Chapter 226

“Because,” Jesse says, patting my knee and then getting up, “you’re safe now, Ari. Nobody’s going to mess with you.”

“What?” I ask, my eyes following him as he moves over to his desk, writing something down on a piece of paper. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to worry about Wright anymore,” Rafe murmurs, flicking his eyes up to me and then down to his notebook he pulls onto his lap, where he’s started making a packing list so that we can go home for winter break. “He’s under full guard until his trial. Plus, everyone’s scared shitless of Jackson now after his display at the bridge, which we’ve all heard about. So, we don’t have to stalk you so much.”

“What these two are leaving out,” Ben stage-whispers to me, loud enough so that Jesse and Rafe can hear, “is that they also kicked the shit out of Wright at the warrior finals.”

“What!?” I gasp, appalled.

“We only kicked the shit out of him a little bit,” Rafe says, holding up two fingers held very close together in front of his face. “Just…a teeny tiny amount.”

“Rafe!” I shout, grabbing a pillow and hurling it at him. “You shouldn’t have done that – you should have just let dad and the authorities handle it! This could get in the way of the investigation!”

“I don’t know why you’re surprised,” Jesse calls on his way to the dumbwaiter with a note, blasé. “Did you think we were just going to let him get away with it?”

“It’s not your job to administer justice!” I shout, throwing out my hands.

“Well, whatever,” Rafe sighs, completely ignoring my outrage. “We weren’t even the first ones to do it, by the looks of things.”

“What?” I gasp.

“He had bruises everywhere,” Ben says, nodding and gesturing to his face. “Looks like Luca got to him, used him as a punching bag to practice his left hook.”

“Luca,” Rafe says, lifting his head and looking at Ben with a frown. “Why would he have done that? It was Jackson, obviously.”

“Why would Jackson have done it?” Ben asks, frowning back. “He did us enough of a solid carrying Ari across that field and up the mountain. Why would he do more?”

“Because,” Rafe says, frowning at him, confused. “He’s –“ noveldrama

“So!” I shout as I jump to my feet, trying to cause as much disruption as possible as I see that this is getting into dangerous territory that I absolutely do not want to touch. “We’re…we’re packing!? Winter break starts tomorrow? How are we getting back to the Capital?”

Ben just watches me carefully, but Rafe looks up at me with a frown. “By train, Ari. Why do you never know these things?”

“Why do you know them?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips and frowning at him. “Seriously, are you getting like, text messages from the rail lines? Updates from mom and dad?”

“Ari, you know I don’t have my phone back yet –“

I’m pleased, honestly, that Rafe and Ben are so sufficiently distracted. But it’s all a waste, because the moment I get Ben talking about his own winter plans – he’s coming to the Palace with us, I’m pleased to hear – a sharp knock comes at the door followed by the sound of it opening.

I barely – barely! – have time to turn before Jackson is halfway across the room. And I only have a half second to gasp before I’m up in his arms, held close to him as he presses a swift set of kisses

first to my cheek, and then to my lips. “How are you?” he murmurs, staring into my eyes, and I can feel his joy at holding me in his arms again thrumming through him. “How did Chemistry go – did you pass? You passed – of course you passed.”

His joy and the very physical pleasure of being swept up in his arms would be infectious, irresistible, even…if I wasn’t aware of every eye in the room currently on us.

“What…” Jesse barks out, and Jackson and I both turn our heads towards him. My mate makes no move to put me down. “What the hell is going on here!?”