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“Nice one,” I said, clearing my throat and eyeing the pen in her hand. Her grin was victorious, and she stashed it into her bra, the proud intensity in her gaze akin to a deranged squirrel.
I didn’t think there was anything in the world that could lift my spirits after a visit like that memory, but Shatter was here to break all the rules.
“Don’t think I won’t strip you bare to find it later,” Dusk murmured to her, absently shuffling through the textbooks on the table for what we needed next.
The victory slid from her gaze in an instant.
She didn’t respond, but later I saw her withdraw it from her bra and place it resentfully into her bag.
SEVENTEEN
SHATTER
The day began looking up at lunchtime, when Dusk told us he wasn’t feeling great and was going to cut the school day off early to catch up with rest.
“He’s tired. Didn’t sleep much last night,” Umbra told me as I began on the overly large helping of mac and cheese I’d served myself. It was a relief not to have McDonald’s or burnt toast.
“Is it because of what happened to his face?” I asked after a while of quiet eating. I had been wondering all morning why Dusk had a bruise like that.
Umbra grinned. “You want the truth? Let’s make it a game.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “What do you mean?” It was rule number two: never make a deal with Umbra.
“Trade me, Little Nightshade. Truth for truth?”
“Trade?” I chewed on my lip. That wasn’t adeal, right? “Why?”
“Because I have some questions of my own.”
“And you’re not going to just… bully me into the truth, or try and command me to tell it?”
Umbra chuckled. “Me and Dusk are not the same.”
I frowned, trying to parse through that one.
“Dusk pulls the trigger with the safety off.” He mimed shooting himself in the head with his fork. “I balance the scales. I’ll get your truths because you give them to me.”
I considered him, taking my last bite of cheesy pasta. I thought Umbra might be the key to freedom. He seemed more willing to take risks, ones that might actually lead to my mates. “Okay. Deal—I mean, yes. I’ll trade.”
“Alright. Then let’s chat penalties.”
“Penalties?”
“If I catch you in a lie, I get a bite.”
“A bite?” My pitch leaped to an embarrassing squeak.
Umbra shrugged. “I’m not pack lead. I can mark you all I want.” He looked taken by the idea. “Then when it fades, I can go again.”
I wet my lips, shockingly giddy from that threat. “Youwantto bite me?” Not for a bond, either, just because he wanted to?
“I want to leave my mark all over that sweet body of yours.”
I gritted my teeth, swallowing back my unreasonable omega bullshit. “You should ask for something else.” He couldn’t bite me—I shouldn't let him. Uncle had always warned me to be careful about alpha bites, in case they triggered violence. I wasn’t totally sure what would happen if he bit me with no intention of a bond, but it couldn’t be good.
“That’s all I’ve been dreaming of,” he groaned. “It’s that, or no game.”
I considered. If I played along, all I had to do was not lie. It wasn’t like they didn’t have my darkest secrets already.
