If he started to blow on my neck, I was going to lose it right there in the middle of Mr. Edgington’s lesson on…shit. I had no idea what the heck we were supposed to be learning.
Before I had the chance to do anything that couldn’t be undone, the bell rang – my saving grace. We were going to have to evoke a no touching in class policy ASAP. Grabbing my books, I stood up ready to give Chase an ass chewing. I sent him my signature evil glare with the promise that he would answer for his actions later, preferable when we were alone. Though maybe alone wasn’t such a good idea.
Everyone shuffled out of class, practically pushing our way out. No one wanted to be in class longer than possible, but at the same time no one was overly eager to get to their next class either.
I should have seen this coming, but I guess he could still surprise me. The signs were all there. I knew them well now. I knew Chase.
No more than a foot out the classroom door and Chase had Brody pinned up against the lockers. Chase’s fists clenched tight on Brody’s shirt, his muscles tense. I hadn’t even seen Chase move, and if I had to guess, no one else had either. The fact that he had used demon-speed in school was enough to be alarming. He knew damn better than to draw unwanted attention on himself.
I was starting to seethe right along with him, but for entirely different reasons. His were unreasonable and irrational, mine were sound and just. Yes, I got that Brody was a creep, but subjecting him to a thrashing every time he so much as looked in my general direction wasn’t going to solve anything. Well, except Chase getting expelled possibly.
A vein at Chase’s neck ticked, and his jaw clenched. He was extremely pissed and struggling not to lose it. At this point it could go both ways, he was that close to the edge. “You look at her again and I’ll rip your eyes out,” he threated a stunned Brody.
Beads of sweat glistened at Brody’s hairline. “Look man, I don’t know what you’re deal is.” A group had started to gather around us, like we needed to draw any more attention.
“I think you do. This is my final warning,” Chase said.
From my angle I could see the flecks of amber melting into his eyes like liquid gold.
Shit on a shoe.
Fear encompassed Brody’s brown eyes, and he shifted those pleading eyes to me, then back to Chase. “I swear. I don’t even remember what happened on Saturday.”
Convenient. But I actually believed him. There was too much distress and confusion in Brody’s sappy eyes to be lying. Still didn’t excuse him from being a bigger asstard than Chase. I frowned.
Chase on the other hand was a little harder to convince. “Let me refresh your memory,” he said, tightening his grip.
Brody held up both his hands. “Whoa, wait. I assume that I must have done something worthy of your anger, but I swear, I’m sorry.” When Chase didn’t look remotely convinced, Brody added to his plea, “Really I am.”
I touched a cautious hand to Chase’s shoulder. “Chase,” I warned, in a firm yet soft tone. I had to stop this now.
Chase flinched. He eased his clutch on Brody, but not without a good shove into the wall first for satisfaction. “Next time, not even Angel will be able to stop me from wiping the floor with your face.”
“Was that necessary?” I asked, as we turned down the hallway.
“Define necessary?”
I huffed and hurried to my next class. Sometimes crossing words with Chase was so exhausting, and it was one of those days.
By the time school ended, I was fried. The more I simmered about what could have happened in the hallway, the angrier I got. He could have exposed himself. Lexi. Travis. Me. The drive home was utter silence. We were each mulling in our own parties of rage. Fun.
The moment my foot crossed over the threshold of my front door, I rounded on him. “What the hell was that?” I demanded.
He wasn’t the least put off by my disapproving tone. “I’m sick of him looking at you like you were a hot piece of ass. Not after what happened.”
I rolled my eyes walking straight into the kitchen with him fast on my heels. “You didn’t need to get all Rambo on me.”
“That was for his benefit, not yours.” His tone dropped below freezing, but I was too self-involved in my own anger to notice.
“Errr!” I screamed, whipping around to face him. “You are the most frustrating guy in the universe Chase Winters. You can’t control who looks at me for God’s sake. It’s not your business.”
Suddenly he was in my face, eyes gleaming like fiery meteorites. I gulped and raised my chin. He was not going to intimidate me.
A brow rose. “That’s where you are wrong. It is my business. You. Are. My business.”
I wanted to punt kick him in the nuts, and then stomp my foot down on his, except I couldn’t see his foot. There was no space between us. “Just because I share your mark doesn’t mean you control my life.” Things were getting heated. Things were spinning wildly out of control.