dipping her head lower, her breath tickling my neck as she presses the first kiss against the sensitive skin.
I shiver beneath her touch, her hands sliding down my arms, coming to rest at my hips. She trails kisses down my throat, and my eyes flutter shut. I want to tug her closer, but my hands press against the wall as she moves lower, trailing the neckline of my borrowed dress. Her fingers brush against the hem of the skirt, slipping under the fabric.
Morgan’s touch travels up only an inch before going back down again. She rubs tiny, electrifying circles along my outer thigh. The sensation is so intense, the desire to go further so strong, that I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to process any other input.
“Wait,” I say as her lips graze my collarbone. “We need to slow down.” My heart is pounding in my throat, my breathing coming too fast. The air swirls through the classroom, spinning around our bodies, spurred on by my subconscious magic.
I rest my hands on her shoulders and create space between us. My skin is flushed with heat, and goddess, there’s still a part of me that wants to damn the consequences and kiss her again. “We probably don’t want our first time to be at school, right?”
Morgan bites her lip, and for a second, I wonder if she wants to risk it, but she shakes her head. “No, you’re right.” She lifts my hand from her shoulder and presses a kiss to my knuckles. “I’m sorry I got carried away.”
“It wasn’t just you,” I admit, thinking of the air I accidentally spun around us. “But we should probably hold out for a room with a bed. Deal?”
“Deal.” She holds out her pinky, and I loop mine with hers, sealing the promise with a kiss that quickly heats up the room. Literally. My magic is still buzzing and alive, the air warming around us.
“We should go.” I force myself to pull back. “Gemma’s probably waiting for us.” We walk back into the hall, hand in hand, but Morgan stops me before we turn the final corner back to the gym.
“Let me fix your hair.” Her fingers move deftly, smoothing out the places where she crushed my curls. She kisses me gently. “Perfect.”
When we turn the corner, Gemma nearly crashes into us. The blood has drained completely from her face, leaving her pale and wide-eyed.
“What is it?” I ask, glancing behind her at the chaos of the dance, which seems to be breaking up even though there’s another hour left. “What’s wrong?”
Gemma holds tight to my upper arm, but whether to steady herself or me, I’m not sure. “Benton,” she says, his name landing like a brick on my heart.
“What about him?”
“He broke out of jail. He’s free.”
19
BENTON.
He broke out of jail.
He’s free.
The words echo in my head, accompanied by the whoosh- whoosh-whoosh of blood pulsing through my body. He can’t be out. His trial starts in three days. He can’t—
“How do you know?” My voice is harsh and unrecognizable. The world spins, and I stumble. Morgan keeps a hand on my elbow to hold me steady. “It has to be some kind of trick.”
But Gemma’s eyes glitter with tears. “It’s all over the news.” She presses something on the screen and holds out her phone.
A video reloads to reveal a reporter standing in front of the prison gates. “We’ve received word of a disturbance at the prison tonight. Tensions have been high as we near Monday’s jury selection for the trial of Benton Hall. A small riot broke out at approximately seven o’clock tonight, and sources inside—” She pauses, touching one hand to her ear.
The reporter looks up, past the lens, like she’s staring at her camera operator. After a beat, she focuses on her audience. “I’ve just received an update from inside the prison. Benton Hall has escaped. I repeat, Benton Hall has escaped from prison. Though he was not armed at the time, officials warn that he is extremely dangerous and should not be approached by civilians.”
Before the video ends, I reach for my phone, dialing Archer. He answers on the second ring. “Have you seen the news?”
“I’m on my way to the precinct now. They called in all off-duty personnel to help with the search.”
“What do we do?” I lean against the wall for support, Morgan and Gemma a shield against our classmates as they stream out of the gym. Teachers usher them toward the doors, and they must know.