Seriously? Hadn’t Caiden got bored of shadowing me already? And more importantly, where had he appeared from, and why hadn’t I noticed him until now?
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m going to my apartment and saying hi to my friend on the way. Is that okay with you, King Caiden?”
“You need to choose your friends more wisely, Snowflake.”
“Lucky for me, but unlucky for you, I don’t care for your opinion. Will you stop following me? This is getting tiring.”
He stared down at me, his eyes darkening as the silence stretched, tension sparking between us.
“Caiden…” I tried. “Why are you doing this? What have I done to you?”
He took another step closer to me, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel the heat of his body, even through my thick coat, and for one moment I forgot where we were and that he hated me. Could he feel it, too? This unwanted, magnetic pull between us? I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry, and his eyes zeroed in on the motion.
“Winter!” James’ insistent voice sounded, much closer than it had been a moment ago. It seemed to break the spell, and Caiden’s gaze turned hard.
“We’re always watching you, Winter.” With one last, scathing look, he backed away and was gone.
“What was all that about?” James raised a brow as he reached me.
“I wish I knew.”
“Forget him. He’s a dick.”
“That’s true.” A frustrated sigh escaped me. I started walking in the direction of my apartment building, heading towards the car park, and James fell into step beside me, slowing his usual pace to match mine. “What’s up, anyway?”
“You looked like you needed rescuing. I saw Cavendish following you.” He glanced at me, a small smile on his lips. “I like to think of myself as a knight in shining armour.”
I laughed. “Thanks, but I don’t need rescuing. I can handle Caiden.” We stopped at the entrance to the car park.
“Can you?” He gave me a doubtful look. “Listen, why don’t you give me your number? Anytime you want to talk coursework, or need me to rescue you again, I’m here.”
“Sure, why not.” As I stepped closer to James, pulling my phone from my bag, a chill ran down my spine, and I had a prickling sensation of being watched. I glanced around me, but the car park was deserted.
Shaking my head as I passed my phone to James so he could add his number, I groaned internally. The Four had me so paranoid, I was imagining things.
“You found Alstone Castle, did you?”
“Huh?” I looked up at him.
“Your phone. That’s a photo of Alstone Castle.” He tapped on the screen.
So that was the name of the castle ruins I’d found. I’d taken the photo when I’d discovered it on my bike ride and set it as my phone wallpaper.
“I didn’t know its name. Do you know anything about it?” I asked, curious.
He shook his head. “Not really, no. Not about the history, if that’s what you mean. The university use it for events, though. On Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night, whatever you want to call it, they hold a party there. It’s one of the biggest events of the year. They have a big bonfire and fireworks—you know, all the usual celebrations. And games.”
“What kind of games?” The look in his eye really wasn’t filling me with confidence.
“You’ll see.” He tapped on my phone screen, adding his number, then met my gaze again. I raised a brow in a silent question, and he shook his head again. “It’s more fun if you don’t know beforehand. Believe me.”
“Hmm.” I wasn’t convinced, but I dropped the subject.
James called his phone from mine so he had my number. We made idle small talk for a bit, and he promised to send me some website links for one of my assignments. Then he hugged me goodbye and headed off in the opposite direction, while I started crossing the car park.
A sudden loud rumble sounded from between two parked cars, and a huge jet-black motorbike came roaring out of the space, heading straight towards me.
I froze in place, my legs unable to move.
Then my instincts kicked in and I screamed, diving to the side just as the bike reached me, collapsing onto the tarmac. The wheels came so close that I felt the whoosh of air as they passed me, the smell of burning rubber filling my nostrils.
What the actual fuck?
The bike skidded to a stop and slowly circled back towards me. I rose to my feet, my legs trembling, shuffling backwards into a small gap between two cars where the bike couldn’t reach me.
The rider lifted the visor on his helmet, and a pair of icy, soulless eyes met mine.
“What do you think you’re doing? You could have killed me, you absolute fucking lunatic!” My whole body was shaking. I’d never been so furious, or scared, in my life. Closing my eyes, I counted to ten, desperately trying not to fall apart in front of Zayde. Threats and being followed, I could handle. But endangering my life? What would have happened if I hadn’t jumped out of the way?
“Consider it a warning.” His voice was devoid of emotion, as he trapped me with his gaze.
I gaped at him. “What?”
“You should be very careful about who you make friends with.”
Almost the same thing Caiden had said to me earlier. “Have you been talking to Caiden?” My voice rose to a hysterical screech. “And I’ll ask you again, what do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to kill me?”
He ignored my questions. “Why are you here?”
“None of your business. I don’t owe you an explanation. And that goes for your friends, too.”
Curling his lips into a snarl, he spoke, low and threatening. “If you do anything to fuck with any of us, you’ll wish I had run you down. Your life won’t be worth living.”
With that, he snapped his visor back down and roared off, leaving me staring after him in shock.
SIX
“Seriously, Cade, what is it you expect us to do with this girl?” Cassius paced in front of me, exasperation clear on his face. “I kind of like her.”
“So do I,” my brother piped up. Little shit. I sent him a glare, and instead of dropping his gaze, he glared right back. “She is our sister. Stepsister.”
“She’s not my fucking sister,” I muttered.
“Look.” Cassius came to a stop in front of me. “You’re my best mate. In this instance I was down for following your directions—until I met her in person. Yeah, you have a problem with her, but I’m not comfortable with being dragged into this shit. I’ll still keep an eye her or whatever if you really want me to, but I’m not down for making her life hell. She only lost her dad, what, just over a year ago? Give her a break, yeah?”
“She’s her mother’s daughter,” I bit out angrily, my fists clenched.
“Cade. She’s barely stayed in touch with her mother, we all know this. We’ve been keeping tabs on her mother for the past three years, and I haven’t seen anything to concern me when it comes to Winter, other than the fact that she seems too friendly with James Granville.” He threw himself on the sofa next to me. “If we need to keep an eye on anyone, it’s that slimy fucker.”