“Oh, by the way, he replied.”
A cold film washes over my body, and I swallow the lump in my throat. “What did Kiervan say?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t think he’d respond. It was a long shot that he’d see my message request from yesterday morning, let alone reply to a text asking if he wanted to meet up. Now that I know what type of person he is, I want absolutely nothing to do with him.
“Okay,” I whisper. “Thanks.”
She nods as she takes the exit toward the dorms, and I take the one leading toward the church.
I want to choke on the guilt. It felt wrong contacting Kiervan to begin with, but I still pressed send because it didn’t feel like I was doing enough damage to Kohen’s psyche.
What happened in the medical wing was an accident. It’s never going to happen again—it shouldn’t have happened to begin with.
What are my options now? Mess around and hope I’ll forget about the full-body high Kohen gave me, or trudge through the outdoors for the possibility of a hit?
The latter. Definitely the latter.
I’m not moving anywhere near as fast as I’d like to while trying to avoid detection—especially since I’m like a damn beacon with these crutches. Anyone can hear me from a mile away, and there’s no way I could pass off as anyone other than a student.
It’s not as cold anymore, but we haven’t been getting much more in the way of daylight, and the weather is still miserable half the time. I avoid looking to the left at all costs. The lake always appears more daunting at night, just a black hole that could swallow things up.
I manage to make it to the tree line without getting caught. If any security guards around don’t hear the crutches, they’ll hear how heavy I’m breathing. Here I was, thinking I was substantially fitter from the morning drills.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I swallow a yelp and spin around, tangling my feet in my crutches only to land on my hurt foot. I rear back from the pain that thunders up my leg and throw my hand out for support on the nearest tree.
Kohen reaches for me, but I attempt to multitask by avoiding him and gaining my balance at the same time. Fortunately, I do the second one successfully. Unfortunately, Kohen’s arms are around my waist, and then patchouli and mint hit me, bringing back the memory of how gentle he was yesterday. Just like he is right now—the prick.
I elbow him in the gut and manage to hobble out of his arms, biting back a wince. He narrows his hazel eyes at me, silently chastising me for a long list of things, I imagine.
“What the fuck are you doing out here?” I glance around forLiam, but he’s nowhere to be seen. The only time Kohen heads out to the church is if Liam is in tow.
“He won’t be there.”
I’m too busy stabilizing myself with the crutches to process his response. When I do, I pause. “Excuse me?” Why wouldn’t Liam be there?
“Your boy,” he explains. “He won’t be there.”
Elijah? “Why do you say that?”Iknow that. But how doesheknow that? Last I checked, Elijah and Kohen aren’t exactly buddies.
Kohen shrugs, giving me a blank look. “I told you. Bad things happen to people who touch what isn’t theirs.”
Oh.
Oh.
So I’m an object now, is that it? Some piece of meat to be handed between the guys? I want to be somebody’s, but I sure as hell am not a possession—prized or otherwise.
Although… it does feel a little nice that he’s figuratively marked me as his territory.
But more importantly—and I cannot stress this one enough—“You put him in the hospital!”
He has the audacity to look disappointed. “I was aiming for the morgue.”
I gape at him. Hewhat?
