My brow furrowed. “So why did you do it?” This was the part I wanted him to admit, the piece of information I needed to play before the school.
“Does it matter?” he asked, his tone holding a touch of derision. “We both know Ryan and Carmen put me up to it, but that’s just an excuse. As is admitting that I was a stupid kid who fell beneath the manipulation of two world-class bitches.”
There, I thought, triumphant.He admitted it.
But he wasn’t done.
“I loathe them, Ella. And I hate even more who I am when I’m with them.” He released the back of his neck and stuffed his hands into his pockets, his posture that of a scared boy rather than the intimidating male he usually put on for the school.
“These last few months have been… enlightening.” He cleared his throat. “You’ve stood up to them—to all of us—for years. But you’ve taken it to a whole new level, your confidence sky-high.”
I had no idea how to reply to that. So I went with, “Uh… ’kay. Thanks?”
He laughed nervously and shook his head. “I’m fucking this up. What I’m trying to tell you is, I’m an idiot. Homecoming was actually the major turning point for me because of the way I felt after you ran away—again. The first time, I’d been a stupid kid. However, this time, well, I honestly couldn’t believe the things that had come out of my mouth or how I’d grabbed you. I realized in that moment that I wasn’t the man I want to be at all. But a fucking dick.”
Okay, yeah, this definitely wasn’t where I expected this conversation to go at all.
The surprise radiating from my mating bond said Tray felt the same. He expected Dash to make a move, to apologize for his behavior as a way of getting into my pants. But he didn’t seem to be heading in that direction at all. If anything, I felt like a priest in a confessional booth listening to this boy expel all his sins.
“Anyway, I know Tray is part of the reason you’ve changed lately, which is why I’m here tonight,” Dash continued. “It would have been so much easier to just stay home, let Ryan stew, and just blow her off Monday. But after everything I’ve put you through, I couldn’t just sit by and let her ruin you all over again. Because what she’s planning? It can destroy a person. And you don’t deserve that, Ella. Fuck, you don’t deserveanyof this shit.”
“What are you trying to tell me, Dash?” I demanded, my stomach twisting painfully. “What is she planning?”
“She’s gone on and on about it for months.” He glanced upward, sideways, anywhere but at me. “It’s like shelivesto hurt you.”
“Not telling me what I want to know,” I said, my patience waning by the second. Because yeah, I was very aware of my stepsister’s hatred and penchant for causing me harm. “Spit it out, Dash.”
He flinched, those piercing eyes meeting mine. “She’s made sure you’ll be crowned Winter Queen tonight with Tray as the Winter King. And then he’s going to announce to everyone how it was all a game to win your virginity. That none of it was real. He’s been playing you from the beginning, Ella.”
My shoulders sagged in relief. “Oh, that.” Fuck, for a moment I thought she had another plan up her sleeve that I hadn’t anticipated. This one, I could handle.
Dash’s lips curled downward, then his eyes widened. “You already knew.”
“Of course she did,” Tray said, joining us in the hallway.
I’d felt him creeping closer as a result of my unease, ready to kick the shit out of Dash on a second’s notice. So when he wrapped his arm around me, I melted into him on a contented sigh. “Yeah, I knew. He told me after Homecoming.”
Tray kissed my temple and held me closer. “I have no intention of following Ryan’s orders tonight. Because, unlike you, I’m not afraid of that cunt or her meager threats. She can kiss my ass.”
Dash ran his fingers through his hair, his posture still one of defeat and so unlike the Dash Charming I’d known for years. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said after a beat. “And that you met Ella. She deserves someone like you.”
“Wrong, she deserves someone better than me. But I’m lucky she puts up with me anyway.”
I rolled my eyes and nudged him with my elbow. “Whatever, Nacht. I barely tolerate you.”
He chuckled, his amusement heating our bond. “Just barely.”
“It’s true,” I said with a shrug.
Dash stood grinning at us. “I should have known you weren’t playing into Ryan’s game, but you had me convinced otherwise. Man, she’s going to be livid when she realizes you fucked her over.”
“Like I care,” Tray drawled. “As I said, she doesn’t scare me.”
“I can see that.” Dash cleared his throat and erected his spine. “Well, anyway, I’m glad you’re here. And, Ella, I’m sorry. I know that means shit in the grand scheme of things, that I owe you a hell of a lot more than a measly apology, but all I can do is try.”
“Which is why you told her about Ryan’s plans tonight,” Tray added.
Dash nodded. “I didn’t…” He swallowed, grimacing. “I didn’t want to see that night repeated. And I knew this would be much worse because she never looked at me the way she looks at you. The kind of destruction Ryan is, or was, planning… it’s the kind of thing that really fucks someone up.”
