He pins me, cushioning my head with his hand so it doesn’t smack the mat too hard, and smirks from way too close to kissing range. “It’s been killing me not being able to get this close to you the past few days. I’m going to find a way to get us some private time, a chroí, I promise you.”
I squirm against his hold, tamping down on the desire that flares low in my belly at his closeness and his words. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Mmm, making bad ideas work is my specialty.”
That might be enough if we only wanted to avoid being caught. He doesn’t know about the pang of guilt that laces every surge of longing I feel.
I never meant to spark this match. I never meant to embrace any mates other than the men I left behind in my own reality.
Even if there’s no way for me to get back to them… how can I wanthimtoo?
I manage to dislodge Salvatore with a knee to the gut and a hasty scrambling. For the next few minutes, I focus more on dodging than anything else.
The closer he gets, the harder it is to think straight.
The conflicting pangs of desire and remorse throw off my reflexes. Salvatore lands a blow to my ribs that I should have been able to block. His knuckles glance off me hard enough to bruise.
I suppress my flinch with all my willpower, already catching a twitch of concern in his gaze. I cast my focus hastily toward one of the other sparring pairs who are currently grappling.
Heath Ridley is too busy tussling with his opponent to even wince when my bruise transfers to him alongside a waft of tingling healing energy around the spot on my torso. A different sort of guilt clogs my throat all the same.
Salvatore starts to circle me again, but a welcome squeal of Captain Ross’s whistle frees me from our standoff.
As the mafia heir backs away, he offers me a cheeky salute. “Until later.”
There’s too much promise in those words.
I swipe at my forehead and notice Simone Palenti glaring at me from the crowd by the wall. It’s a good thing Ross is asking for all new pairs, because she looks ready to slap my head right off.
I haven’t told Salvatore about the threatening remarks shemade, telling me to stay away from him. Would getting him on her case make her back off or only rile her up more?
I rejoin Cadance and Mia, who’ve hung back for the second round while Stella faces off against Madison. I’ve got to give Stella credit for courage, considering Madison’s skilled enough to have been invited into the Cutting Flame, Luminary’s combat club.
Stella holds her own decently well, although I think Madison pulls her punches a little. When they return and Mia and Cadance head onto the mats, Stella considers me while she smooths her hair into a fresh ponytail. “Cosgrave really has it in for you, huh? He was acting kind of weird, hovering around, when you collapsed in the cafeteria too.”
I shrug as casually as I can. “He’s just peeved that he didn’t manage to smack me down when we sparred before. I know the police looked into him as a suspect.”
“They should have, considering he’s got two criminal families behind him.” She shakes her head. “You’ve got to wonder what they’re holding over the administration to get him and all his cousins and whoever admitted here.”
I have to stop myself from bristling defensively. Nearly every other student at the academy probably thinks the same way. Other Elodie would have too.
And they do have a point. Both the Cosgraves and the Morellis have their methods of getting what they want, no matter what stands in their way.
How much longer am I going to be able to avoid Salvatore’s advances now that he knows we’re bonded?
A spark of inspiration sends a question tumbling out. “Hey, do you have anything going on after classes today?”
I’m worried I’ll have to wheedle back and forth before I can get whatIwant, but Stella responds exactly as I’d have hoped. “Nothing major. You want to hang out?”
I offer a self-deprecating smile. “I don’t know if I’m upfor going out on the town or anything, but I feel like I could use a change of scenery.”
“No kidding, after all that time you had to spend recovering at home.” Stella smiles, genuinely enough that I feel like a jerk for the pretense. “Why don’t you come over to my place? We can take it easy, just the two of us.”
I smile back. “Perfect.”
I’ve got an excuse to dodge Salvatore if he was planning on whisking me away after school… and a chance to dig a little deeper into what Stella might have been up to lately. Is she a little too eager to have me over one-on-one?
Suspecting everyone of everything is fucking exhausting.