Huh? What does he mean?
“Are you up for some interrogation?” JP asks Dean Cauldron with a straight face, and my eyes pretty much pop out of their sockets.
Oh shit! It’s about to go down.
Dean Matthew Caldron is a good sport in JP’s little Q&A. The best part is, I don’t have to vocalize my feelings or concerns, nor do I get any hateful looks. Dean Caldron agrees to be open and honest and allow JP to play human lie detector. I only have to open myself up to JP and pour out my pain and questions when it comes to the guys.
JP explains even though we understand the higher positions were under scrutiny, it doesn’t clear the council. Shock splays all over Dean Caldron’s face, but understanding soon follows. He explains how he was outvoted when it was decided how I would attend school. He just wanted me to have guidelines like I was led to believe, but the rest of the council members wanted to use a stricter protocol.
He explains the events that led up to my arrival, but he truly doesn’t believe I have anything to do with it. Of course, I keep my mouth shut about how Anwen, the Fate I had met, pretty much confirmed what he’s saying. I still have no idea who to trust, and the only person I can is—no, I’m not going there. Not yet.
Of course, hearing it all come from the dean that the guys were only asked to watch and report back suspicious activities does help with the sting of betrayal, a little. He’s sure Lilith wouldn’t have asked Levi to intervene if it wasn't for the Rebels gaining in numbers and them not knowing how far their reach went.
I still don’t understand why they had to get so close to me then. Why play with my fucking emotions? Why not keep it just platonic?
JP looks at me when the thought surfaces and gives me a look.Well, shit! I did start it with Levi, and now that I think about it…Zeke.UGH!
Before Dean Caldron leaves though, he does tell me for what it’s worth, he’s sorry, and the boys are good guys, and they might be a good support system.
Pfft! Like they could help me at all.Obviously I’m not planning to forgive that easily.
“Are you sure you don’t want more than just soup? I can cook up anything. Steak? A casserole or a fancy dessert?” JP asks as he sways his hips at the kitchen counter to a snazzy tune playing.
“Soup is good. Not really hungry,” I reply as I roll the vial the dean brought containing the green liquid in my hand. The crystals float back and forth as they catch the light, and it’s mesmerizing.
The music cuts off suddenly, and I look up to find JP standing in front of me. Grabbing both of my hands around the vial, he pulls me up and into his body, wrapping his warmth around me.
“JP, I’m not in the mood for cuddles or dancing,” I whine, just wanting to fall into my solitary cave and waste away. I feel like I’m on the verge of either falling into a deep despair in which I’ll never escape, or landing on the side of where I’ll just become numb forever. Either one would be completely fine with me at the moment, as long as I don’t have to do anything.
“Who said I wanted to cuddle?” He smirks and drags me over to my vacant Door Knight, and I give him a ‘what now’ look. “Well, don’t you miss him?”
“Yeah, of course I miss our surly grouch, but what do you expect me to do?” I huff, getting annoyed that JP keeps on pulling me away from the edge I sorely want to fall from.
Facing me once again, he takes my hands, careful not to jostle the glass vial in them, and brings them to his lips. “Ma chérie, I will NOT let you fall off the edge and become lost to us. We need you too much, and I WILL make it my purpose in life to keep you going.” He kisses the back of my hands and slowly turns them over and plants a kiss in the center of my palms, one after the other, sending a bolt of fire straight to my clit.
Holy Shit!Okay, that’s one way to get my mind going in another direction. His eyes sparkle with mirth as he picks up my thought, and I catch him biting his lip as he turns away from me. Probably trying to keep from laughing at my abrupt switch of thoughts.Damn him.
“Well, let’s see if this helps,” he motions to the door.
Stepping up closer to the door, I look at JP and back at the vial in my hand. “How am I supposed to use this?”
“Hell if I know,” he shrugs.
Well great.My only guess is to just splash this against the door. Pulling the stopper, I jump a little as it makes a loud pop and a hiss sounds as a lemony smell rushes out.
“Whoa! That’s some strong shit,” JP says with a cringe, waving his hand under his nose. Nodding my agreement, I turn back to the door and splash some liquid onto it. I watch in fascination as the crystals slowly roll down the door, and I have an unspeakable urge to touch them. Mesmerized, I reach out and touch one of the crystals, feeling it’s rough texture under the pad of my finger before it seeps into the dark wood.
That’s so cool.
I wait a few moments for something, anything to let me know that it’s working, but there’s dead silence.
“Welp, I guess I’ll get back to making lunch.” JP shrugs and turns to go. I start to follow him when the door starts shaking like crazy. A moment of déjà vu hits me from when I first placed my finger against the hole to key myself into the dorm, but then it suddenly stops.
JP gives me a ‘what the fuck’ look that I mimic, and then he leans closer to the door. “Do you hear that?”
Shaking my head, I do as he does and press my ear against the cool wood, straining to hear what JP’s super hearing does. All I pick up is a muffled noise, as if my head were underwater and someone was trying to talk to me. Pulling away from the door, I give JP an annoyed look and turn to walk away when he grabs my arm and stops me.
“No, listen. It’s getting louder,” he insists. Rolling my eyes, I once again press my ear against its surface to appease him. I swear he’s lost his mind. Sure enough though, the sound is getting louder, like someone running down a hallway towards you at an alarming rate. Throwing my hand up against the smooth lumber, I feel it start to vibrate, and before I can think to back away, I fall into darkness.
