Page 132 of Dark Little Game

I can never have Rayne, but my mark will always be etched onto him, long after this is over.

And for now, my only objective is to protect him, Wes, and myself, at all costs.

“You heading home for fall break next week?” Briar asks, pulling me out of the silent storm in my mind.

Home. Have I really ever had one of those?

“No. I’ll be here,” I tell her. “You?”

“Same. Not worth the zillion-hour long flight to Hong Kong.”

“Weston and Rayne aren’t going home, either,” I say. “I’ll come over to Luros and watch spooky movies with you. Onyx House is going to be weird and fucking awkward without a buffer between those two.”

“Are they fighting?”

Shit.

I’d forgotten Briar knew nothing about what happened.

My chest tightens. “Worse than fighting.”

“Sounds like drama.”

“Weston saw Rayne kissing someone and he was pissed about it.”

It’s the truth, even if it’s leaving out the fact thatIwas the one he kissed.

Her eyes go wide. “Do you think Weston had a secret thing for Rayne?”

I shrug. “Nothing serious, but he was at least a little curious.”

“Damn.”

“He isn’t happy about it, but Weston’s always been weird about Rayne. Might just be a possessive best friend thing. Who the fuck knows, when it comes to Wes?”

“Kind of cute if he did have a secret crush on him, though,” Briar says. “Maybe they’ll end up together.”

I bring my arm down too fast and the empty ceramic soup cup clatters off the table, falling onto the floor as the metal spoonclangs out, too.

Eyes around us briefly turn, and that heat at the back of my neck is all over my body now.

But for some reason I want to toss the cup against the wall now. Smash it to pieces.

Maybe take out my throwing knives and sink those into the wood, too.

But instead I just grab the cup and spoon, putting them back on the table.

Restraint.

My least favorite fucking thing.

“Weston and Rayne will not end up together,” I tell Briar as I stand up from the table, wrapping my sandwich in its paper again and taking it with me. “I have to get back to Onyx House. Some of the guys are going to that dumb fucking Daggers party tonight, and I don’t want them going without me.”

“Wish I could come, too. Got a hot date with my Biochemistry homework, unfortunately.”

I wave as I walk off through the dining hall.

I’m letting things get to me.