Caia sighed. Before her powers shifted into gear, she would’ve answered Seb’s question. Unfortunately, now she could feel the jealousy rolling off him, and she winced. Their relationship was so much easier when she hadn’t been aware of his feelings for her. She blanched at all the times she’d playfully shrugged off his embraces. Could she be any more of a clueless moron?
“We’re okay,” she answered, ignoring the smirks from her human schoolmates. They whispered about her alleged attack on Alexa. Well, not so much alleged as actual.
She huffed, “I’m trying to forgive him for deceiving me. I know he only did it to protect you all.”
Sebastian nodded but wouldn’t meet her gaze.
Damn it. Their friendship would be difficult if he kept this up, and frankly, he was the only friend she had right now. Mal and the others were suspiciously missing when Sebastian—who’d decided to drive Caia to school despite her protests that she had a shiny new car—pulled into the lot. They weren’t standing in their usual spot around Mal’s SUV waiting for them.
Caia had laughed and pointed at the abandoned SUV. “What, are they afraid of me or something?”
“Actually, yeah.” Sebastian had chuckled and taken her book bag like a true gentleman. She let him. It was easier that way … and kind of nice.
As they approached Caia’s locker, Sebastian asked, “No word yet from Dimitri and the others?”
Glad to be on safer ground, she nodded. “Yeah, but no good news. They’ve searched the eastern and southern boundaries, but nothing. They’re going to cross state lines next. But Lucien seems happy with the speed of the search.”
“They’ve accomplished a lot in a few days. They would’ve accomplished even more if they’d let me help.”
Caia touched his arm. “Lucien wants you here, protecting the pack.”
That garnered a snort. “Yeah, right. He thinks I’m a useless young male.” His golden eyes flashed. “I’m not useless. And she was my best friend, Cy.”
“Is. Not was,” she warned him.
He nodded, although his jaw clenched in anger. “Sure.”
The bell for first period rang and Caia impulsively pulled him into a hug. “I’ll see you at lunch,” she mumbled in his ear, and then regretted the hug when his arms tightened around her. She felt his anger dissipate into comfort mixed with lust. Teenage boys, she groaned inwardly. Even imminent danger and war couldn’t cool their libido.
Pulling away from him, she gave him her most platonic smile and wandered off to class.
“Oh, sorry,” a voice full of laughter said. Caia turned to see a large boy from her biology class stumble back and then smirk when he realized who he’d walked into. He nudged a guy Caia didn’t recognize. “Dude, it’s psycho Ribeiro.”
Dude chuckled, his dull eyes drinking her in from head to foot. “Man, how is it even possible that she launched some other chick across a room? She doesn’t look like she could lift a pencil.” He laughed raucously at his own lame joke.
The boy from biology curled his lips. “Dunno, man, but she did it.” He stepped closer to her and Caia narrowed her eyes. A human had never attempted to intimidate her before. Was there something off with her pheromones? “You like it rough, Caia? How about you play it rough with me after school, huh?”
A growl rattled in her chest, and she had to remind herself to exert some control. “Why don’t you go play rough with your ‘dude,’ jackass.”
His face darkened as he closed the distance between them. She refused to back up even though he had a good six inches on her. Seriously? Why wasn’t he afraid of her?
“Maybe someone needs to teach you some manners, little girl.”
“Maybe you need to back the hell off.”
“Or what?”
“Or—”
“Or you’ll be eating out of a straw for the rest of your life,” a rough voice rumbled behind them.
The boy retreated revealing Malek. He towered over them all, his muscles rippling as he crossed his arms over his chest.
She was surprised to say the least. Mal flirted with her, and was also downright rude (which she had shrugged off because he was rude to everyone), but he’d never shown her much interest other than wondering what she looked like naked. And from his absence this morning, she had a feeling he was now wary of her, afraid of the Midnight blood that ran in her veins.
But there he stood, unamused and defensive because someone had threatened her.
A warm rush ran through her. She was still his pack.
The boy looked like he was going to be sick, mumbling something about making a mistake and rushing away into the biology lab. Dude made a quick getaway too.
Malek nodded sharply at Caia. “See you at lunch.”
“Sure.” She grinned despite his abruptness. “And thanks.”
He shrugged as if it was no big deal and then grinned back at her … or rather leered at her. “Can’t have ‘them’ sniffing around our females now, can I?”