Chapter 129

I had lunch with Fiona that Monday, eager to fill her in on the party and everything that happened after. Matt and I ended up just making out. He had to run out when he got a call. He wouldn’t tell me who it was, but I figured it had to do with the Peacekeepers.

He made sure to promise me a rain check, though. Matt seemed as eager to have a repeat of the bathtub incident as I was.

“So, I guess Matt and Jack won’t be besties again anytime soon?” Fiona surmised after I finished telling her about it. I told her everything but the stuff about the werewolves. It wasn’t my place to divulge that secret, and I doubted she’d believe me, anyway. She’d probably just think I hit my head or something.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“It’s nice that you tried.”

“I guess. Matt was a little upset that I tricked him into coming over. I made it seem like I was nervous to be there alone with Jack’s friends.”

“Yeah, well, a bit of a dick move.”

I cringed.

“But it was in the name of love,” she offered. “Your heart was in the right place.”

“A lot of good it did.”

She gave my hand a gentle squeeze before stealing a French fry off my plate. “It’s really the thought that counts. They have to figure their own shit out.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “From now on, I’m staying out of it.”

“Probably a good idea.”

I smiled and ate a fry. Fiona busied herself with her pizza while I glanced around at the crowded cafeteria. I knew Matt was sitting at his usual table with Enzo and Nina, but I couldn’t see them from where I was sitting. Jack was across the room with his friends, and Sabrina was at a nearby table, talking loudly about the upcoming hockey game.

“Are we going to that?” Fiona asked, after pausing to listen to Sabrina’s shrill voice for a moment.

“I think so if you’re down. I like to go to the home games.”

“And we both know why,” she said with a wink.

“Talking about the game?” a gruff voice asked. Every muscle in my body tensed as Alyx dropped into the seat next to me.

“What’s it to you, dickhead?” Fiona said, leaning forward. “And who said you could sit here?”

“I don’t need your permission.”

“Yeah, you do. Now fuck off. Neither of us likes you or wants to talk to you.”

“I’m not here for you.”

Fiona laughed. “So, why are you here, then? You’re so desperate for forgiveness, you thought you’d bother us? News flash, I hate you. Celeste really hates you. You burned that bridge.”

“I’m not looking for forgiveness.”

“No, of course not,” she snarled. “Your head’s too far up your ass for you to admit that you’re the one who did something wrong.”

I wanted to say something, but my heart rate was pounding too loudly for me to focus on anything else. He was sitting close enough to me that he could easily reach out and grab me. The memory of his rough hands on my body made me break out into a cold sweat, and a tremor racked through me.

I stood up, intending to flee, but Alyx grabbed my arm and gave me a hard stare. I swept a panicked glance around the room, but no one was paying us any attention. I looked for Matt, but he wasn’t at his table. Enzo and Nina were both gone, too.

“Take your hand off her,” Fiona said, also on her feet.

“Both of you sit down,” he snarled, his grip on my arms tightening. I shot Fiona a pleading look and sank back into my seat. A moment later, Fiona sat down too, her eyes burning and her muscles tense. She looked like she wanted to leap across the table and strangle him.

He still didn’t let go of my arm. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to say.”

“That’s not up to you.” His grip tightened again, and I had to resist the urge to make a noise. I could feel his fingers pressing into the bones in my forearm. “I’m tired of waiting for your guard dogs to go away, so we’re going to have it out in public.”

My pulse quickened. “Have it out?”

“Yeah, you’ve been telling lies about me.”

“What? No, I haven’t.”

His grip tightened, and a pained whimper escaped my lips. “Yes, you have. I’ve been threatened not only by your boyfriend.” He said the last word with a sneer. “But by Enzo and your brother, too. Amazing how many guys you have wrapped around your finger.”

“You tried to force yourself on her, you asshole,” Fiona snapped. “You deserve way worse.”

“Shut up,” he growled, his gaze darting to her. “This isn’t about you.”

“Like hell it isn’t. Let go of her!”

“I will when she agrees to listen.”

“I’m listening,” I gasped.

He was squeezing my arm so hard, I knew I’d have purple finger-shaped bruises later. I sent Fiona another pleading look, and she clamped her mouth shut, stopping herself from saying whatever she was about to say. She gave me a sorrowful look, then turned to peer around the cafeteria, evidently hoping someone might come to our rescue.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I want you to apologize for the harm you’ve caused me.”

“You want me to apologize to you?”

“I think a nice dinner would do the trick. A free meal might go a long way toward mending fences.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Fiona snapped, losing her patience.

“I thought I told you to shut up.” He leaned across the table like he might grab her, too.

“Let go of my sister,” a voice snarled. I was so focused on Fiona, I didn’t notice my brother’s approach until he was standing right behind Alyx’s chair. He looked livid. His face was red, and the vein in his forehead bulged.

Alyx dropped my arm and stood up. He faced Jack. “What are you going to do about it?”

Jack threw a punch. Alyx clearly wasn’t expecting Jack to actually hit him. He reeled back into the table, and Fiona and I both jumped up to get out of the way. She ran around the table and grabbed my arm, gently pulling me out of the way.

“Your arm,” she gasped.

I glanced down. The skin was red where his fingers had been. Before I could answer, Alyx recovered his footing, and he lunged at Jack. A fight instantly broke out, and all at once, people at the nearby tables were jumping up to watch them.

“Fight!” someone yelled.

A crowd quickly formed around us as Jack landed a punch on Alyx’s jaw. Alyx barely seemed fazed.

“This isn’t good,” Fiona whispered.

“I bet Jack kills him,” someone nearby said.

“My money’s on Alyx,” another person answered. Great, people were already taking bets.

Jack lunged at Alyx again, and the two of them hit the ground hard. “This isn’t good,” Fiona repeated.

“No,” I agreed. I was kind of worried that Jack really would kill him.