Page 4

My gaze lowers, and I notice now the bruises and scratches littering my skin from the training this morning. This isn’t anything unusual, but in my brain fog this morning, I didn’t think to wear a long-sleeve top.

‘I had an encounter with a bush,’ I reply, pressing my lips together. ‘Obviously, it won.’

Harvey exhales a laugh, leaning back in his chair. ‘I see.’

‘Still no word from Eli?’ Liz asks, tucking a curly strand of hair behind her ear as she looks up. She isn’t one for small talk, or much talk at all. She’d prefer not to be around any of us, but since we’re all stuck in this group project together and it’s graded at such a high percentage, we have to take it seriously.

The group members collectively glance at each other, all shaking our heads. Pursing her lips, Liz mutters something I don’t quite catch and continues scribbling down notes. I find myself glancing frequently at the clock, watching its hands crawl by at a snail’s pace. My body hurts, I’m tired, and I’m hungry again. I just want to curl up in bed with a good book.

When the bell goes off, I can’t help but sigh with relief. Chairs scrape as we all stand, and I shove my things into my bag before swinging it over my shoulder. I utter a quick bye and hightail it out of the library, chewing my lip as I watch the sky darkening.

Climbing onto the bus, I collapse into one of the empty seats and stare glumly out the window. Sometimes I feel as if the world is passing me by, and I’m not quite sure how to make it stop.

It’s quiet when I step inside. The floorboards creak as I head down the hallway, when two hands yank me inside a room. The world tips and my back is slammed against the wall. My first instinct is to reach for my knife, but warm lips are pressed against mine, and I’m hit with a scent I’ve become very accustomed to.

Jace.

His rough hands grip my hips as he tugs me closer to him and I let out a squeak of surprise at the force behind it. I taste the sourness of beer on his tongue as he kisses me a little too hard, our teeth clashing. He leans back, a smirk on his face.

‘Oh hey there,’ he says, breathless.

‘Hi,’ I breathe.

‘There’s a party tonight. Want to be my date?’ he tightens his hold on me, and I draw my lower lip between my teeth.

‘Sure,’ I agree, simply because this is the most attention he has given me in the last two weeks and I’m desperate to get out of this house and feel as though I’m actually a part of something around here. ‘When is it?’

‘Now. We’re already late.’

I only have ten minutes to quickly exchange my jeans and crop top for a cute dress. I strap my knives to my thighs and pull on my boots, brushing my hair from my face. Jace hovers at the end of the hallway, drink in hand. Reaching for me, he tugs me after him and out toward the backyard, where I can see a ute idling and Tristan impatiently tapping the steering wheel as he sits in the driver’s seat.

‘About time!’ Tristan hollers, slapping his hand against the door. His eyebrow piercing glints in the fading sun. There is a scar that runs across the bottom of his jaw, and I’m unsure where it came from, but I know for a fact it’s a recent addition. ‘Come on, let’s go!’

Excitement tingles in my veins, and my earlier worries vanish. A small smile fights its way onto my face as Jace slides into the back seat and pats his thigh. I crawl over him and nestle myself on his lap, his hands securely holding me to him.

The air reeks of alcohol and men’s aftershave. I wrinkle my nose, but don’t resist the sip that Jace offers me.

A part of me wonders if we’re being stupid. There are a lot of people going missing currently, and it seems like going to a party is a pretty dangerous idea, but I would hate to say no to the invite and risk not being invited again.

‘I’ve missed you.’ Jace’s voice is low, his breath warm.

I lean back into him. He presses his lips to my shoulder.

The ute lurches forward and Jace’s arm curls around my stomach to stop me flinging forward. I hastily grip the headrest of the passenger seat to stop my forward motion. Tristan whoops, clearly enjoying making everyone scramble to hang on.

‘Where’s Mike and Mitch?’ I ask.

There’re four guys who work in my adoptive family’s business, and it’s very rare to see any of the gang missing. It’s as though they’re attached at the hip.

Tristan’s look meets Jace’s in the mirror, and a moment of awkward silence hangs in the air. I twist, turning to face Jace, who shrugs.

‘Busy, I guess. They’ll meet us later,’ he says, dismissively.

Frowning, I face the front again. Either I’m going crazy, or everyone is beginning to act very strange all of a sudden. I hate this feeling. Like I’m out of the loop all the time. It’s messing with my head, and I hate the loneliness of it all.

I’m distracted when Jace’s lips move to my shoulder once more, and this time, his teeth nip lightly at my exposed skin. I exhale softly, leaning back into him, enjoying feeling what I’m doing to him, as his erection digs into the back of my thigh. He doesn’t get affectionate often, and I know it’s because of the alcohol, but I’m not complaining.

‘Have I already mentioned I’ve missed you?’ he mumbles, voice so low, I barely catch his words.