“Oh, yeah.” Xinyi dug in her satchel bag and pulled out a small black clutch. “So she’s okay, right? We didn’t just leave her to the wolves, did we?”
I opened the bag, making sure her I.D. and phone were in there before closing it and standing. “Yes, she arrived home safely.” I let the words ‘no thanks to you’ linger in the air between us before leaving without a word.
Well, this wasn’t an apology or a way to take back the last few weeks, but it was a start. I’d never had to win someone over before. My natural charm usually did most of the heavily lifting for me.
I wasn’t sure why, but the less I said, the more people wanted to be around me. It helped that Tate talked enough for the both of us, but I didn’t think he could help me with this.
No, I’d made this mess with Jack, and now I’d have to clean it up on my own, starting with her bag.
While Tate was still in class, I headed over to her house. I thought about walking up to the door, then remembered what Xinyi had said. Jack definitely wouldn’t want her parents to know what happened last night, so I couldn’t just approach her with her bag without them wanting an explanation.
Instead, I parked a short way away and used my shadows to let me in once more.
My lips turned down into a frown when I realized that Jack wasn’t in her room. Instead of waiting for her, I sat the clutch onher bed for her to find on her own. I turned to leave when the bedroom door opened.
The icy cool blue eyes of Antoine Durand stood there in the doorway an unreadable expression on his face.
I’d thought I’d be overcome with rage when I came face to face with one of the people responsible for my sire’s death. Much to my surprise, I didn’t feel much of anything, only a need to make sure that Jack was alright.
“She forgot her purse,” I stated simply.
Antoine inclined his head. “I’ll make sure she gets it.”
Nodding, I let my shadows wrap around me once more and left behind the last bit of my need for vengeance in that room.
Chapter twenty
Jack
“Alright,justconcentrate,”Tabby’svoice broke through the panic in my mind where we sat in the library. “We want to recreate what happened before so you can remember how it feels before you use your powers. This way, when you want to use them, you can replicate it without the emotional anchor.”
Easy enough for her to say, she didn’t have to create a state of panic on the fly. Though, the more she pushed me to try, the more overwhelmed I became, so maybe it was helping some.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to think of how I felt when I made the crows die. There was so much going on at once. I was feeling like I was being pulled apart from multiple sides, and I had no say in any of it.
A bit like how things were now.
I had no control over my life. My parents had pulled me out of the school they coerced me into going to. Then they took hunting away, the one thing I was good at. The one thing that I had goingin my life, and they just took it away like that. I had no idea if I’d ever get it back again.
Then there was my love life.
God, don’t even get me started on that.
I’d always told myself that I’d never get with multiple guys like my mom. That it would be too much drama. Too much to handle. I saw how my mom and dads interacted and while for the most part they happily get along. Though, there were times my mom had to play referee to my dads. That wasn’t something I wanted to be doing on a regular basis.
Yet here I was dating at least two men with a third possibly on the way.
Yes, things with Tate were good. They were great. Which honestly, they always were, except for that small amount of time that I refused to get between him and Kyren. His constant optimism regarding his vampire boyfriend was something to be admired. I didn’t have as much hope for Kyren and me.
But to hell with Kyren. He was a big boy, he could figure out how to handle me and Tate being together if he wasn’t going to be with me, too.
Except… what was last night?
Not only had he saved me — which I could admit I needed saving — but he cuddled me. He hadn’t snarled or snapped at me. He hadn’t even demanded hate sex.
To be honest, I had partially hoped for it. No, he just showed up and held me. The way he always had. No talking. No explanation, nothing.
And my bag. My dad told me someone dropped it off, but he didn’t say who. The lingering scent in my room told a whole story on its own. Kyren had gone out of his way to find my bag. I didn’t know if he went back to the club or how he’d gotten it. But knowing he’d taken the time to do it made something swell in my chest.
