AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I doubt she could find it.”
“She has a pretty good sense of direction. All those years playing in the woods back ho—oof!”
Kaiden’s trip down memory lane is cut off as Axel slams him back into the bonnet of the Wrangler and he gets right up in Kaiden’s face.
“Don't talk about the past,” he snarls.
“Alright, alright, keep your hair on! I was just saying…”
“Well, don’t.”
“Fine,” Kaiden snaps back.
“I’m going to take off and look for her. I don’t trust some of those guys to play by the rules if they find her,” Zie cuts in, sounding worried all of a sudden. “Especially The Gods.”
“If they so much as breathe out of line, they’re dead,” Axel seethes.
“You can kill as many people as you want, but if they get their hands on her first and you’re too late, their deaths will be pointless anyway.”
“You’re just bitter because you couldn’t protect her from The General.”
“And you did?”
“Better than you.”
“Enough of this bullshit, you two,” Kaiden chastises. “There are still people around that could hear, and we need to be a united front. No one is going to hurt Odile. But if we’re doing this stupid game, we’re doing it properly. So let’s split up and go after her.”
“I’m going to wait,” Axel announces, causing my pulse to spike. He knows. But he can’t. Surely.
“Why?”
“Odile isn’t going to get caught by any of those morons. She’s far too smart and incentivised for that.”
“So you’re just giving up?”
“No. Kaiden, you wait here in case she comes back to try and take the Jeep. It has GPS and her phone inside so it would make sense she’d want either item to find her way back to campus. Zie, you go hunt those fuckers and make sure they’re planning to stay above board.”
“And you?”
“I’m going back to Trinity. I’ll wait for her to return but grab her before she’s on campus and that way we’ll win.”
I smirk to myself in the dark. Nicely vocalised plans there, Axel. But I won’t be playing into them.
I wait for the two of them to take off and for Kaiden to climb into the car. He starts the engine and a moment later I hear music playing. Obviously he plans to use it to stay awake, but I doubt Axel would approve of his decision. For one thing, he can’t hear any noises outside the vehicle. For another, with the heating on in there, Kaiden will probably fall asleep within the hour.
I settle back against the broad tree trunk and get comfy. This is going to be too easy.
I don’t forgive Axel for his hateful, hurtful words that day in his room. He acts like nothing happened, like he didn’t break down and then tear me to shreds right alongside him. It’s business as usual and today we’re back in his room, studying.
Well, we’re supposed to be studying but I can’t concentrate and the guys aren’t even trying. They’re talking about all sorts of gross things that I’m trying to ignore but curiosity is getting the better of me.
“What’s that?” I accidentally slip up and ask. I’ve been feigning indifference while hanging on their every word.
They all laugh at me.
“God, Peony,” Axel sneers at me. “How is it possible that you spend all this time with us and you’re still that innocent and clueless?”
“Hey, back off, man,” Kaiden snaps, coming to my defence. I’m about to thank him when he turns to me with a wink. “I could show you exactly what that is, if you know what I mean.”
