Something slammed into Dylan, and he went flying into the wall. The impact forced a grunt out of him and he turned, realizing he’d been pushed.
The demon kid stood glaring at him, the one with the missing mom. “Tell me where she is.”
Dylan didn’t answer. He ran at the older kid, warmth flowing over his body. The glare turned into wide-eyed surprise and the kid ran. The crowd slowed them both down, kids scrambling to get out of their way. Dylan reached out, inches from grabbing the demon kid’s shirt, but he ducked into a classroom.
Dylan stopped, considering if he wanted to go in there anyway and kick his ass. Right in front of a teacher. That would get him into even more trouble than fighting at lunch. With a huff of frustration, he turned to go back down the hall. Maybe the kid had learned a lesson about touching him.
When he got to his locker, his simmering rage went back up to a boil. Someone had written “killer” across the door in red permanent marker. Too pissed off to think, Dylan had to try his combination several times before he got it right. He yanked the locker open and something fell out.
Bending, he picked up a folded note. In rough, sloppy script, someone had written, “We know what you did, and you’re going to PAY!” Pay was written in all caps and underlined several times.
Dylan crushed the note and it went up in flames. Did they want him to burn down the whole fucking school? In a moment, the paper was a charred scrap and he dropped it, grinding it into the floor with his shoe.
He stared at his books, wondering if it was even worth bothering going to class today. He could leave, go to the pit before he had to start smashing people’s faces in. And let them think they chased me off? No.
Shoving books into his bag, he told himself he had to make it through the day. The locker closed with a slam that echoed through the hall, and he turned to head for homeroom. Dylan didn’t look where he was going, trusting everyone to get out of his way. They did.
* * *
Hanna backed up until she bumped against the wall, clutching a book to her chest like a shield. That awful, choking fear filled her as Nolan loomed above her.
“You think you can treat our alpha like that and get away with it?” he snarled.
Would he hit her? Right in the middle of the crowded hall? Most of the kids were passing by, some of them looking, but no one came to help. They hurried past or pretended they hadn’t seen anything. As much as she desperately wanted someone to make Nolan go away, she didn’t blame them. She would have done the same thing. Getting involved meant maybe getting hurt.
“Please leave me alone.” She drew tighter in on herself, not looking at him. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? You’re not sorry yet. We’re gonna make you sorry.” He moved closer, stomach pressing against the book she gripped.
There are hall monitors and teachers. Someone will see. They were backed into the space near a drinking fountain, lockers on either side. Not immediately obvious, but some adult had to walk by eventually and see they weren’t just talking.
“What did I tell you?” The words were a roar, shocking a gasp out of her.
Nolan turned, and she looked past him to see Dylan. His eyes were glowing green, fists clenched at his sides. The other kids in the hall scrambled to get out of the way.
Hope leaped in her chest. Nolan blocked her with his body and growled at Dylan. “Come to rescue your bitch again?”
Dylan moved so fast she almost didn’t see it. He hit Nolan from the left, slamming him into the lockers on the opposite side of the fountain. The crash was so loud that Hanna winced in sympathy. Even though Nolan was half a foot taller and at least twice as wide, Dylan grabbed his shoulders and smashed him into the lockers again.
“Think this is a joke?” Dylan asked, heat radiating from him.
“Let me go,” Nolan begged. Hanna was shocked to hear the panic in his voice.
Dylan leaned close, and she wondered if he was going to rip the older boy’s throat out. “Run,” he said in a low voice before stepping back.
Nolan did just that, fleeing down the hall.
Dylan turned to her, eyes still glowing, fierce expression slowly softening. He looked like a warrior. Like a god. “You okay?”
Her heart kept pounding, but not with fear anymore. “Yeah. He didn’t touch me.”
Dylan stepped closer, looking her over as if to make sure. “So now Conner sends others to do his dirty work. Fucking coward.”
She looked at him. Dylan would threaten others, hurt others for her sake. But he would never hurt her. No, never. Hanna’s gaze drifted from his green eyes to his lips. She shifted away from the wall. Oh God. Am I really going to do this?
Hanna took a breath. Time to do something brave. They were almost the same height, so she didn’t have to lean up. Hanna bent toward him and pressed her lips to Dylan’s. He tensed but didn’t pull away. In the next moment he was kissing her back. His lips were softer than she expected, softer than Conner’s and not as demanding.
What am I doing? They were in the middle of the hall, where everyone could see. And Dylan was Aiden’s friend…
Hanna pulled away and saw her shock mirrored on Dylan’s face. Embarrassment heated her cheeks, and she couldn’t even make herself speak. Ducking around him, she hurried down the hall. Maybe she could find a rock to hide under for the rest of her life.