Boudica gives a ‘mew’ of disgust and snuggles against me. All I want to do is scoop her up in my arms and go back to sleep.
Groaning, I tear her off my face and dump her unceremoniously on the pillow. “I’m sorry. Blame Stonehurst – their stupid rules say cat gravity is not an acceptable excuse for tardiness.”
Queen Boudica burrows her head back under the covers, turning her butt to me and holding her tail up. It’s the cat version of giving me the finger. I grin as I pull on my uniform and start the process of painting on my armor. That cat couldn’t be more perfect for me if she tried.
Even with my alarm set extra early, I struggle to get out the door on time. I don’t really want to face Stonehurst Prep, but I have no choice.
As I’m jogging up the into school, Alec LeMarque steps out from behind a pillar, ruining my day before I’m even inside. He blocks the doorway with his bulk, leaning into my personal space in a way that instantly puts my back up.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot, Malloy.” Alec’s smile makes my blood freeze. He shoves his hands in the pocket of his letterman jacket, which the school jocks are allowed to wear instead of their blazer. “I’m having a few friends around to my place tonight – pretty casual. It’ll be fun. You should be there.”
“I’m busy.” I try to step around him, but he shifts his weight to block my escape.
“I don’t think you understand.” He’s still trying to be friendly, but beneath his facade simmers the full force of his humiliation. The dressing on his nose tugs up at the side. “It’s not your fault. You’ve been in the Caribbean or fucking Siberia or whatever, so allow me to help you out. I’ll throw a bitch a bone. In this school, this town, it’s all about who you know. You used to be somebody, Mackenzie Malloy, but now you’re just a freak ghost slut. I’m the guy you want on your side. Being my friend will give you all the connections you need to survive at Stonehurst. So, what do you say? Will I see you tonight?”
“She can’t. She’s hanging out with me.”
A warm arm drapes over my shoulder. Gabriel Fallen faces off against Alec with his chin cocked and that aristocratic smirk on his lips – the one that carries all the power of the lord of the manor demanding loyalty from his serfs.
She’s hanging with me.
“She your girl, Fallen?” Alec flashes him a smile that’s all teeth and violence.
Gabriel shakes his head. His cheek presses against mine, and the touch feels so intimate it sends a shiver of desire through my veins. “Mackenzie Malloy is no one’s girl.”
I turn to Gabriel, pushing through my fangirling to flash him a wicked smile. “You took the words right out of my mouth, Fallen.”
Gabriel turns back to Alec. “So, if we’re done here, Mac and I have to get to homeroom.”
I want to groan at that stupid nickname, but Gabriel shoves Alec aside and barges into Stonehurst, dragging me behind him. Students gape at us, stepping aside to make room. From the way he smiles and preens, Gabriel’s used to all eyes watching him, but I’ve lived alone in an empty house for four years, and it freaks me out.
“You don’t have to save me,” I hiss. My skin crawls as their eyes rake over me.
“Maybe I wasn’t saving you. Maybe I wanted to have the pleasure of your company.” Gabriel winks as he slides his arm from around me and leans against Eli’s locker.
Fuck, the way he says ‘the pleasure of your company’ in that British accent of his… I need to rescue this situation. I’m in serious danger of falling hard for this guy, the exact guy who could end up destroying me. I open my locker and collect the books I need. “I’m not hanging out with you tonight.”
“Sure you are,” he grins. “We have our chemistry make-up.”
Fuck. I completely forgot. An hour being stuck in the chemistry lab with Gabriel. I lean my head against my locker, allowing the cold metal to drop my body temperature. This is a bad bad bad idea. But no matter how many times I say that to myself, when I think about Gabriel’s eyes fixed on mine with such interest and the feeling of his arm around me, I can’t see how it can