“Learn what?”
“How to pick a lock.”
“What?”
“Do they teach you that at St. Mary’s? ‘Breaking and Entering 101,’ or is it called ‘How to Pick a Lock in Ten Easy Ways.’” A lopsided smirk greets me as he takes another sip of my whiskey and continues, “That was some really impressive work last night, Fae.”
Last night.
Right.
I forgot about that. I forgot that I did see him last night. It wasn’t my imagination then.
But hold on a second.
“You saw me pick the lock?”
“Yeah, I saw you run through the woods too. Behind your school. I saw you get on an empty bus and then I saw you trying to threaten who you thought was an intruder.”
Oh my God.
Oh myGod.
He was there the whole time.
“Oh my God! Were you stalking me?” I squeak, outraged and violated and so freaking angry right now.
I’m not sure if it’s my question that makes his cheekbones jut out in answering anger but his next words are brimming with fury. “I wasn’t going to say anything but fuck it. What were you thinking?”
“What?”
“What thefuckwere you thinking, Fae? You know how dangerous it is, don’t you? Sneaking out like that.”
“I —”
Again, he doesn’t let me speak. “And then to threaten someone. Fuckingdaresomeone who you think means to do you harm. When you’re all alone. When you’ve got no back-up plan. What were you going to do? If he’d actually taken you up on your stupid little offer. Fucking ballet him to death?”
I take a step toward him, stabbing my finger. “Hey, I know how to punch, okay? You know that. I’ve got four brothers and —”
“Yeah, and I’m guessing they don’t know about your nightly excursions, do they?”
“Keep my brothers out of it.”
As soon as I blurt that out, I know I’ve made a mistake.
IknowI’ve fallen into one of his invisible traps.
I know.
But the words are out there and he’s heard them, and now his eyes are glowing.
His pretty wolf eyes are glowing with satisfaction and my racing heart both sinks and soars in my body at the same time.
“Are you asking me to keep a secret, Fae?” he asks, his voice low.
The next breath that I take comes out broken.
It comes out like a hiccup.
