Page 115 of Breathe Like Hell

“Yes.”

Micah nodded, then helped me pack my stuff up and held the door open for me. Since this run hadn’t needed the whole day, it was only mid-afternoon now, and less cold on our walk across campus. Sometimes I worried that people would be suspicious of us walking together, but then I remembered Micah could entirely prevent that with his aspect.

The sight of Mason’s 4Runner in the parking lot made my heart squeeze, and I could sense the moment Micah noticed it.

He wasn’t happy.

“Masters,” he said.

“What?”

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Misbehaving.”

“Are you going to punish me?” I looked at him, not shying away from the intensity in his stare, my heart beating harder. “I can handle it.”

“Don’t get cocky. I’ll make you eat those fucking words.”

Please do.

We’d reached the parking lot now, and Mason was standing outside his car, arms crossed, eyes locked on my face. He was blatantly refusing to look at Micah.

“Hi,” I said as I approached Mason. I had a plan. Revenge or mania, I wasn’t certain. “Get your gun and come with us.”

He did look at Micah then. Maybe trying to figure out if he’d known about this, or had a clue what I was planning. He didn’t.

“What if I say no?” Mason asked, his body tense.

“Then you don’t get to see me today.” The words sounded bitchy coming out of my mouth, and I might’ve felt bad about that had Mason been a better person. But he wasn’t. So I didn’t care to be, either. I could hold my presence over his head like some sort of trophy he’d only be awarded by listening to me.

Micah walked past the car towards his truck and Mason took the opportunity to grab my arm, speaking low in my ear. “You think you’re that fucking special? Huh?” His other hand slipped around my back, pulling my body close.

“I hope I am,” I said softly, my fingers raking up the back of his skull, threading through his brown hair.

“Yeah. You are.” He groaned and tilted his head as he stared down at me, like he was annoyed with how incapable he was of saying no to me. “If somebody cracked open my skull and looked at the inside, all they’d find is your name scratched into my bone thousands of times. I’m that far gone for you.”

My pulse fluttered with the thrill of his dark obsession.

“So you’re going to come with me?”

“You are sick and twisted and evil.” He leaned down to kiss my mouth once. “And I deserve it. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Good.” I pressed up onto my tiptoes to kiss him again, then stepped back. “Get your gun.”

“What do you need the gun for?”

“You’ll find out.”

He didn’t question me again, which I enjoyed.

I started across the parking lot towards Micah’s idling truck, walking with purpose around the bed of the truck to the far side, then yanked the door handle.

Gray-blue eyes glared at me as I climbed in the passenger side and slid across the bench seat to be right next to Micah. His exhales were harsh, his brows pushed together. But I didn’t back down, didn’t look away, didn’t put any more space between us. I’d known he was going to be pissed about this.

His body was so warm against the side of mine. Powerful yet motionless.