Page 38 of Stormbringer (Tracthesian Academy #1)

W hen Wave got out of work on Friday evening, she had planned to get home and pack for the trip. Marc hadn’t, in fact, taken her shopping for something inappropriate to wear, but her whole closet probably fit that bill where Hatty was in question.

When she stepped outside, the first thing she did was to check for Elena or any of her handmaidens. It was quite embarrassing how they had gotten a jump on her last night. If Risha hadn’t shown up when he did, Wave might have resorted to using some of her actual power.

Hellion was leaning against the opposite building when she stepped outside. He looked good in his form-fitting jeans and tight shirt. The crisp evening air didn’t seem to bother him because his jacket was thrown over his shoulder.

Wave wanted to run her fingers through his messy hair. How could he always look so good? She could almost feel the heat of his touch from a distance. Smiling, she hurried over.

“What are you doing here, handsome?”

“Double duty,” he replied. “Firstly, I was ordered to drag your ass into extra shielding practice back at the house.” Wave groaned. Hellion held up a second finger. “Secondly, I’d like to ask you to have dinner with me.”

“Just you?”

“Well, considering that I’m going to have to drag you to our house, no matter what, I was thinking that you could decide that part. The whole group, just the three of us, or just me.”

“I’m not dressed for any kind of practice,” Wave hedged.

“Yeah, about that… Jarred went straight to the source. You now have a full Chrissy-approved wardrobe at our place.”

“I’m going to kill—,” Wave began, but Hellion cut her off.

“No, you are not.” He straightened and wrapped his black leather jacket over her shoulders. “Chrissy is your friend, you can’t kill her.” He leaned in to kiss her lips lightly.

“I didn’t mean—”

“You can’t kill Jarred either. You need a change of clothes, and he just figured out the best and fastest way to get them.”

Wave bit Hellion’s smirking lips, and he pulled back.

“I know you don’t want to kill me, because I’m too charming.”

“Don’t count on that.”

“And to divide that blame evenly, Marc paid for it all. He said something about a trip you two are going to take tomorrow.”

“He paid, huh?”

“Yes, so you can be mad at all of us, but no killing.”

“Spoil sport.”

Hellion chuckled. “Not something I get accused of often.”

“Any other surprises I should be prepared for?”

“If I told you, they wouldn’t be surprises, now, would they?”

“Hellion!”

“Yes, beautiful?” He pulled her to his side and started down the street. “Did you eat your snacks? I have more in the left pocket.”

“I’m not hungry,” Wave snapped.

“If you say so, but you sound just like Jarred when his dinner is late.”

“I can feed myself. I can buy my own clothes too,” Wave grumbled.

“You can, yes,” Hellion agreed easily.

“No buts?”

“No. You can do whatever you want, Wayla. Doesn’t mean we can’t do things for you, too.”

“I don’t need anyone’s charity—”

Hellion spun to face her so quickly that Wave took a step back. His face held fury she had never seen before. Until now, he was the easy-going one, ready to play, but not pushing real talk or feelings at her. Wave blinked when he growled.

“You are not a charity case for any of us. You are the one keeping everyone at arm’s length. You are the one putting restrictions in place that have nothing to do with us. Don’t you dare make Jarred and Marc feel bad about doing something nice for you.”

Wave opened her mouth to speak, but Hellion rolled right over her.

“We didn’t go through your stuff, not a single item was moved from your room to our place. It’s all new, it’s all something we thought would make you happy and more comfortable.”

Tears threatened to spring up to Wave’s eyes, but she forced them back.

How could she explain to him why she was like this when she couldn’t tell him the truth?

It wasn’t about the clothes, precisely, but it made her insides twist and turn that they had made decisions about her life without her.

The urge to rub her wrists grew, and Wave bit the tip of her tongue until it bled.

She gulped in air, frozen in place, while Hellion kept storming down the street. Fuck! The tenseness in his shoulders made her snap and call after him. “Hellion! Wait, please.”

“Wait for what?” he was still snarling. Wave just hurried over and stepped straight into his chest and buried her face against his shirt.

“I’m sorry.” That’s all she got out. There was no way to explain what was going on in her head.

She believed they had tried to do something nice, if for no other reason than Chrissy helping them.

She didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make Marc and Jarred feel bad.

Hellion stood tense for a second and then wrapped his arms around her.

“Oh, beautiful. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“You didn’t actually yell,” Wave whispered. She still felt the need to cry, but held it in check. “And I deserved it,” she added.

“I—it really drives me nuts when you do that.”

“Do what?” Wave carefully leaned back and looked up at Hellion.

“Act like you don’t deserve the world laid out for you.”

“Hellion,” Wave tried to laugh, but it got strangled in her throat.

Why would he think that? He didn’t know her.

If he did, he wouldn’t think that. If he knew the truth, he wouldn’t view her as a gifted mid-tier, but as an out-of-control high tier.

And that was if he knew just the one half.

If he knew it all… Wave shuddered. She liked Hellion.

Hell, she liked them all to some extent.

None of that mattered if her siren heritage came to light.

Liar and deceiver would be the nicest words hurled at her then. Manipulator of men, scourge, killer, murderer, mindbender, leech… those would be more accurate.

“Yeah, that look. That look drives me nuts. It flitters over your face from time to time when you think no one is looking.”

Wave tried to pull back from him, but Hellion didn’t let go. He pulled her in tighter and whispered into her ear, “I won’t ask, Wayla. Not when I’m not ready to share all my secrets yet, but it still drives me nuts.”

“You shouldn’t—”

“Let me worry about what I should and should not do.”

“But you don’t have all the information,” Wave protested.

“Neither do you, beautiful. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t see where this goes.” He kissed the top of her head and then changed his tone. “Now, have we calmed down enough that we can keep going? Marc’s waiting with a lesson plan to make you cry.”

“Like that’s a good thing.”

Hellion grinned and tugged her forward as he started walking. “You’ll thank him when it saves your life someday.”