Ren said nothing on our walk back to my room. When I attempted to apologize for potentially getting him in trouble, he snorted and turned to the side abruptly. My room was in the same state as I left it. But…I felt different. I rubbed my fingers against my chest, feeling it throb painfully.
Of all people, I was guilty over causing trouble for Ren?
He stalked over to the other side of my room and opened a book. No discussion. Great. I went to the bathroom, where at least he couldn’t follow me. Was he pissed that I ran away under his watch or that he hadn’t noticed me? I still wanted to ask what the emergency had been. Earlier, I’d only been able to slip away with Enrique because Theo had come running up to Ren with some emergency.
Or was he pissed at Enrique? He’d entrusted me to him, and the lion-shifter had happily escorted me off into a shadowy corner for some sexual tension. I tapped my finger against my chin and stared at my reflection. The light pink lipstick I was wearing had smeared from my lips, but it was almost faded. I blushed. Had Ren noticed? Were they all going to discuss that I’d practically hopped into Enrique’s lap when he let some information slip? I washed my face, wiping it clean of all the makeup.
There was homework to do. A to-go dinner to eat. Dracus said that it was best for everyone to eat in their rooms tonight. Of course, that might be a cover so the other Council boys besides Ren could gather together to talk about how scandalous and conniving I was. I chewed my lip. Still, I didn’t feel bad about wanting answers. Dracus had even apologized. I sucked in a deep breath.
A knock sounded on the door. “Woman, are you drowning yourself?”
“No!” I shouted back. Under my breath, I muttered, “As if you care.” I washed my hands for good measure, making sure to make the action as loud as physically possible. When I came out into the room, Ren had moved himself to the edge of my bed with his book.
“I’m sorry if I got you into trouble with Dracus,” I said, working up the courage to throw away my pride. His eyes flicked briefly up to me.
“Dracus doesn’t scare me,” he informed me.
I cocked an eyebrow upwards. Then who does? The look on Ren’s face said that it wasn’t time to go digging for more information. I walked over to my desk and sat myself in the chair.
Oddly, my incident with Enrique had robbed all of the hormonal high that my body had. I wondered if releasing the tension literally helped the hormones dissipate. I’d ask Priscilla since she’s the sole person I wouldn’t be mortified to question. She was the first true friend I’ve made at the Academy and an incredible source on any and all things shifter.
“You’re pissed at me,” I announced as I opened my planner. “I can hear your heavy exhale and grunts while you read.”
“I’m pissed at everything.”
“Fair.” I flipped to my current week. There was a homework assignment for Shifter Mechanics that I needed to finish. My body felt drained of energy, but I’d have to march through it. Maybe I could convince Ren to walk me down to the kitchen to grab coffee. I glanced at him covertly. He glowered at his book. Never mind. I’d just get through it. I rolled my wrists and picked up my pen, opening up my Mechanics textbook.
“You should be careful.”
It was as if someone had taken an ice cube and roughly traced it down the length of my back. I curled inward and then turned to glance at Ren over my shoulder. He was looking right at me. His gaze was dark, murky, full of mysterious weight.
“Be careful of what?” I asked and squinted. There was no saying how much Ren knew, but he’d be likely to know soon. “Of kissing Enrique while hopped up on hormones?”
“Enrique isn’t as innocent as he seems, I’ll admit,” Ren said. His grave tone was sending sparks through my entire body. I wanted to run far, far away from Beast Academy. “But I’m not talking about him. There are other people that are out there. Don’t forget that.”
Without meaning to, I asked, “Like Mr. X?”
His eyes might’ve widened a centimeter, but I was already lost in thought. My fingers touched my lips, recalling that intense kiss from the mysterious masked man. When I realized that Ren hadn’t answered, I found him smirking and shaking his head.
“You’re insane.”
I flushed. “He exists.”
Ren was still one of my suspects for the mysterious Mr. X, but when I’d confronted him about the stranger the last time…He acted as if he didn’t know who I was talking about.
“Sure, he does,” he muttered. His eyes were back on his book, and he made no motion to look up. I didn’t think I’d get another word out of him tonight. I sighed and turned back to my work. Turning my desk lamp on, I put in my headphones (something I’d finally thought to request from the staff) and tried to get through my assignment. By the time dinner arrived at the room, I was nearly done with my work.
I thanked the staff member, a petite woman. The staff members weren’t used to being thanked here. Ren snorted as I shut the door. I know the Council boys thought I was trying to make some grand statement, but it was what I was taught to do by my parents. My heart beat faster as I sat back down at my desk, unpacking the dinner. I left Ren’s on the bedside table. If he didn’t eat, maybe I’d finish his off too. I was starving. There was an empty feeling inside of me, clawing at me.
Dracus had asked me to trust him.
What other secrets did Dracus have? I frowned and dug into the chicken and rice with vegetables that Moony prepared. Sometimes, it felt as if I had a few allies in the Academy.
Again, Dracus had asked for me to trust him. To trust all of the Council boys. Could I?
I took another bite and swallowed, feeling weariness take over me. I wanted to finish my homework, take a shower, and climb into bed. Maybe when I climbed back out, I would be a normal girl again. Maybe I’d be with my parents, alive again. I didn’t care if they might not be my real parents, as my strange visions insisted. I shivered and went to work back on my assignment, shoveling in food now and then.
Ren didn’t say anything else that night.
But sometimes, I felt his handsome gaze upon my back.