Devil Incarnate (Boys of Preston Prep #4) - Angel Lawson Page 0,184

take it from me.

Heston finally moves then, accepting the jacket only to place it back over my shoulders. Idiot. “Give me your hands,” he demands, even though he just snatches them up himself. He takes my fists into his palms and then brings them to his mouth, huffing warm, chattering air over them before rubbing. “Fuck, say something, Little Red.”

My jaw still feels tight and rusty, but I manage to eke out a weak, “Sorry.”

He gives a tense, shuddering laugh, those blue eyes flashing in relief. “I bet you are.”

I spend the ride to the shore curled against his chest, cheek pressed into his neck against the whip of the wind. This close, I can feel the shivers that wrack him, and it might be useless, but I hope he’s getting some warmth from my body when his arms crush me closer.

Everyone’s waiting at the dock when we arrive, Heston and Bass lifting me onto the platform.

They part for us like the red sea when Heston barks out, “Move!” all but dragging me in the bonfire's direction. He thrusts me in front of it, breaths coming in choppy. “Hold your hands out, get them warm.” Everyone’s returning to the fire now, looking relieved and harried, so I’m hesitant to obey. The jackets are the only thing covering me.

Heston grabs the sides of my face and forces my eyes to his. “Look at me! This is important. Did you take your clothes off because they were heavy, or because you were hot?”

Hot? Nothing about that lake was anything but freezing-ass cold. Hitching in a painful breath, I chatter out, “H-heavy,” and watch as the tension falls from his shoulders.

“Jesus Christ.” He sweeps my hair back, frantically wringing the water from it. “Good, that was smart.”

I tip closer, body shuddering with a shiver. “I-I-I floated, like you said. S-save energy.”

“I saw,” he says, giving me a tight smile. “You did good. Didn’t drown. Gold star.”

When the warmth finally hits me, it’s like a barrage of needles. The only thing that makes it bearable is Heston hysterically rubbing feeling into my back and arms.

Micha steps in to say, “Here,” and hands Heston a pile of clothes. Instead of pulling them on, he just digs into the pocket of what I now realize are his pants. He emerges with a jangle of keys.

He looks around, eyes landing on Sebastian, and hurls the keys at him. “Go start my car and crank the heat,” he orders, throwing his discarded jacket over my shoulders. “There’s a gym bag in my trunk. Bring it to me.” Sebastian snatches the keys out of the air and stares at them, lip curling up when he levels his brother with a glare. Heston’s jaw goes tight at the look, and when he bites out a tense, “Please,” Sebastian looks away.

“I don’t know which car is yours.”

“Silver Honda,” he replies, dragging me close. “It’s the shittiest car out there, you can’t miss it.”

Sebastian runs off, while the others collect their things. With a start, I realize people are leaving. Ansel, Xavier, Afton, Josie, and Tyson are already trudging into the trees. Most of the pledges are with them.

“The effigy,” I say, pushing away from Heston. “We have to…the fire.”

He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Fuck the effigy!”

From across the fire, Emory agrees, “I think we’ve risked enough for the prank tonight.”

Frowning, Reynolds adds, “It’s not that important.”

I swing a panicked look at the girls and they shift uncomfortably.

It’s Vandy who explains, “The memory card with our initiation confessions is in the helmet.”

Heston’s hand stills on my back. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

Caroline grimaces. “It seemed like a good idea at the time?”

Heston turns to wipe his chin on his shoulder, looking annoyed. “Any volunteers to go back out on the boat and set that fucker on fire?”

Micha gushes, “I’ll do it!”

Heston and Hamilton give the same answer in a perfect, snapped unison. “No!”

Heston adds, “Anyone with actual boating experience?”

“I’ll do it.” This time, it’s Ozzy who steps up. “I go fishing with my uncle all the time. The boat’s no problem.”

“I’ll go with him,” Caroline says, giving me a resolute nod. “I’ll make sure it gets done.” I know it’s stupid. This whole night has taught me that much. But Caroline and I agreed it should be one of us, and I feel better knowing that we’re going to keep it.

Sebastian returns just as they leave, huffing as he drops the gym bag at Heston’s side. “Your car’s a piece