“They were in all of our classes?” I ask.
“Looks like it.”
I push my plate away. My appetite is gone.
“So they’re watching all of us now.”
“They’re watchingyou.” Locke’s voice is hard. “We’re just in the way.”
Say anything, and they’ll stop pretending your men are innocent.
The burn in my chest spreads.
I don’t say anything.
And I pretend I don’t notice the way they all watch me like they’re waiting for something to break.
Chapter 31
Nova
Saturday afternoon is quiet.
I’m on the floor, stomach down, textbook open in front of me. Something about territorial boundary laws and cross-House jurisdiction. The words keep blurring together.
Locke checks the clock on the wall. Third time in ten minutes.
Kyron drops down beside me. Too close. His shoulder brushes mine as he leans over to look at what I’m working on.
“You’re overthinking it,” he says. “The answer’s in the third paragraph.”
“I read the third paragraph.”
“Read it again.”
I huff but look down. He shifts closer, pointing at a line halfway down the page. His arm presses against mine.
Heat hits low and sharp but I’m not embarrassed. This feels like something else entirely.
My pen slips. I pretend it’s nothing.
“See it now?” His voice is low. Close to my ear.
“Yep. Got it. Thanks.”
He doesn’t move away.
Beckett’s pacing between the kitchen and the living room like he can’t decide where to land. Trey adjusts his shirt. Again.
The clock on the wall ticks past five.
I don’t notice at first—I’m still trying to focus on the words in front of me—but the energy changes. Restless, almost expectant as something shifts in the room.
“Maybe we should call it on homework, huh?” Vaelor’s voice from somewhere behind me.
“Nah, I wanna finish this.” I flip a page. “Just get it over with so I can relax, you know?”
“It’ll be there tomorrow, Nova.”
