck – starts to whistle loudly.
They’re still waiting for me when I come out and stalk to the sink to wash my hands. The five of them – Chess, Hatter, Buck, Aiden, Kayden – they all wait for me to say something.
Instead, I snatch Hatter’s hand and drag him out of the bathroom.
They all follow, trailing after me as I storm toward Hatter’s bed and throw myself down, tugging his hand. “Get in here. Please.”
Chess looks as though he’s about to combust as he looms over me. It’s gratifying. “Why doesheget to stay with you?”
I turn to glare at Hatter over my shoulder in silent demand. He looks mildly amused, but he slides onto the bed beside me, his arm wrapping around my waist.
“Because he was the only one who didn’t demand a space in my group. And I need to get some sleep, because this conversation is absolutely fucking ridiculous when we’ll probably be dead in two days anyway, and there sure as hell will be no fucking group then.”
“So thereisa group,” the twins say in unison.
Groaning, I bury my face in the pillow. Movement around me. Hatter shifts, his voice low. “Perhaps we can finish this discussion tomorrow.”
“Get out of the damn bed, Lyss,” Chess says through gritted teeth.
I open my mouth, but Hatter responds before I can. “No. She asked for me. She gets me. You can have her tomorrow. If and when she asks.”
And the softness in his voice… it disappears behind steel.
I grin into the pillow as Chess’s footsteps stomp away. “I should feel guilty about that, but I’m so fucking tired.”
I can feel my eyelids dragging down, now that I’m clean.
Hatter reaches over my head, and I seize the bottle of water he hands me gratefully, taking a few swigs until the dryness in my mouth is somewhat soothed. His silence is comforting as I lean back into him, his fingers combing through my damp hair.
“Sleep,” he murmurs. “Tomorrow night will be worse. You need to be as prepared as you can be, and that involves getting some rest. I’ll make sure none of the others disturb you.”
What a wonderfully positive thought. But I’m glad he doesn’t sugarcoat it.
My eyelids flutter, heavy and aching. “Doyouthink there’s a group?”
His lips press against the side of my head.
“Sorry, Alyss Lidell. But there’s definitely a group.”
23 – Buck
Still smirking, I follow Chess over to his bed. He throws himself down, giving me a dirty look. “Feel free to fuck off.”
“Nah.” I settle down on the floor beside him, leaning my back against the wall. I can feel the shakes settling in again, my fingers trembling before I hide them behind clenched fists. “Think I’ve had all the broken sleep I can manage.”
I glance over to where the twins are muttering, their heads together as they glance over to Alyss. “She’s very easy to care about.”
He huffs. “You don’t know her, any of you. I’ve known her since we were kids.”
“Lucky you,” I say quietly. “Not all relationships are built on longevity, Chess.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Sighing, I lean my head back. “Consider this. You attend college classes with the same person. Every class for several years. They sit on one side of the room, and you sit on the other. Occasionally, you speak. Maybe swap notes once or twice. But when you graduate, you don’t keep in touch. You never thinkof them again, aside from a random moment here and there, perhaps.”
