Page 118 of Monstrous Serpent

“Atlas—”

“Nobody talks to you like that.”

He pokes me in the chest. “I don't care. I handled it. I didn't need you to—”

I tower over him, holding his gaze. “Nobody. That's not negotiable.”

His nostrils flare. “I mean it, Atlas. Don't do that again.”

No point responding because I'd have to lie, and I'm not going to stand here and promise my boyfriend I'll let someone disrespect him. That's not happening. Not today, not ever.

I tug the brim of his hat. “Heard what you said back there.”

He rubs the back of his neck, cheeks flushing. “Yeah, well . . .”

“No judgment from me, Little J.”

He looks at the ground, thumb rubbing over the strap of his bookbag. “I’m dyslexic.”

So that’s why he was upset about his grade.

I lean down and kiss his cheek. “Like I said, no judgment from me. Now, come on. If we haul ass, we can beat Hunter back to the dorm and raid his marshmallow stash. He hides them in a different spot every week, like some kind of paranoid squirrel.”

He rolls his eyes so hard I swear he just saw the back of his skull. But then he bites his bottom lip. “Uh, there is one thing I have to tell you. But don’t freak out, okay?”

“I make no promise.”

“Atlas.”

I chuckle and waggle my brows. “What is it?”

He mumbles something about me not being serious, then swallows hard. “At practice today . . . Some players were missing. Even Coach Harper wasn’t there. Then Coach Nieminen met with the team after practice . . . Henneman got shot.”

A chill crawls up my spine, goosebumps covering my forearms. I stop walking and grab his upper arm to spin him toward me. “What?”

“I don’t know much else, but he’s okay. He’ll just be out for a bit.”

Heat flushes through my body as I pull my phone out.

Me: Find Rua. Now

Hunter: Why

Me: Cody said Henneman got shot. Rua would fucking know what’s going on

Hunter: You have our little Titan

Me: Yes

Me: Get fucking answers, Hunt

Cody places a hand on my forearm. “Calm down.”

“No.” I grab his wrist and pull him along to the parking lot.

“Atlas, slow the fuck down.”

My pulse is pounding in my ears, drowning out everything. When we get to the bike, I shove the spare helmet into Cody’s chest.