Anchor of Secrets by Tessa Hale
40
As I descended the stairs,I moved in Trace’s direction. “How are you feeling this morning?”
A small smile curved his beautiful mouth, gentler than I’d ever seen. “A lot better.”
I frowned. “You weren’t at breakfast. Did you get something to eat?”
He chuckled. “I actually went for a run this morning. Haven’t felt up to that in weeks. And Baldwin gave me a breakfast sandwich. I’m good.”
“Do you need, uh, do you need me?” I asked uncertainly.
“I’m okay right now. I’ll let you know. I promise.”
A flicker of disappointment took root. I wanted that connection with Trace. Craved it. But I also knew I couldn’t push. “All right.”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and I looked up to see the rest of the guys descending. They were all focused on Trace.
Colt strode toward us. “You look better.”
“I feel better,” Trace admitted.
Dash looked between him and me. “Did you two, uh, figure things out?”
Trace jerked his chin in a nod. “We’ve got things working for now.”
“Good,” Ronan said, clapping him on the back. “Because you’re a cranky fucker when you stay away from Leighton.”
Declan chuckled, draping an arm over my shoulders. “I think we all are.”
My cheeks heated.
Colt laughed. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“Come on, let’s hit the road before Leighton turns into a tomato,” Trace said.
Dash grinned. “I like making Leighton blush.”
My cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. “Please stop.”
Dash ducked his head, his lips skimming my ear. “I love it when you beg.”
A shiver racked through me as heat flared between my legs.
The three shifters groaned.
“What?” I asked, panicked.
Declan shook his head. “Shifter senses. We can smell when you’re turned on, remember?”
I ducked out of his hold, stalking toward the door. “You guys are all the worst.”
Only laughter sounded behind me.
* * *
“Remember, we have a quiz tomorrow,”Ms. Carole said as she shut off the projection screen.
The class groaned.
She arched a brow. “If you’ve been keeping up with your assigned reading, none of you should have a problem.”
“Unless all the French syllables swirl in your brain,” I grumbled.
Dash leaned over from his desk beside me. “I’ll help you study. I might even come up with some creative rewards for every answer you get right.”
Sam choked on a laugh from her desk on the other side of me. “That’s my kind of study buddy. I think I might have to get Seán to do the same thing. I could use a little motivation.”
My face flushed. “Shifter hearing,” I grumbled.
Sam laughed, her eyes dancing. “Happy for you, Leighton.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, shoving my books into my bag.
“See you guys later,” she called as she stood and headed for the door.
Dash took hold of my chin, tipping my head back. He took my mouth in a gentle kiss. “You okay?”
I let my forehead fall to his, resting there. “Oh, I don’t know. Maryanne is in town, and we have no idea why. We have no clue where Damien is or what he’s planning. Trace could die without the touch he needs, but he’s damn stubborn. We still have no idea if I’ll be able to anchor you or if we’ll go insane or get dead. And I’m pretty sure I’m in danger of failing all my classes.”
Dash’s hands came up to cup my cheeks. “Just a few things swimming in that big, beautiful brain of yours.”
“Just a few,” I echoed.
He brushed his lips across mine. “Let’s take things one step at a time. We can only deal with what’s right in front of us. We can start with this French quiz. That’s a simple fix.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re fluent,” I groused.
How Dash had managed to transfer into my intermediate French class, I’d never know.
He grinned wide. “That just means I’ll be an excellent tutor.”
“You better hope so, because it would be a bummer if I had to repeat my senior year.”
Dash pushed to his feet, grabbing my backpack and slipping my notebook inside. “You know we’ll never let that happen.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “You’re not allowed to buy me a diploma.”
A bark of laughter shot from his mouth. “I’m not buying you a diploma.”
“You say that like it’s a stretch. Colt basically bought you all into my classes, and he bought the ability to put up cameras all over the school.”
Dash’s lips twitched. “You’ve got a point there.”
I just shook my head as I stood. “You’re all incorrigible.”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “But you love us that way.”
“Sometimes,” I grumbled.
“All the time,” Dash argued as we stepped into the hall.
Someone made a gagging sound. “Not sure how he can stand to touch that trash,” Chloe said in a voice that she knew would carry.
Students turned in Dash’s and my direction, and I fought the urge to duck my head. Instead, I met Chloe’s stare. “Doesn’t the bitterness ever get old? I guess you’re just that obsessed with me, you can’t help yourself.”
A few snickers sounded from the crowd.
Chloe’s face went red. “I just hate how you’re dragging our future leaders down into the mud with you.”
I shrugged. “They say mud’s good for the complexion. Must be why we’re all glowing.”
“No, Mon Coeur,” Dash purred. “That’s all the sex.”
Mimi made a strangled sound while Grace glared, but Chloe looked as if she wanted to murder me on the spot.
I ignored them all and grinned up at Dash. “Good point.” I kissed him lightly. “Take me home.”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
Dash led me away as Chloe spluttered. “You handled that expertly,” he whispered.
“She’s becoming more like an incessant gnat than anything else,” I admitted.
“Good way to think about it.”
I stopped at my locker, punching in the code. “I just wish I could squish her.”
Dash chuckled. “Pretty sure we all feel that way.”
I opened my locker door, and bile surged in my throat.
Blood and things I didn’t want to even try to identify coated the entire locker. And a note hung in the center with jagged block lettering.
I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET.