Dark Angel Academy (The Complete Series) - G. Bailey Page 0,63
blonde hair is cut shorter than before, but it does nothing to detract from her beauty. She has long legs covered with skintight black jeans, and a tank top that is nothing more than a tiny piece of silk hangs off her shoulders. I legit can see her nipples through the top. As Ren comes to a stop, she rests a hand on his arm, passive-aggressively telling me he belongs to her.
Ren doesn’t take his eyes off me though, but I refuse to meet his gaze as someone else steps through the door.
Henry. I almost take a step towards him as he walks to Ren and stops at his side. I knew he was on his side, but it still hurts to see this. I can’t help but notice how Henry no longer looks as sick as he did. His once pale skin has colour now, almost a golden glow to him, and even though his eyes speak a thousand words, I don’t look at him. Knowing I need to get this over with, I lock my eyes with Ren and ignore the flutter of my heart.
The zap of something inside me, which I don’t know or understand why it is there.
“Ren. I’ve heard you’ve been looking for me,” I start off. The wind whips around us all, the tension becoming almost too much to bear.
“You ran from me,” Ren finally speaks, and gods, his voice hurts me to hear. I used to love his voice, his stories and how kind he was. Was it all a pretence? “And now you’re home. Welcome back to the academy, Kaitlyn.”
“Want me to lock her up with the others?” the bitch face at his side asks. Ren reaches out with one hand, grabbing her neck and slowly peeling his eyes from me to her. “Miranda, pass the message along that if anyone touches my queen, they will be ripped apart by me. Do you understand?”
“Y-e-s,” she splutters out, and he drops her to the floor like she is trash, and as he looks at me, it’s clear she is forgotten. Miranda looks at me with disgust before climbing to her feet, and she walks off into the academy, tugging down her shirt. Ren takes a step closer to me, and I take one back, which makes him pause.
“Why did you come back?” he softly asks with guilt shining in his eyes. “I honestly thought you never would after what I did.”
“My friends are here...” I truthfully answer him as much as I can. “Where are Vesnia and Thallon? Riley?”
“You care about that boy still?” Ren tuts, almost hisses. Henry steps closer to his side, but I can’t look at him. “He hurt you. Betrayed you!”
I don’t answer. Ren couldn’t understand the reason I want Riley alive any more than I really understand it. Ren and I are a million miles apart, even when we stand so close.
“You asked me to keep him alive, and I did. He is okay. So are Thallon and Vesnia,” Henry tells me, and even though his words bring me relief, they still hurt because he said them. The air I didn’t know I was holding in comes out in a rush, and I nod once. That’s good. They are alive, and I can save them still.
“If you let me see Thallon and Vesnia, then I will stay and behave,” I say, putting my cards on the table.
Ren nods, watching me closely. “For what it is worth to you, I am sorry. The mating bond is very hard to resist, but when you wish to talk, come to me. I will always wait for you, Kaitlyn.”
“You betrayed me,” I whisper, but the words echo around us. “Riley and you…both of you ripped my heart out that day, and neither of you can simply put it back together as it was. It is gone.”
“Yes, I did.” Ren fully accepts it and holds his hands out. “If you wish to kill me for my actions, then do so. I will not stop you. I owe you my life a thousand times over.” For a moment, I see the young man whose entire family was murdered in front of him before he was betrayed himself, and then he became a ghost who desperately wanted to be alive. To save his people. Even if it cost him me.
“Ren...” Henry warns, looking between us both nervously.
My hand shakes as I look away from them both to the academy. I’m not playing into his taunt.