Page 69 of Knot Your Pawn

‘Probably not. But I can wave at you from upstairs.’ I smile. That’s probably the most Mathew or I can do right now. ‘Is college starting soon?’

‘Yes, I think it starts in a week.’

Ehhh... ‘You THINK it starts in a week?’

He replies with an angel face emoticon, before a proper message comes in. ‘I think they start up next week, but I don’t know when our actual classes start. I don’t know if second years start the first week or if that’s for first years only.’

Nathan...

Sometimes he makes me feel like an older sister, usually a frustrated older sister who knows that their sibling can do better, but that they’re not taking the time to even try. He’s such a mess.

He’s lucky that Logan is always much more on top of things and is more into scheduling.

I’m pretty sure that if I message Logan right now, he’ll be able to tell me which classes any of them are taking, when they are and even the professors teaching them. Not just for him and Nathan, but also for Jace, who’s in a whole different department.

Thinking of the three of them attending college makes me consider for a few moments if I should sign up for classes too, it’s the right time of the year for it and I’d be able to start with the other students.

But I have no idea what I would want to study, and I’m sure that once Mathew and I feel better again, work will quickly start to stack up. I’ll be plenty busy very soon.

‘Did your mum manage to get everyone on the same plane this time?’

Since they had to arrive as two groups last time. Though, I didn’t get to meet anyone from the second group as they arrived after Mathew and I started feeling poorly.

‘You could say that.’

‘Sounds cryptic...’

‘She rented a whole freaking private jet, since we’re taking the kids who don’t have family members to return to with us. It’s safer for them to not stay in the Hearts’ territory. And from what I understood, Luca’s family will also come with us.’

I blink, rereading the message. I’d not heard about any of that.

Luca’s family will be leaving too?

Another message comes in. ‘Should make things a lot calmer around here at least, for the time being.’

I put my phone down.

Sure, it would be calmer, but does Luca know yet that his family is leaving?

He’s not in the ‘office’ with us, which means he’s probably on the balcony or in the bedroom. He doesn’t really go very far, usually.

I get up and go through the walk-in-closet —since I don’t want to go through the nest room— to our bedroom.

Luca is sitting on the balcony, talking to someone on the phone. He doesn’t look very happy, but from the way he moves, the way he talks, he’s clearly trying to encourage someone.

His family?

I want to go over to him, but I also don’t want to disturb him, not if he’s talking to his family...

“There you are.” Riley wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against her. “I would like for you to try something on. I made you a few shirts and a skirt, but I want to make sure you’ll be able to wear them even in a month or two or three. Can you try them on for me?”

I glance at Luca one last time, before I nod and turn to Riley. Her big grin and her excitement making me smile too. “Yeah, sure. Is that what you’ve been working on now you’re no longer locked in here?”

“That, and a few other things, but mostly, yes.” She pulls me closer. “Do you think you can make it to my room if I carry you and you make sure to stay as close to me as possible, so you won’t get anyone else’s pheromones?”

“We can always try.” The thought of going into the hallway scares me, but I’ve been doing a lot better.

As long as I don’t get exposed to too many non-pack pheromones, I should be fine, right?