“Come on then, Tucker, why did you call us here?” Emmet asks, as his hand comes to rest behind my neck, and he isn’t even trying to hide it. What is he playing at?
“Thallon told Luna that he’s not going to make things easy for her, pretty much paraphrasing but it's clear to say that he isn’t playing games this time. He wants Luna to know that he has it out for her, which means he’s even more dangerous than we initially thought,” Tuck says as his eyes lock on Emmet’s hand, but he doesn’t say anything. Things just keep on getting more and more interesting.
“We can handle Thallon, we know what he’s like. Besides, he won’t get the chance to do anything to Star,” Emmet says easily, and I lean my head on his shoulder.
“Stop being so fucking cocky, you were convinced that Luna would be yours the minute she got fucked. How did that work out for you?” Trust Aeron to avoid anything resembling tact.
I place a hand on Emmet’s stomach and feel him contract beneath my touch. He looks down at me with a clenched jaw and I can see his teeth grinding.
“It doesn’t matter, not in the long run. Think about New York, do you think it would have been that great if you had gotten your way?” I raise my brows and he breathes hard before shaking his head.
“Fine, then what do you suggest we do, fuckboy?”
“Like I said the last time we were in the same room together, I had some things I needed to look into. It’s taking longer than I thought but I’m hoping to have some answers soon. In the meantime, we can’t let Luna be released for a second. If she does, then we may have to find a way to have him sent back to Australia. He could be worse than Shane,” Aeron says matter of factly and a shiver works its way through me.
Emmet pulls me against his front and wraps his arms around me, and again, no one is reacting. They’re all staring, and there are a few death glares aimed our way but nothing else.
“Careful, Emmet, you’re starting to push my limit,” Tucker says in a low tone, and Emmet tucks his head down so his mouth is resting against the back of my head. I can actually feel him smirking against me.
“Sure thing, I was just making sure my Star was okay.”
“Is Thallon really worse than Shane?” I ask, trying to replace the tension with a different kind of one. At least this one will be more constructive.
“It’s kind of relative, depending on who you ask. Not everyone in this room has a problem with him, not until recently at least. Thallon is unpredictable, you never know what he is going to do. He spends most of his time surfing, getting high, and fucking tourists. So, being forced back into the Academy isn't exactly a dream come true,” Tom informs me, and Thallon kind of sounds like Aeron, other than the surfing of course.
“Why does that make him dangerous?” I can’t be missing the point here, they haven’t told me anything.
“He isn’t here for an education or to find a wife or any of that bullshit. If he really is here for you, then everything he does will be in honor of that. When he had to come the first time, he made two girls drop out just because he wanted to see if he could. He tried for three and…” Tom trails off and I stare at him, just waiting for him to finish his sentence.
“The last girl had a psychotic break. You think your sister is bad? Damn, she has nothing on this girl. She now has a split personality disorder and the last we heard she still believes she’s inside the Academy. Even with that, her family still had to pay the Academy because she left early. He just doesn’t care. That’s why we’re concerned, Little Zero. We have no idea what he has in store for you.” Aeron walks over to me and cups my cheek.
I forget that Emmet is holding me, and that Tom and Tucker are watching. All I am aware of is him.
“This is why we’re going to try and get along as much as we can and… share you.” It comes out through gritted teeth and there isn’t a single face that isn’t grimacing or scowling. No one is happy, but they are all willing to do this. For me.
We’re supposed to be meeting up with the rest of the Harkwrights to begin the activities today, but I’d rather hide out in our cabin. It’s nice and cosy in there, that’s the only reason of course. Ahem.
“Jeans, hiking boots, and a sweatshirt. You need to be comfortable,” Tucker says as he steps out of the bathroom and my mouth runs dry.
His jeans are just the right amount of tight and hug him perfectly, with his fitted black Henley and tan boots he looks… perfect. He’s not wearing a suit, and he even has a sweatshirt in his arms. Yes, I like this version of Tucker very much.
I pull out the clothes I never thought I’d be allowed to wear around a whole hoard of these guys, and quickly throw them on before pulling my hair back into a tight ponytail.
“I think I like it when you’re ‘roughing’ it,” Tuck says, as he tucks his phone away and looks up at me as I walk into the room.
“Hey, this is my usual style, what are you trying to say?” I arch a brow and place my hands on my hips as I stare up at him, watching as he walks closer with his smirk firmly in place.
“I guess I like the rough stuff as much as you do.” His hands slide into my hair, cupping the sides of my head and my breath stutters out of me.
He doesn’t speak, he just looks at me, holds me, his mouth parts, and I hold my breath as I wait to hear whatever it is he wants to say.
Someone knocks on the door.
“I swear, someone deliberately times those things,” I grouse, and he laughs as he walks over to the door and pulls it open.
“What are you doing here?” His tone is… strange. I can’t place it, and I have no idea who is standing on the other side of the threshold, but I don’t dare step closer to check either.
“Arthur wanted an extra chaperone. For some reason, he thought it should be me. You have five minutes, Tucker. Please, don’t be late,” a woman says, before footsteps sound and he closes the door.
He turns to look at me, and his eyes are wide. I open my mouth and he holds his hand up, shakes his head, and pulls his phone out. I don’t have to wonder who he’s calling as he says Emmet’s name.
“Heads up, let's say it’s in honor of our little truce. Your mom is here, and I’m not talking about Maria.” He hangs up pretty much straight away and pockets it before he beckons me closer and leads me outside.
I guess I can’t ask him anything about this, like why is Emmet’s mother here? Why would Sir even think of calling her in? What will that do to Emmet?
“When you see his mom, don’t stare. Also, don’t ask any questions. If he wants you to know, then he’ll tell you himself,” he says cryptically, as we head over to a crowd of people and I can see a woman with her back to me, speaking to Emmet.
His eyes meet mine and they shutter, before they return to her, and she doesn’t look behind her before she walks away and heads away from us.
“Why would your dad do this?” Tom asks, and there are a lot of ears waiting for that answer.
“None of your fucking business,” he snaps, before he storms away and we wait to find out what it is we’re expected to do today.
Five minutes is how long it takes Emmet to come back and he’s joined by a young guy. That’s surprising, but I guess they had to find someone who could keep us safe and they couldn’t be ageist with it.