Chapter 59

“Well,” Jackson whispers, half to himself, “I guess we don’t need to go outside anymore to try to talk to any birds.”

“Not unless we want them to melt,” I say, grabbing my knife off of my dinner plate and leaning forward to prod at the glass.

There’s a tiny moment of silence before Jackson bursts out laughing, but before I figure out what’s so funny, the four other boys in the room come to stand at the edge of my bed, staring down at the glassy puddle that was a marble a few seconds ago.

“What the…fuck is going on here?” Ben asks, looking between the marble and me and Jackson. “What kind of weird–ass homework is this?”

“Seriously,” Luca says, crossing his arms and frowning. “You guys just hold hands for an hour and then…” he shakes his head, baffled, “I mean, I don’t even have an ending to that sentence. What is going on here?”

“None of your business,” Jackson says, gruff again as he starts to get up from the bed. I snap my head to him, realizing that while he’s fine with me, he is not okay talking about this with the four other young men in the room. “I think that successfully concludes the homework, Clark. See you in class tomorrow.” noveldrama

“Wait,” I say, leaning towards him, wanting to talk to him about this more – to figure out what the hell just happened. “Jackson, stay –“

“It’s late!” he calls, standing to his full height and striding for the door. “I’ve got Warrior track homework too, need to finish it up before morning.”

“Jackson!” I call again, a little angry now. Rafe grabs for my arm as I push myself up out of the bed, but I just glare at him, moving away and chasing Jackson out the door.

Jackson’s already halfway down the hall on his long legs by the time I pull the door shut behind me, wanting a little privacy. He pauses, though, and turns when he hears me shout his name again as I run down the hall towards him.

“I’m not going to tell them!” I say, gesturing down the hall towards the room. “Ben and

Luca? I’m not going to tell them anything – I would never –

“Tell them whatever you want, Clark,” Jackson says with a shrug, “it’s your magic.”

“Alvez said to keep it between us – maybe it was a mistake to even try to do the homework with them in the room…” my words fade off as I frown at Jackson, taking in the meaning of his words. “Wait,” I say softly. “What do you mean it’s my magic?”

Jackson scowls, looking down the hallway at the stairs, clearly aggravated with himself and wanting to get away.

“Tell me!” I insist, the word squeezing between my teeth as I reach out a hand and smack him on the chest.

But, perhaps unluckily, that little pulse pounds between us when I do.

“Tell you?” Jackson snaps, knocking my hand away so that I’m not touching him anymore. “Tell you when you won’t tell me –”

“I did tell you something today!” I protest, whipping a finger up and pointing it into his face. “And don’t try to pretend that I didn’t! You asked me if she was okay and I told you!”

“Doesn’t mean you’re not still keeping secrets,” he hisses, glowering down over me.

“Don’t throw that in my face,” I snap, narrowing my eyes at him. “I have been fair, as much as I am able. You owe me this – if you are insisting that that was my magic in there, I have a right to that proof. So tell me!”

Jackson grits his teeth, turning to glare towards the stairs, clearly torn.

But suddenly, I don’t need an explanation as the pieces snap together in my mind. “Oh my god,” I murmur, my hand falling to my side. “You know that it’s my magic because…it’s not yours. You already know what yours is.”

Jackson sighs, his eyes closing as his head drops. And he looks so defeated, suddenly, that I have the impulse to reach out and comfort him. I stop myself, though, remembering that pulse. Not wanting to remind him, again, of this thing between us.

I stand for a long moment, waiting for him, and slowly Jackson raises his head, opening his

eyes. He glances quickly towards the door to my room, still closed, before looking at me with a serious gravity in his expression. “I need you to promise not to tell anyone,” he says softly, looking at me with such pleading in his eyes that I can hardly bear it.

“Jackson,” I respond, staring up at him, meaning every word, “I promise. Never, not Alvez, not Jesse, not Rafe – nobody.”

“And not fucking Grant?” he growls, his expression suddenly harsh.

And something about it…I don’t know. I can’t help the grin that twists my lips. “Especially not Grant,” I promise with a steady nod.

“Fine,” he sighs, standing straight and running a hand through his hair. “Then yes, we know that that’s your magic because it’s not mine.”

“And?” I say, raising an eyebrow at him as I cross my arms over my chest. “Yours is?”

Light floods down the hall as the door to my room opens and Rafe pops his head out. He’s frowning, of course.

“Too long a story to tell before Rafe Sinclair storms down this hallway,” Jackson murmurs, making me smirk.

I sigh, shaking my head at him.

“Look, I’ll tell you, all right?” Jackson promises, turning towards the stairs. “Just…later. When there’s more time.”

“Okay,” I say, nodding to him, hoping that he does.

Not because I particularly need to know but because…

Well, because I want Jackson to have someone he trusts, someone he tells his secrets to.

And, perhaps selfishy, or maybe naturally…I want that

naturally…I want that person to be me.

“Fine,” he says, starting to stride away.

I scoff a little, shaking my head as he goes. “Goodnight, Jackson!” I call after him, annoyed.

He turns to me. “What?”

“Goodnight?” I reply, raising my eyebrows at him wryly. “You know, the thing people say to each other when they part for the evening?”

He stares at me for a long second and then laughs, turning again and continuing towards the stairs. “Whatever, Clark. Goodnight, if it’s so important to you.”

“It’s just polite,” I insist.

“Ari,” he says, a shiver running down my spine at the way he says my name, his voice cool and rich and low. He turns and walks backwards away from me, a little smirk on his lips, “when did I ever give you the impression that I was polite?”

I can’t help the grin that spreads all the way across my face as I bite my lip, watching him walk away.

I’m so completely distracted by the sight of his tall frame starting down the stairs, the way his shoulders move, curling in slightly as he retreats back into his own lonely world, that I jump a little when Rafe’s hand wraps around my arm.

“Come on,” he murmurs, his voice exhausted. “You can moon over your mate in the safety and warmth of our room.”

“Ew, Rafe!” I gasp, trying to tug my arm away from him and failing. Rafe just rolls his eyes at me, dragging me back.

“Whatever, Ari, if I was ten seconds later you’d have been chasing him down the stairs.”

“I would not!”

But when Rafe snaps his eyes back to me, his expression exhausted, I have to laugh.

Because…well, maybe because he’s just a little bit right.

Luca’s moody when Rafe and I come back into the room, and as Rafe presses the door shut behind us, I don’t miss the fact that Luca has curled his legs up, leaving half the couch open. It’s a silent invitation, I know, for me to join him.

But quite frankly, he’s burned his chance for that tonight.

“I’m going to take a long bath,” I sigh, grabbing my pajamas out of my nook and heading for the bathroom. I don’t need it to get clean but I definitely want it, just to relax.

“You’re seriously not going to explain how that marble changed states of matter?” Ben gasps, watching me move towards the bookshelf that doubles as a door to our bathroom.

“Use your imagination, Ben,” I sigh, pulling the door open and slipping inside.

My last look, however, is reserved for my mate, who glares at me from the couch.

Because I am well aware that he expected to have the upper hand tonight.

And it looks like beyond all odds, I’m the one who walked away with it.