Anchor of Secrets by Tessa Hale

15

No one made it out alive.The words echoed around in my brain as I numbly walked toward the school building.

Dash wove his fingers through mine, squeezing. “We’re going to figure this out. We’ve got time.”

I glanced up at him, knowing my face didn’t hold the same confidence. “How much?”

Dash shared a look with Colt. “With a bond as powerful as ours?”

I nodded.

“We’ll need a tether by the time we all turn twenty-one.”

A little of the tension eased. That was still a few years off. But if it wasn’t me, they’d need time to find that anchor. The thought made me nauseous.

Dash squeezed my hand again. “We’ll figure it out. Keep the faith.”

I nodded but didn’t truly feel my agreement.

“We’re searching for options,” Colt assured me. “Talking to people who might be able to find a workaround.”

“Okay.” My single word was barely audible.

Silence fell on our group as we made our way inside, all of us lost in our own worlds. A heaviness settled in my heart as the knowledge of just how much we were up against took root there. I moved on autopilot, stopping at my locker to deposit books.

The guys stopped with me, surrounding me like my own personal security force. I wasn’t going to argue. If it made them feel better, I’d let them. We were all dealing the best we could.

I closed my locker, pressing the key button on the pad to lock it. “Ready.”

I got a few nods, and we headed in the direction of my homeroom. I waved as I stepped into the classroom, but Colt followed me inside. The corner of my mouth kicked up. “You don’t have to escort me to my desk. I’ll be fine.”

But even as I said those words, I felt Mimi’s glare lock on me.

Colt reached up, squeezing the back of his neck. “We made a few little changes.”

I stilled. “What kind of changes?”

“Just some schedule shifts so that you have at least one of us in all your classes.”

I gaped at him. “Are you serious?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes it pays to be one of the school’s biggest donors.”

I blew out a breath, fluttering strands of my hair, but I didn’t argue. Instead, I just headed for my desk, shaking my head.

Connor looked up as I sank into my chair. “Hey, Leighton. Glad you’re back.” His eyes widened as he took in Colt’s hulking form. “What are you doing here?”

Colt didn’t answer him as he slid into the desk behind me.

“Trust me when I say you don’t want to know,” I mumbled.

Connor’s gaze flicked back and forth between the two of us. “I sense tension…”

“We just got Leighton back from being fucking kidnapped. What do you think?” Colt snapped.

“Colt,” I warned low.

Connor winced, his eyes shifting back to me. “You’re okay, right?”

I didn’t miss how his gaze caught on my bite scars along my neck. I fought the urge to flip up my collar. “I’m good now.”

Connor bobbed his head in a nod. “That’s good.” He glanced at Colt again. “And now you’ve got a bodyguard.”

I wanted to bang my head against the desk. “Pretty sure we’re going to be surgically attached at the hip for a while.”

Colt grunted, and I knew a while was an understatement.

The rest of the students filed in, taking their seats as the bell rang.

“Quiet,” the teacher ordered, and I realized I still didn’t know his name.

Everyone pretty much obeyed, but I felt their furtive glances and caught snippets of their whispers.

“Did you see her scars?”

“Damien’s fucked.”

“I heard she made it all up.”

I tried my best to focus on my biology textbook but had to reread the same sentence at least ten times. At that rate, it would take me ten hours to make it through the chapter.

A hand slipped beneath my hair, kneading the muscles in my neck. I stiffened for a moment and then melted into Colt’s touch.

Something about the tenderness of the action had me fighting tears. I’d missed his touches, even just the innocent ones like this. I’d missed Colt in every way I could have him.

“It’ll pass,” he whispered.

I stole a glance at the teacher who was lost in some game on his cell phone, then turned in my seat so that I could see Colt’s face. Those familiar hazel eyes were more comforting than he’d ever know. But even that comfort was painful because it all still felt out of reach.

“I want to believe that,” I said softly, my eyes not leaving his.

Colt understood that those words held so much more than concern about gossiping classmates. His fingers kept massaging my neck. “Don’t give up on me now, LeeLee. Keep fighting.”

The burn behind my eyes intensified.

“Never known anyone who’s more of a fighter than you. Don’t prove me wrong.”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t want to be selfish. I don’t want to be our downfall.”

Colt’s jaw went hard. “You could never be our downfall. You’re our salvation.”

Mimi let out an exaggerated cough. “Slut,” she clipped between coughs.

The teacher’s head snapped up. “Mimi.”

Her eyes went wide with mock innocence. “I had a tickle in my throat. But I think not everyone is focused on their homework, Mr. Canton.”

I guessed I was going to learn the teacher’s name after all.

His gaze narrowed on me and Colt. “Focus on those textbooks for the short time we’re together, please.”

The students around us snickered, but Colt didn’t drop his hand from my neck. My cheeks flamed as he got into a stare down with Mr. Canton. It was the teacher who dropped his gaze first. Colt let out a low, rumbling growl that almost sounded like a purr.

I reached behind me to squeeze his arm in reassurance. Colt’s grip on me eased a fraction, but he didn’t disconnect from me all period.

When the bell rang, we stood. Connor shot me a grin as he headed out.

“He needs to stop flirting with you,” Colt grumbled.

I smacked his stomach. “It’s called being friendly. You should try it sometime.”

Colt leaned forward, his lips teasing my ear. “I’m plenty friendly.”

Mimi made a gagging noise. “Careful. She’s probably going to give you a disease that turns you into a powerless weakling, too.”

Colt’s eyes went hard. “Watch your step.”

Mimi paled but covered her fear by rolling her eyes. “Whatever.” That word was diminished by her hightailing it out of the classroom.

I sighed. “Any chance we can get the three of them transferred? Preferably to a school in Antarctica.”

Colt chuckled. “Not a bad idea.”

We headed out into the hallway, only to be met with Dash and Declan screeching to a halt in front of us.

Declan’s eyes flashed silver. “We have a problem.”

“What?” Colt growled.

Dash’s teeth ground together. “Damien’s father is here, and he wants to talk to Leighton.”