I lift my chin slightly, letting her know I’ve got something to say and she bites into her bottom lip like a typical girl fighting to entice when she’s got no natural pull or appeal.

I keep Raven’s eyes locked in as the girl shifts, bringing her ear to my mouth as requested.

“Tell me your name,” I whisper, purposefully letting my heated breath waft over her skin.

Her chest inflates, and she leans in more. Every centimeter closer she gets, Raven’s eyes narrow to match.

I push it more by bringing my right hand up, letting my fingertips run the length of her arm.

I touch my lips to her ear and Raven’s hands grip the edge of her seat.

But suddenly her eyes snap left and mine follow to find Morgan, one of the JV cheerleaders, standing a few feet away.

Morgan senses Raven’s eyes on her and looks over, paling instantly before scrambling toward me and jerking the chick in my hands.

“Hey!” she shrieks, glaring at her friend, but when she catches Morgan’s blanched expression, she tenses. “What’s wrong?” she asks her.

Morgan gives a nervous half-grin, then leans over to whisper in her friend’s ear. The girl I’ve got my hands on eyes pop wide, panic struck in every inch of her.

“Shit.” She swallows, slowly pulling away from me and then the two quickly rush off, gather their friends from around the room, including the one Royce was fucking with, and all together rush out the door.

The fuck?

I glance at Captain right as Royce pushes forward glaring after them, then quickly turns back to us. “What just happened?”

“I’ll tell you what happened.”

We spin and glare at the chick behind me, but she doesn’t recoil.

She stands a little taller.

The group home chick, Vienna.

I look to Raven, but her seat’s now empty.

“That,” Vienna starts. “Was a taste of your own medicine, buddy.”

“Fuck you talkin’ about?” Royce bounds closer.

She smirks. “You wanted a queen, you made one. One like nobody here has ever known. Just as strong as you, just as brave. But there’s a clear difference between her and you guys.”

“Keep fucking talking,” I bark.

She laughs lightly, glancing between the three of us. “You’re calculated, she’s ... reckless.”

Her words hit me hard, because I know exactly where she’s going with this.

“They fear her now, just as you wanted. She has their respect, forced from the three of you from the beginning, but earned on her own. You thought the guys wouldn’t touch her?” She laughs. “Welcome to the other side of the spectrum, Brayshaws. Your very own queen might just dethrone you.” She looks across the room where Raven is exiting. “And with a Graven at her side, no less.”

My body starts to tremble in rage, but I stretch my neck to the side to force it away.

“Get the fuck out of here, group home girl,” Royce snaps. “And keep your little theory to your damn self.”

She laughs lightly, shrugs, and walks away.

Royce frowns after her. “She’s right, isn’t she?”

I look to Cap who nods lightly.

Damn it.

“She might be.”

“I can’t believe she’s fucking us like this,” he spits.

Yeah, I’m over this shit.

I don’t realize I’m moving until Captain wraps his arms around my shoulder and drags me into the closest room.

There are a few people inside, but Royce bounds through the door behind us and claps, signaling for them all to leave.

Once they’re out the door, he slams it closed and Cap steps back.

“What the fuck, man?” I shout.

“You can’t—”

“Can’t what?” I throw my hands out. “End this bull shit, beat his fucking ass until he can’t walk, force his ass back where he belongs and demand what’s mine stay that way? ‘Cause I sure as fuck feel like I can! I mean, what the fuck are we even doing? Fucking recon? Fuck this!”

“We don’t know she’s yours. For all we know, she planned this shit.”

“Do you really fucking think that, Cap?”

His lips form a flat line and he looks away. “I don’t know what the fuck to think, but we can’t push her. She knows things we can’t afford other people to find out about.”

Fuuuuck.

Zoey.

I drag my hands down my face, shaking my head. “Cap ... fuck, man I’m—”

He holds a palm up. “We’ll deal with it if it comes.”

“I think we need to get rid of her,” Royce interjects, and we look to him. He hesitates a minute, then shrugs his shoulders. “She’s with Collins. We can’t look past that.”

“There’s no way this shit is so cut and dry. Look how she’s acting? All the shit with Chloe and those girls out there? Vienna was right, they took off because they’re afraid of her. If they think she cares if they come near us, how the fuck can we not?”

“Maybe you’re seeing things you want to be there, Madman,” Royce mumbles, looking wretched.

He doesn’t believe what he’s saying either, but he doesn’t wanna feel the burn of losing her twice.

She reacted tonight, and in the hall at the school.

Or maybe I am trippin’ like he says.

“Why hasn’t Dad called again?” I ask them. “I texted and nothing. He said he was handling shit, and nothing. Why?”

Both frown, shaking their heads, at a loss.

“Fuck man,” I mumble. “I’m over this shit. Let’s leave.”

They both agree and within minutes we’re in the car, the party and Raven behind us.

Not a fucking word is spoken on the way home to the house that feels emptier than it should.

I shake my limbs out, rolling my shoulders around as I breathe in the cold December night air.

Fuck, I’m ready to explode.

I was ready to kill that girl. She’s lucky her friend spotted me sitting there in the dark corner I was lurking in and ripped her ass away before I did it with a grip to her hair.

That’s all I’d need right now. Collins was already on extra dickhead mode after everything at the school but fuck him. I gave his bitch ass thirty days max and then he’s on his own in a pool of Brayshaw people.

Really though, what the fuck is Maddoc doing? It’s irrational for me to be pissed, I left them – left him – high and dry with no word, but still. I can’t handle seeing his hands on anyone else, maybe he knows it and that’s why he did it, or maybe I was just another Bray Girl and in slides a new one.

All I know is I can’t watch it, so they’ll need to keep their fucking hands, feet and faces away until I allow more – which will be when I’m gone.

“What are you doing?”

I roll my eyes and spin around, holding my arms out. “Breathing, Collins. Just fucking breathing.”

He laughs lightly and walks over. “Good job tonight, you kept your cool. I’m impressed.”

“Gee, thanks. Goal fulfilled,” I deadpan.

He grins and looks out at the dark night as I was.

He nods, his brows pulling in. “We don’t have to fight, Rae. This could go a lot differently.”