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“No,” he nearly shouted. Then I felt his fingers on the strands that had escaped. “It’s beautiful just the way it is.”
I meant to respond, but I couldn’t.
The next thing I remembered was the frigid air hitting me. I felt Collin reach down and try to lift me from the car.
I feebly tried to insist that I could walk, but he was determined. H
e lifted me up in his arms and started to carry me into the apartment building.
“Hey man, everything okay?” I heard Noah’s concerned voice.
I instantly perked up and saw Noah and Stacey a few steps behind us.
Collin looked over at him. “Everything’s fine. Blake hit her head the other night, and today must have been taxing. She’s just a little tired. I’m just putting her to bed.”
“I can look at her head, maybe heal her,” Noah offered, a frown between his brows.
“No,” Collin said hastily. “I mean, no, it’s all good. Thanks though,” he tried to say smoothly.
It didn’t look like Noah was buying it. I knew Collin was trying to shield me from Noah’s gift for some reason.
“She’s fine,” Stacey said a bit coolly as she placed a hand on Noah’s arm. “Let Collin put her to bed, and you should come warm mine.” Stacey nearly purred.
Noah seemed torn for a moment before he reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, okay. See you guys later. If you need me, come find me,” Noah said before walking past us.
I tried to seek out his eyes, but it was clear he was distracted.
I didn’t know what woke me up, but hours later I woke up with a dry throat and dry mouth. I wanted to continue to lay in bed, but I knew I needed a drink. I got out of bed, realizing I must have fallen asleep before I even got to the apartment. My boots had been removed, but I was still fully clothed.
I went to my drawers first and pulled out a pair of boy shorts and a tank top. Looking at my phone, I realized it was late, so I was sure Collin was asleep. I wasn’t too concerned with him seeing me in my skimpy night clothes.
I exited the room quietly, since his room was right next to mine. I didn’t want to wake him up. Tuesdays and Thursdays were our early days; our classes started at 8 AM. Tomorrow I would be left to my own devices for two hours. He had three classes, compared to my two.
I already planned to pack a duffel bag of gym clothes. I was going to visit their state of the art gym facilities and start my strength training. I was going to come up with a schedule, like the one I had before.
I crept down the hallway and noticed a dim light above the stove. I was going to grab a glass of water when I heard a hushed voice and saw that the sliding glass door on the balcony was wide open. I peered around the corner and noticed Collin was on the phone with his back towards me.
“I don’t know,” he was saying. “Yes, I’m sure. I have the block on. She shouldn’t be able to use her gift,” he was silent for a moment.
“She did run into Noah,” he continued. “When she returned from her run, I noticed her tracker showed that she was here. No. No. She was only down there for maybe 10 minutes. Yes, they didn’t seem to recognize each other…Yes. Yes. I understand how important it is to keep them separated…No, she hasn’t said anything about a gift or suspecting she may have one…Yes, sir, I understand…Yes, I am aware how important it is for her to trust me, fall in love with me…Yes. Yes. Okay…Yeah, I have classes…okay, I will see you tomorrow morning.”
I hastily retreated to my room. Horrified at what I just heard. What kind of block did they have on me? Could I remove it? How were they tracking me? It only confirmed my suspicions that I could never trust Collin—he was my enemy.
Chapter 4
The next morning, I woke more exhausted then I was the night before. I had tossed and turned for the rest of the night. I was torn between running away and staying, ingratiating myself even further so I could learn how deep this deception went. I gave up trying to sleep long before my alarm went off. I decided to hop in the shower and get ready for the day.
I was grudgingly happy to see a wide selection of hair care products specifically for curly hair on the bathroom vanity, along with a hair straightener and a hair dryer. I quickly took a shower and walked back into my room, with my new hair stuff. I stood in my towel as I looked through my closet. I had been spoiled with a walk-in closet at Will’s. I was a closet snob now, even though Ella and I shared a closet in the trailer, and the dorm I stayed in across the way wasn’t much better.
Thinking of Ella, I wondered once more where she was, who she was with, and if she was happy. I also needed to figure out a way to contact Judge Myers.
My door was pushed open behind me and I spun around, startled, grasping the towel to my chest. “Collin,” I gasped.
He looked at me appreciatively. “Sorry,” he said with an unrepentant grin. “I was just making sure you were up.”
“I am,” I snapped. “Can you knock next time?”
He took a step forward. “Oh, come on babe. You enjoyed being all over me, what happened?”
