Anchor of Secrets by Tessa Hale

13

“What are you wearing?”Trace clipped as I sank into the chair between Dash and Colt at the dining table.

I ignored the snap in his tone as I surveyed the breakfast options. “I’m pretty sure it’s my school uniform.”

“Why?” he gritted out.

“Because I’m going back to classes.”

It had been over a week since I’d been rescued, and while I was getting my homework assignments via email, I knew I was falling behind.

Colt cleared his throat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I turned toward him, feeling that awkward tension between us. I hated everything about it. I’d always been comfortable around Colt, even when he’d shown up out of the blue after almost a decade apart. Now, I wasn’t sure where we stood. It was as if we were both trying to make our way back to each other, but not exactly sure what the path was to get there.

“If I stay cooped up in this house for another day, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Colt frowned. “We’ve got the screening room and gym. The pool and library. The—”

I reached over and squeezed his hand. Colt froze, staring down at the contact. Heat bloomed in my palm, spreading up my arm. I swallowed hard as I tugged my hand back, unsure if he wanted me touching him at that moment. “I need some normal, and I don’t want to fall even further behind in my classes.”

“We still don’t know where Damien is,” Ronan said, an edge to his voice.

I looked up at him, wanting to drown in those amber-gold eyes. I hated the distance he’d put between us, too. “Do you honestly think Damien is going to show up at school in broad daylight and try to kidnap me?”

A muscle ticked in Ronan’s jaw. “We don’t know who might be working with him. There are others in his den that go to Prep.”

The knowledge of that twisted my stomach, but I did my best to keep fear from my expression. “I can’t stay locked up in here forever.”

“The hell you can’t,” Trace mumbled.

Dash sighed. “I think what everyone is trying to convey is that we care about you, and we’re worried about how exposed you’d be if we all return to classes.”

The frustration building in me eased a bit at Dash’s words. “I get that.” I scanned the table. “I appreciate that you care. I know things haven’t been easy lately.” Guilt pricked at my skin. “I’m sorry I ran, that I caused all of this…” I wasn’t exactly sure how to finish that sentence.

“You didn’t cause anything,” Declan assured me. “This is on Damien and no one else.”

I swallowed, trying to clear the lump in my throat. There were a million other things I wanted to say, to ask. But most of all, I wanted to know if there was any hope for us all. But fear held my tongue hostage. So, I focused on easier topics. “If we don’t keep living our lives, Damien wins. He’s going to be found eventually, and The Assembly will deal with him, right?”

I forced as much certainty into my voice as possible, even if I didn’t quite feel it.

Colt leaned back in his chair. “We’ve got as many people as possible looking. All the clans are helping.”

“All the clans but the vamps,” Trace muttered.

I hadn’t thought much about how the other vampires felt about Damien. But given what the guys had done to Lucien, they might not be too happy. “Do the vampires think Damien is innocent?”

Ronan grunted. “They were claiming a miscommunication until they were shown the tapes.”

Suddenly, my breakfast didn’t seem all that appealing. The idea of anyone seeing me in that state had shame washing over me.

Dash reached over and took my hand, weaving his fingers through mine. “Dec’s right. The only one this is on is Damien.”

I stared down at my plate. “I hate the idea of anyone seeing the tapes.”

Declan pushed from his chair, rounding the table and coming to kneel next to me. He pulled me into his arms. “As soon as the trial is done, we’ll have them destroyed. But the only one who should be ashamed by those tapes is Damien.”

There were grunts of agreement around the table.

I burrowed deeper into Declan’s hold, but as my eyes opened, they locked with Colt’s. There was such longing in his hazel eyes it stole my breath. I knew my eyes answered with the same. Our gazes held, neither of us pulling away.

Finally, Colt blinked and pushed to his feet. “I need to make a call. Be ready to leave for school in thirty.”

Declan released me, his hands coming up to frame my face. “You sure about this?”

I nodded. “I’m sure.” But even I could hear the doubt in my voice.

Trace cursed, shoving back from the table. “This is a horrible idea.”

I bit the corner of my lip. I guessed, even with him holding me each night to keep my nightmares at bay, some things hadn’t changed. Like Trace thinking every move I made was a disaster in the making. And maybe he was right. But I’d do everything I could to prove him wrong.

* * *

The rideto school was mostly quiet. Colt drove, with Trace in his typical shotgun position. Dash sat next to me while Declan and Ronan sat in the back seat. The fact that the twins were in the same four-foot radius and not fighting should’ve been a win, but I was too nervous to think much about it.

“Does everyone know?” I asked softly.

Colt’s eyes met mine through the rearview mirror. “Word has gotten around for the most part.”

Trace scoffed. “What he means is that no one’s been talking about anything else.”

My stomach sank. I hated being the focus of attention, and I was about to willingly walk onto center stage.

Dash leaned forward and shoved Trace—hard.

Trace twisted in his seat. “There’s no use in lying. She’s going to see it firsthand in two minutes.”

“You could be a little gentler in your delivery,” Dash shot back.

Trace rolled his eyes. “Coddling her isn’t going to help.”

Said the guy who climbed into my bed every night to keep the nightmares away. I didn’t speak those words out loud, even though I wanted to. Because the truth was, I didn’t want to risk that Trace would stop showing up. As prickly as he could be, I felt safe in his arms.

Colt turned into campus, and my mouth went dry as he navigated his way into the parking lot. Every student milling around turned in the direction of our vehicle.

“Crap,” I muttered.

Declan leaned forward, massaging my shoulders. “You’ll be okay. This morning will be the worst of it. It can only get better from here.”

I nodded. That would be my mantra for the coming hours.

Colt pulled into his parking spot and turned off the engine. “We stick together as much as possible, and we’re always on alert. Frequent check-ins. Got it?”

Everyone nodded.

Doors opened, and we all climbed out of the SUV.

I felt the gazes on us before I even dared lift my head. But the moment Trace, Ronan, and Declan glared in the students’ directions, they turned away. All but one.

Chloe stormed toward us, her new bob flying. Her eyes locked on me, and I swore I saw fire in them. “I’m going to kill you.”