by Aella Black
I scooted off the bed and picked up the papers. Venom popped upright. “What’s that?”
“This one has your name on it,” I said, handing over the first sheet. The second had my name scrawled across the top.
“Not another rotation change,” Venom whined. “Did you switch?”
My eyes scanned the page. The schedule was different. My heart rate picked up. “Yeah, I think so.”
All thoughts of potential security lapses forgotten, I flopped onto my bed. Minutes later, the lights went out. I lay in the dark, unable to suppress my grin.
Phoebe and I might be in the same rotation. I could finally see her, talk to her more than a few minutes at a time, hold her if she needed comforting. I could protect her.
If it had been difficult to fall asleep before, now it was impossible. Except that I must have drifted off to dreamland at some point, because next thing I knew, that godawful alarm startled me awake.
Venom dressed, grumbling as he did so. The guy didn’t seem to be a big fan of change.
I whistled while zipping up my jumpsuit. Venom eyed me suspiciously. “You’re in a good mood.”
Cracking a smile, I said, “I might get to see some old friends.”
“Don’t hold your breath. This place has a way of disappointing you.”
My smile slipped a little.
No. I wasn’t going to let his negativity bring me down. Not today.
As soon as we walked into the cafeteria, I sought her out. Phoebe had to be in the same rotation as me. She just had to be.
“Hey.”
Spinning around, I found myself face-to-face with Rocky. “I’m glad we’re in the same rotation again,” I said.
And I meant it. Rocky had become a good friend over the past month or so.
We fist-bumped one another. “Have you seen Phoebe?” I asked. “Do you know if she’s in here?”
Rocky shook her head. “Maybe she—”
I followed her gaze, and my heart skipped a beat. Phoebe had just walked through the door, Cathy at her side. Their heads were bent toward one another in conversation. Phoebe laughed, and I felt some of the tension leave my body.
My feet headed her way before my mind told them to.
Stupid feet.
I now had a front-row view to watch Dane sneak up behind Phoebe and tug on her hair. Instead of turning around and giving him a piece of her mind, she gave him a smile so bright I might have squinted had it been directed at me.
My heart plummeting, I stopped in my tracks. I didn’t know why I was surprised to see the two of them interact. Cathy had often reported—and in great detail—that the three of them were now good buddies.
But it was one thing to hear about it, and another thing entirely to see it with my own eyes.
Dane liked Phoebe. A lot. That much was obvious. What I didn’t know was whether the feeling was mutual.
Smile notwithstanding, her body language didn’t indicate she was gaga over the guy. I hoped she wasn’t.
I liked Phoebe. More than a lot. So when her eyes landed on me and she flashed that megawatt smile in my direction, I felt like doing somersaults across the distance that separated us. The fact that I didn’t have to made me the happiest man in the room right now.
Phoebe broke away from Dane and half-jogged over to me.
“Xander!” Cathy’s voice rang out loudly in my head. As good as it was to see Cathy, and as corny as it sounded, I only had eyes for Phoebe.
The blonde, blue-eyed beauty stopped just before she reached me. “No way. Are you in our rotation?”
I nodded, smiling. “Got word last night.”
“That’s so great.” It really was. Good to hear she thought so too.
“Rocky’s with us too,” I said, turning to find that Rocky was right behind me. Also—
“Birdie!” Phoebe lunged toward the little girl.
My smile widened watching their happy hugs. It faded when I noticed Dane hovering behind Phoebe. His gaze, however, was focused squarely on yours truly. Judging by the way his eyes narrowed, he wasn’t happy to see me.
I remembered our fight and the way he talked about Phoebe. Even then, he’d been open about his feelings toward her.
Yeah, well, I’ve liked her a lot longer than he has. Except Phoebe didn’t know that—
Cathy hopped into my arms, hugging me tightly. Dane’s eyebrows rose.
Whatever, man.
He didn’t know the dynamics of our group, because he wasn’t at Leavenworth with us. The shared history of our time there together had to be a point in my favor, right?
Still…
I disentangled myself from Cathy. “We’ve missed you!” she said. “I can’t believe we’re all going to be together again. Are Tex and Cal here?”
Glancing around, I didn’t see them. My stomach sank. “I don’t think so.”
She deflated for half a second, then perked up. “At least you and Rocky are here. And Birdie!” Cathy squealed and practically knocked Phoebe over to get to the little girl.
Birdie was grinning, ear to ear. I sucked in a deep breath. This was good. Most of us were together again, just like at Leavenworth. Things were looking up.
But I really, really wished Dane had been moved to the other rotation.
“Xander.” A heavy hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed.
I clenched my jaw. “Hello again, Dane.”
“Let’s get in line for food. Man, am I starving.”
He was trying to pull the friendly-but-intimidating card. Only I wasn’t about to be intimidated.
The girls followed as we moved toward the breakfast line. “I can’t believe we’re in the same rotation now!” I looked back to see Cathy give Birdie another squeeze. Or maybe it was the same one.
Then she went for Rocky, who dodged Cathy’s outstretched arms. “Not happening,” she growled.
“Happy to see you too, Rocky,” Cathy said with a wink, and we all laughed.
It was a good reunion, even if I was the only one who didn’t get a hug from Phoebe. Well, besides Rocky, who was crazy enough to turn it down.
What mattered was that the crew was mostly together again. And if what Cathy said before was true, Dane had some influence around this place. Fang and Titus did too, and since I’d built a rapport with them during rec time, we now knew three Lansing guys with sway and some serious superpowers.
Only bad thing was that I would have to play nice with Dane.
The line moved up, and Phoebe finally broke away from the other girls. Her face softened when she looked at me. “How are you? I’ve heard you won’t fight, you dummy,” she said, lightly punching my arm.
I couldn’t resist a grin. “Yeah, I’m still in one piece though, right?”
As if to check, she looked me up and down. Though it might have been my imagination, it looked like her face flushed a little.
Now that Phoebe was up close, I saw how dark the skin was under her eyes. How her face had lost some of its fullness. How her cheekbones were a bit sharper than before.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.
She shrugged. “My mom’s a psychopath, and everyone’s out to kill me. Other than that, I’m totally fine.” It was an attempt at humor, but an edge of bitterness coated her words.
My heart twisted. The stress had obviously done a number on her.
“I’m so sorry.” I hoped my tone conveyed just how sorry I was. “I wish I could have been there for you.”
“Don’t worry about it, Chief,” Dane cut in, putting a hand on Phoebe’s shoulder. “I’ve got her covered.”
I didn’t want to say it, but it had to be said. I forced myself to look Dane in the eyes. “Thanks. I really appreciate everything you did for the girls. I’m glad you were there for them.”
Apparently, the use of past tense was lost on the guy. Dane’s grin widened, as if he knew how hard it was for me to force those words out.
We all grabbed breakfast and sat together, Birdie wedged happily be
tween Phoebe and Cathy. Dane sat on the other side of Cathy. Rocky and I sat across the table from them, and she gave me a look that gave me the feeling she was the only one who sensed how uncomfortable I was with Dane around.
Maybe it was because there was no love lost there either.
Dane addressed Birdie. “Nice to meet you, friend of Phoebe and Cathy’s. I’m Dane. What’s your name?”
“Birdie. I can talk to birds,” she said, smiling shyly.
Dane looked impressed. “That’s a unique one. Which bird is your favorite?”
“Robin,” she said without hesitation. Glancing at Phoebe, she added, “But it would be a phoenix if they were real.”
“Birdie’s the one who came up with my nickname,” Phoebe said, with no small amount of pride. Then her expression changed, and she began looking around in every direction. Like she’d lost something. “Oh no...”
“What is it?” Dane asked with obvious concern.
I found it hard to swallow my slice of toast. It was my job to worry about her. Not his.
“Cooper must have switched rotations.” Phoebe groaned. “And we’re all in here. He’s going to be so scared.”
That sounded like an easy fix. “I have no idea who Cooper is, but Cathy, why don’t you tell Tex and Cal to look out for him?”
“Great idea, Xander!” Phoebe’s sweet smile was back, and it was aimed my way.
Problem solved and a point in my favor. Today was even better than I thought it would be.
Dane turned to Rocky next. Eyeing her, he said, “You look like you could take me down in a match.”
“I probably could.” Rocky could always be counted on to tell it like it was.
Unfazed, Dane said, “And confident too. Nice combo. And your name is…?”
Dane was effortlessly charismatic. No wonder he’d had all the girls wrapped around his finger. It was hard to compete with that Hollywood charm.
“This is Rocky,” Phoebe said when it became clear Rocky wasn’t going to answer him. “She was my cellmate at Leavenworth.”
Speaking of… “Where’s Lucy?” I asked Phoebe. “Isn’t she your cellmate now?”
“Oh, we don’t talk about her,” Cathy said. “Not after she leaked all of Phoebe’s secrets. She and Woody would make quite the pair.”
Lucy did that? A small part of me had hoped it was Dane who betrayed Phoebe. No way would she have wanted anything to do with someone who betrayed her trust like that.
“She’s in this rotation, too,” Phoebe said. “Over there.” She pointed to a table across the cafeteria. Lucy sat with a handful of other supernaturals, but they weren’t talking or even looking at one another.
“As you can see her plan backfired,” Dane said. “I wasn’t surprised though. She’s always been an attention seeker.”
“Takes one to know one,” I muttered under my breath.
Or at least I thought I had.
“What’s that, Chief?” Dane asked
I looked up. Phoebe frowned, and Dane’s head cocked to the side like a puppy. It worked, because he looked as innocent as one. “Nothing.” I quickly stuffed more toast in my mouth.
“We’re all going to hang out at rec, right?” Birdie asked, breaking up the awkward silence.
I hadn’t seen her this happy since we left Leavenworth. Lately, she’d been a shell of herself, and this new rotation infused life into her pale face.
“Of course!” Cathy exclaimed. “It’s been the worst without you guys!”
Everyone else might have missed it, but I caught the flash of annoyance that crossed Dane’s face. Hmm, someone didn’t like being a consolation prize.
“Xander!” Frowning, I turned when I heard my name.
Mei bounded over, not nearly as terrifying as she seemed at the beginning of our fight. In fact, she’d been nothing but nice since trying to kill me. The thought made me smile.
“Are you in this rotation now?” she asked, squeezing in next to me.
“Yup.”
“Well, if you ever want to hang with me and my girls during rec, you’re more than welcome. Maybe you can give us all some dance lessons,” she said with a wink.
My smile widened.
Her gaze shifted to take in everyone else at the table before landing on Phoebe and Dane. She narrowed her eyes before getting up back up again.
“Check ya later, Chief,” she said before walking away.
“What was that about?” Rocky asked.
Good question. “That was the girl I, uh, danced with during a match,” I said, taking a sip of orange juice.
Rocky, the master of the obvious, said, “She seems happy you’re in her rotation.”
I glanced at Phoebe to see her reaction. Dane was saying something in her ear, and then he leaned back and laughed. I went cold all over.
It sucked that I couldn’t be near Phoebe for the last however-many-days-it’s-been, but it sucked even more to see how easily Dane had cozied up to her.
Did she have feelings for me anymore? Did she ever? Or was I just a placeholder, my proximity convenient at the time?
Breakfast ended, and the group dispersed with promises to meet back up in the rec room. I turned to go, but Phoebe grabbed my arm. “Xander, wait. Can I talk to you?”
Then she addressed Dane. “See you at rec.” Dane shrugged before flipping his hair and strolling away.
Phoebe’s hand was still curled around my arm in a friendly manner. Her look was decidedly less friendly. “Why did you say that back there?” she demanded.
“Say what?”
“You said, ‘takes one to know one.’ I heard you. We all did.” She lowered her voice. “It’s not a bad idea to make friends instead of enemies here.”
I was surprised how annoyed I was that she was standing up for Dane. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I made myself clear by not fighting that I wasn’t making enemies.”
Phoebe released my arm, a crease forming between her brows. I was frustrated with her, and I still wanted to wipe the wrinkle away. Then I was irritated at myself for wanting to while I was irritated.
“Are you mad at me?”
I raked a hand through my hair. “Why would I be mad at you?”
She shrugged. “You seem, I don’t know… different.”
“Yeah, well maybe there’s a reason for that.” I regretted the words the instant they left my mouth.
Phoebe took a step back. “Are you jealous because I made friends outside of our group? Dane’s not—”
“I’m not jealous.” I took a deep breath to calm myself. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you and Cathy had Dane.” The words tasted like poison in my mouth.
She nodded. “Okay. Well, just try to be nicer to him. Please. I expect Rocky to say things like that, but not you.”
I bit my tongue to keep from saying something else I’d regret. “See you at rec,” was the only safe thing to say.
She nodded. “Yeah. See you.”
As she walked away, I muttered a string of curses under my breath. I’d pushed Phoebe further away just as I got her back.
16
Phoebe
Rec time was beyond awkward.
It almost made me wish the schedule hadn’t changed. Almost.
Xander wouldn’t even look at me. Although after our tense conversation earlier, I wasn’t surprised.
Dane kept absently touching me, which was cute and all, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was doing it to get a rise out of Xander.
Breakfast had given me some serious flashbacks to Leavenworth. Specifically, Woody. To my knowledge, none of us had interacted with him since the escape-attempt-gone-wrong, but his betrayal still cast a long shadow.
The sniping between Xander and Woody weren’t exactly the same as the exchanges between Xander and Dane, but regardless, I had no desire to repeat history. If that meant keeping both boys at arm’s length, then so be it.
But Dane was persistent. It made me wonder if anyone had ever told the guy ‘no’ in his lif
e. Unfortunately for me, he was also so dang charming that it made it difficult to tell him ‘no.’
And things had been so awkward that when he asked me to walk with him around the outdoor rec area, I took him up on the offer. I was suffocating in here.
We left behind the others and lazily strolled around on the grass, weaving between inmates playing games or just lying around, enjoying the fresh air. I would have been perfectly content walking in complete silence for the rest of rec, but Dane had other ideas.
“I have to ask…” No, you really don’t. “Do you and Xander have a thing I’m not aware of?” I opened my mouth to answer, but Dane plowed on. “Because I don’t want to get in the way if you do.”
I sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that. We’re friends.” Friends who kissed. Once. Under extreme circumstances. “I’ve known him since we were kids.”
Dane’s mouth dropped open. “You grew up together?”
“Sort of. We were neighbors until…uh, my family circumstances changed. We moved, and then after that, I only saw him at school. We didn’t exactly run in the same circles.”
“He ignored you?” Dane asked.
“No. We just didn’t have any reason to talk before. It was a big, crowded school,” I added. It was an excuse, and a flimsy one at that.
Dane didn’t need to know that I’d felt invisible around Xander until we were locked up together. That I often wondered whether we’d have ever been this close if we hadn’t been forced to be this close.
“Okay. Just checking.” Dane flashed me a grin. “Have you thought about what I asked you yesterday?”
“A little.” That was a lie. It was practically all I thought about last night.
But today was a whole different story.
We stopped walking and he faced me, waiting patiently for an answer.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to,” I said. “But I just don’t think now is the best time.”
Dane nodded, looking away from me. “I get it. I do.” I thought the conversation was over until he took my hand. “But just so you know, I would never have ignored you.”
