Page 71 of Resurgent

Dinner is...interesting.

Annalise officially introduces me to Sasha, Ian, and Emily, and they’re all very friendly…not in the "you're new to the group so we're going to interrogate you" kind of way, or even the "Your mom's the dean so give us all the details," way I've encountered too many times already.

No. Shockingly, they just welcomed me in as soon as she made the introductions.

Emily somehow turns a normal conversation about classes into a demand for me to settle an age-old argument between Annalise and Matt about whether dragons can be bribed with pastries or not.

Sasha asks me about my family.

Ian challenges me to explain the difference between two different types of tactical runes.

And Matt—Matt is actually nice. Well, mostly.

He laughed at one of my jokes and actively engaged in conversation, but every so often, I caught him watching me.

Protective and possessive.

I try to force myself to understand where he’s coming from. Annalise has been through hell, and these are her people. And Matt clearly considers himself the first line of defense, but I'm not sure what that means for our friendship just yet.

But I'm not worried, not really, because across the table, Annalise is laughing again.

And I find myself smiling before I even realize it.

So what if the mission didn’t go according to plan and Matt has ruined our perfectly executed delay? Somehow, I still got exactly what I need out of the day—a reason to see her again.

Chapter twenty-two

Annalise

"Are you sure you're fine staying home alone? You don't want to invite anyone over?"

"Yes, Hunter, I'm a big girl. Matt's on a mock mission and Sasha has date night with Antonio."

"A date?"

"Well, a video date. He sent her some of her favorite snacks and they're going to watch a movie together."

"Uh huh... But you're sure?"

"Now stop worrying! I have Pete if anyone decides to break in to try to kill me before Tyr gets back."

"I'll just wait—"

"No, you won't. Now get your shoes on and go meet your friends for dinner. I'm just going to finish my Environmental Tactics homework then I'll probably just watch a movie or something."

With a nod, he disappears down the hall muttering, "So mouthy".

Hearing his bedroom door close, I turn back to the report spread across the kitchen table, still smiling.

Three lines. I manage three whole lines before my eyes glaze over…Combat medicine is infinitely more interesting when mannequins are actively bleeding.

Five minutes later, I'm still staring at the same paragraph when a loud thud sounds from down the hall.

Then another, and a moment later, Hunter emerges…and I forget how words work.

"Oh."

His eyebrows lift.