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Putting the small vials back into my bag, I shrug. “I was going to find that damn handbook in my room and see what the hell you keep referring to.”
A smile breaks across his face and I want to be mad at him, but I let him off the hook since he’s in bad shape.
“Maybe you could keep me company?”
“Sure. I can read it while I sit with you,” I offer, and he nods meekly.
“I’m going to train for a bit. Then we’ll figure food out,” Creed suggests, and everyone hums their agreement. He takes the bowl from my hand and I murmur my thanks as he takes it to the kitchen.
“Maybe after we’ve eaten, you and Eldon could give me all the hot tips for surviving tomorrow.”
“Of course.” Eldon leans in to kiss my cheek sweetly before he takes off toward the glass doors with Creed.
“I’ll give you whatever you need, Raven, but you’ll be fine. I just know it.” I smile down at Zane. It’s not lost on me that he’s giving me such a carefree pep-talk when he’s injured from the same thing that I will be facing tomorrow. He has magical powers and he still got hurt.
I’m screwed.
Zipping up the bag, I rush back to my room to switch it out for the thick handbook Zane gave me on my first day. Deciding my pajamas would be more comfortable, I quickly realize I’m still wearing my exercise clothes and my uniform is back in the locker rooms.
Hopefully that’s not something I will get into trouble for. I’ll mention it to Leila in the morning. She missed the afternoon sessions after her father called her away.
Slipping into a pair of shorts and an oversized white tee thatdefinitelydidn’t belong to anyone else before me, I grab the handbook and make my way back out to the lounge area to find Zane quietly snoring.
I smile at his calmness and the serene aura that always seems to grace him. Sleeping or not, I’d rather be by his side, so I move to sit at the opposite end of the sofa.
“It’s for the best.” I startle at Brax’s words as he looms in the doorway of the room behind me.
Despite not wanting to get involved with him right now, I sigh and push for him to elaborate. “What is?”
“That he’s asleep.”
“Oh, yeah?” The sweet smile on my face is so forced that I’m sure I’m going to snap my jaw. But, in spite of Brax’s need to hit me with the constant hot and cold treatment, I don’t want him to see the emotions he makes me feel ripple down my spine.
“Yeah. Because when you die tomorrow, he might not be quite as attached to you as he could have been.”
I gape at his retreating form as he heads for the back deck with the others.
What a motherfucker. How fucking dare he?
“You’re an asshole. You know that?”
“I do,” he grunts before letting the glass door slam shut behind him.
I want to scream. My lungs burn to feel a roar rip from my lips but I can’t give him the satisfaction. Not when I know a sob lurks so close to the surface right alongside it. Flopping back onto the sofa, I panic that I might jostle Zane, but he doesn’t budge.
Clutching the handbook to my chest, I try to take a calming breath but it’s futile at this point. Brax’s words stir something so deeply inside of me because they’re true. They’re factual, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
All I can control is this moment.
With that in mind, I inhale long and hard through my nose before exhaling just as slowly from my mouth. I repeat the process four more times before I can finally focus on the front cover of the housemate handbook.
Opening the folder to the first page, the surprise I find raises my eyebrows. Tentatively flicking to the second plastic wallet, I snicker. Running my fingers from the first page to the last, I gape as disbelief washes over me.
That sly motherfucker has been playing me hard. And I’m not even mad about it.
It’s a pity it’s a done verdict that I won’t make it past tomorrow. Otherwise, this would have been far more fun.
21
