My entire body turned to ice when I realised what she was implying with her words.
“Fraternising with the enemy,” Liana muttered, pulling a face. Her words made Kane look up from his plate.
“Not me.”
“Only because you’re on probation and you weren’t allowed to go,” she shot back.Coach’s daughter, she mouthed to me when my brows flew up, which answered my unspoken question.
Kane glared at her and then went back to his food, effortlessly ignoring the rest of us. I wished it were that easy for me.
Staring down at my own untouched food, I debated with myself. Leave and escape this situation, or remain here and act as if none of this was affecting me?
The decision was made for me when Anton leaned in,speaking in a low voice. “You need to eat. Do not worry about the after-party. We all behaved ourselves. The Whelford Flames invited us to spend time with them, and we made the decision to put the bad blood to rest. Attwood enjoyed himself with your Fontana friend, and now he has moved on. It was a successful night.”
Uncapping my water bottle, I nodded. Although I’d heard from Vesper, I couldn’t help the completely irrational hurt I felt at Anton’s words. It was ridiculous, because I knew that neither Jay nor Vesper would ever betray me like that. But today…why was Jay so cosy with Gemma?
It’s not my business. I picked up my fork, glancing at Anton, and he gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Slowly and deliberately, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. It was as dry and passionless as always, and it was just for show. It was a statement to say that I belonged to him, even though we both knew we’d never choose each other if it were up to us.
I ignored the eyes boring into mine from across the table, trying to communicate a message I didn’t understand.
A message I didn’t want to understand.
Daniel:
Can you meet King in the library?
Me:
Is something wrong?
Why couldn’t my brother text me himself? What was happening? It was almost 10:00 p.m., and I hadn’t spoken to him all day.
Daniel:
Nothing’s wrong. Can you come?
Me:
I’ll be there as soon as I can
Rising to my feet, I grabbed my bag in case I needed it as an excuse for leaving my room so late and left South Wing. When I entered the quiet library, I immediately found Daniel loitering near the doors. He was holding a book upside down, and when he saw me, he threw it carelessly onto the table next to him.
Beckoning me over, he jabbed his finger in the direction of the back of the building. “Come on. Quick. We don’t have long.”
We headed deeper into the library, losing ourselves in the towering stacks until Daniel came to a sudden stop, holding up his hand. “Five minutes. Don’t lose track of time,” he said, and then gently nudged me towards the stacks to our right. I stared at him, confused, until he nudged me again. “He’s waiting for you.”
“Um… Okay.” Shifting my bag on my shoulder, I headed in the direction he’d indicated.
A figure emerged from the shadows. It wasn’t my twin.
“Nova,” Jay breathed, wrapping his arms around me. Part of me wanted to melt into him, but a bigger part was frustrated and unreasonably jealous, and I froze in his grasp. He sighed against my hair before drawing back. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“That’s what they always say, and anyway, it’s not as if I care. You can do whatever you want, with whoever you want.”
Jay’s fingers cupped my face, tilting my chin up to meet his eyes. “I think you do care, just like I do, which is why I’mhere now. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us.”
“It’s not my place to care,” I whispered harshly, refusing to give in. The touch of his fingers against my skin was like a brand, and I hated it. It was torture, feeling him and knowing that I had a duty to perform, that I would never find pleasure in my destiny.
“Yeah, and it’s not mine, either. Just watching Volkov kiss your cheek made me see red. I fucking hated it.” A muscle ticked in his jaw.I opened my mouth to reply, but he shook his head. “Let me explain. Please.”
