The second we step foot into their dorm room, I kick the door shut and take a deep breath.
“Ocean,” I start.
“I know,” she replies before I can even say another word. Her shoulders slump as she grimaces with a heavy sigh. She parts her lips as her chin falls to her chest in defeat.
“Do you?” I question, hating to be the one to ask, but somebody has to, and it needs to happen now.
“It was Nathaniel,” she breathes. “Whatever he did, he was the one to do it to Kael, and looking at it now, he's likely the one who told Walker to use me against Elodie too,” she adds.
Hearing the words out loud makes my heart hammer in my chest with anger, but it's the stir of emotions I can hear ricocheting through Elodie that infuriates me more.
We knew a spy could be anywhere. We just didn't think it would be that close.
Rocking back on my heels, I clear my throat again, ready to make sure she has a clear understanding. “So we have to?—”
“Kill him,” Ocean interjects, her chin finally lifting from her chest as she meets my stare. Her shoulders are raised high, but tense with determination. Yet it’s the tightness of her jaw thatconfirms she means it. “Someone do it before I get my hands on him,” she snarls, offering us a tense smile before she saunters into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She clearly needs a moment.
Turning to Elodie, she gapes at me in disbelief. Desperate for her, I cut the distance between us, reaching for her face. A soft smile curls her lips as I brush my thumb across her cheek before playing with a loose curl of hair hanging by her ear.
“I have to go,” I explain, and she nods.
“Okay, shouldn't I come too?” she offers, and I shake my head.
“Right now, no. I need you safe.”
“I need to be involved,” she retorts, and I capture her chin, grinning at the fire that always burns deep in her eyes.
“I agree, but right now, Thorne is taking care of Kael, and I'm going to go and take care of that fucking weasel after I grab a few things from across the hall. Which means I needyouto make sure your friend is okay while keeping yourself safe, especially since none of us are around.”
Her spine stiffens, just as I expected. “I don't need anybody around. I can defend myself.”
“I know that,” I reply with an eye roll. “We've had this conversation before, Petal, but just this one time, I need you to see that what I'm saying makes the most sense.”
She presses her lips together as she thinks it through before a reluctant sigh falls from her mouth and she nods. I don’t give her a chance to say a single word before I crush my lips to hers, savoring the taste of her before I tear myself away.
Taking a step back, I open the door. “Make sure to lock this behind me,” I murmur, and she nods as I step out into the hallway and let the wood fall closed between us.
I managed to capture one extra glimpse of her through the slit in the door before it clicks closed and I hear the lock turningin place. Relief floods my veins as I pull my cell phone from my pocket. Quickly, I open the text thread with Thorne.
Rion: Where are you at with Kael?
Rion: And do we still have eyes on Nathaniel?
Rion: Elodie is safe, Ocean too. Let me grab a few things and I'll meet you.
I wait a moment, watching the green ticks appear beside my messages, confirming they’ve been opened immediately before the little dots dance in the corner of the screen, signaling his reply.
Thorne: Kael is taken care of.
Thorne: Nathaniel is still at The Hut.
Thorne: I’m waiting him out.
Thorne: Meet me at Institute Twelve.
Thorne: Our basement is already occupied.
I grimace, shaking my head as I tap out a quick reply and pocket my cell phone before slipping into my dorm room, only to falter the second I turn the lights on.
