Page 11 of Coveted

It’s not like I belong anywhere else.

“I think the real prize will be not having to kneel before a senior,” I say, eyeing the hyenas warily.

Clara shudders. “They look like they want to pummel us into the ground, don’t they?”

“Professor Worthington said the faculty decided to supervise.” Juliette points to the adult figures standing stoically around the perimeter like tweed-clad soldiers. “After what happened to Hannah, I think the staff members are all on edge.”

“Who’s Hannah?” I ask.

“She was a student here,” says Clara. “She died in an accident on campus last winter.”

“How horrible,” I say, wondering what kind of accident, but not wanting to be rude by asking.

Juliette squints into the hazy green. “Wait, who are they?”

Four large figures join the upperclassmen at the last minute. They stop when they get to the middle of the pack. One in particular draws my attention.

My fingers dig into my pennant. “That’s Lucan.”

He wears a black hoodie, but his searing gaze and ominous energy are unmistakable. Even from this distance, I know his deathly blue eyes are trained on me.

“I can’t believe he’s joined the Run,” says Clara. “Hunting in public doesn’t seem like his style.”

Juliette looks from him to me. “Sadie, why’s he staring at you like that? My god, what did you do?”

A thrill of fear rises in my body. “Nothing! I don’t even know him.”

“He seems to know you,” says Juliette.

So much for avoiding him.

“He’s a predator and he decided you look like prey.” Clara clicks her tongue in sympathy. “Might be as simple as that.”

Though I hope my roommates are just teasing me, the genuine concern stamped on their faces says otherwise.

“He wouldn’t actually hurt me, would he?” My feet shift, as if preparing to run of their own accord. “Not with all these faculty members around?”

Juliette hesitates, like she thinks he really might. “We won’t leave your side, Sadie. The three of us will stick together, okay? Strength in numbers.”

“The trick is to disappear into the tree line and run through the forest,” says Clara, surveying the tall, black trees surrounding the green on both sides. “Otherwise they’ll pick us off in a heartbeat.”

I look at Lucan’s friends more closely. “Who are those guys he’s with?”

Juliette tosses her ponytail. “His fellow vile entities. The one with the white-blond hair is none other than Clara’s older brother. Reeve Lauder, tech heir. I loathe him.”

My brain dings with the recognition of their last name, which is in the news pretty regularly.

Reeve’s haughty demeanor is nothing like Clara’s open warmth, but their well-defined facial features are undeniably similar.

“Why do you hate him?” I ask Juliette.

Clara smirks. “Good luck getting her to answer.”

“As if I need a reason,” says Juliette hotly. “Just look at him. Blond fucker.”

“No argument from me.” Clara points. “Madox Kelly is the creep next to my brother.”

Madox has a deep scar running down his face. The sides of his head are clipped, the longer hair on top hanging forward over his brow. The haircut seems to belong on a soldier or a criminal, not a student at an elite college.