Lola hurries after him, probably knowing that the second I’m released I plan to claw her fucking face off.
Penmark follows at a more leisurely pace, throwing one last wistful glance at the ruin of Dean’s back, as if admiring his handiwork.
I want to kill him, too. I’d already be making plans to do it if I could think of anyone but Dean.
The moment the groundskeeper releases me, I run to Dean. I kneel in front of him, taking his face in my hands, bawling and kissing him and begging for him to tell me he’s alright.
The groundskeeper unlocks the manacles. Dean slumps forward, falling into my arms.
I can’t stop crying and I can’t stop holding him.
I can’t believe he did that for me.
I don’t know how I didn’t see this sooner. Dean loves me. He loves me past anything I could have imagined.
If his anger is a furnace, then his love for me is the sun, burning bright enough to light the universe.
“Baby, are you okay?” I sob.
Dean nuzzles his face against my neck, still leaning heavily against me, his arms dead weight around my shoulders.
“How come you always smell so good?” he groans.
I let out a strangled laugh. “That’s what I think about you.”
I feel his fingers gripping loosely on my back, trying to pull me tighter against him.
“I’m so sorry,” I cry. “I can’t believe you did that . . .”
He struggles to sit up a little, slipping his hand under my hair to hold me at the place where my head meets my neck. He presses his forehead against mine.
“Are we even now?” he says.
“Oh my god.” I shake my head. “You’re insane.”
“I am insane,” he growls. “I’m crazy for you, Cat. I always will be.”
“It terrifies me how much I love you,” I tell him, holding him as tight as I can without hurting him more.
The groundskeeper clears his throat.
I completely forgot he was still in the room with us.
“Are you going to help me take him to the infirmary?” I bark, furious at him and every other barbarous employee at this school.
“Yes,” the groundskeeper says in an almost-apologetic tone.
He was no rougher than he needed to be, holding me back while Penmark had his fun. Actually, now that I’m really looking at him, his brown hair and close-cropped beard are vaguely familiar to me—he might have been friends with Miles once upon a time.
He stoops to take Dean’s arm over his shoulder so he can help support his weight. I try to do the same on the other side, though I’m too short to be of much use.
“Thanks, Brenner,” Dean groans. “Why’d they have to bring Penmark in for that? He’s such an asshole.”
“Agreed,” Brenner grunts. “It’s one thing to do a job, another to enjoy it.”
We hobble off in the direction of the infirmary, moving slowly so we don’t jolt Dean too much.
He’s weak and reeling, but not in terrible spirits.
“I don’t know what they’re making such a fuss about,” he says. “Nobody liked Rocco anyway.”
“I sure didn’t,” Brenner mutters. “After all, I’m the one that had to clean him up.”
30
Dean
That fucking dickhole Penmark really fucked up my back, and now I have to lay in the infirmary bored as hell.
I’m missing all my boxing training AND the last event in the Quartum Bellum. I have to hear about it second-hand when Cat comes to visit me.
“It was a shooting challenge with stationary and moving targets.”
“Did we win?”
“Of course.” She grins.
“Fuckin’ Leo.” I shake my head. “He always wins. It’s not even exciting anymore, just takes all the surprise out of it.”
“It’s so tedious being an eternal champion, isn’t it?” Cat laughs.
As she tilts her head to smile at me, I see a glint of scarlet in the hollow of her throat. The necklace I gave her—restored to its rightful place.
My heart burns as bright as that stone.
“Was Claire Turgenev disappointed?” I ask her.
“It was actually really close. She’s a fantastic Captain, too. I’m sure she was upset, but she shook Leo’s hand, all classy and kind.”
“Fuck being classy,” I say. “I like to gloat.”
“Maybe I will, too,” Cat laughs, “if I ever win anything.”
Snow pops his head through the infirmary door.
“Hey,” he says. “How are you feeling?”
“Great,” I tell him. “Ready to be back in class.”
“Good,” he grunts. “I have a lot of mats that need cleaning. Towels that need washing . . .”