Page 32 of Our Covenant

Vanilla. Amber. And something warm underneath. Floral and sweet but darker. Like plum or wine.

“I never said I didn’t hear what people say. Nothing stays a secret behind these walls.”

Gods, she really is pretty. I suddenly have many reasons that justify taking her somewhere no one else can see us.

“I think you have a few secrets.”

She shrugs, and I give her a flirty smile that has never failed me before. “But you wouldn’t trust any of those secrets with me?”

“I like my privacy.” Her retort is quick and practiced.

“Being discreet is a rare quality.”

“Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?” Her brow lifts. “Because the whole ‘you’re not like other girls’ line is a bit old.”

I move in closer, hiding my fascination by lowering my voice so only she can hear me. “Are you saying you’re like every other woman in our class?”

The flirtation in her tone slips to annoyance and that small loss of her control feels like a triumph.

“I am exactly like every other woman.” She smiles but it feels forced. “Long walks on the beach. Pumpkin spice lattes. I never leave my house without my favorite lip gloss and always make a wish at 11:11.”

“Hmm.” I lean into her warmth. “But you’re not waiting around for Prince Charming to make all your dreams come true. Are you?”

“Maybe I am. Have you seen one around?”

“Let me buy you a coffee and I’ll help you find one.”

Her eyes widen like she wasn’t expecting my invitation. I can see the moment her mask slips. The calm, sensual illusion she’s constructed falls away to the dangerous creature lurking underneath. If she’s going to be cornered, it’ll be on her terms. She looks over my shoulder then back to me with renewed airiness.

“I actually have somewhere be, but another time?”

She takes her phone out of her pocket and taps the screen to bring it to life. When she looks up at me expectantly, I rattle off my phone number, and a moment later my pocket vibrates on cue.

I narrow my eyes at her, wanting to keep her longer just to watch her squirm but knowing we’ll have plenty of time for that soon. Instead, I move to the side and swing my arm in an “after you” motion. “See you around, Elsbeth.”

Without another word, she takes the few steps down to her friend and links her arm with Vihana’s to leave the room together. I take my phone out and send a text to the group chat.

ASHER

Plan B.

MADS

On it.

I take the steps two at a time then head for the back door. It’s a short jog to the parking lot. Fox and Thorne are sitting in Thorne’s Rover. Fox opens his door and climbs out.

“Maddox needs backup,” he says, pulling on a hoodie to blend in better. “Be ready to go as soon as you see us come around the corner with her.”

He’s gone before I can confirm that I heard him. Within moments, a torrential downpour starts, and I turn around to find students rushing for cover. Some dash to the student center, but most duck into the nearest lecture halls. There was no rain in the forecast so no one came equipped with their umbrellas. A too-thick fog billows up from the ground, and I take that as an indication that Mads and Fox are on their way over.

Thorne starts the engine, and I hop into the passenger seat. It seems trivial, but I pull the black nylon belt across my chest and fasten it. The interior of Thorne’s vehicle is dark thanks to the heavy clouds outside and the barely legal tint he had done after he got the thing last year. His voyeuristic tendencies saw a use for it, but I doubt this scenario ever crossed his mind.

Of all the ways this should have gone, sending out Maddox and Fox for retrieval was not my favorite. It left the possibility of too many witnesses, but between the two of them, they were the less likely to cause her alarm right away. Thorne wouldn’t be on our side of campus, and a stalking allegation on top of kidnapping was where he drew the line.

Though she and Fox talked yesterday at the gym, he and Mads are the two she’s seen the least. Elemental magic has many perks, but having the ability to shape-shift or manipulate reality would have been more helpful today.

A crack of lighting lights the sky, clearly another distraction. “There.” I point to one figure running toward us being followed by a bulkier form. Thorne pulls out of the parking spot and up to the curb where Maddox flings the door open to scramble inside. A racing heartbeat later, Fox hoists Elsbeth into the back before slamming the door shut. My body is thrown into my own door as Thorn peels out.