Fallen Crest Alternative Version (10 page)

“I smell a catfight.”

Everything shifted, and I straightened to my fullest height. I swung around and there stood Kate and Parker, both with similar glares on their faces. Parker pulled down her thin top, but it wasn’t enough to cover her frame. Like Kate, her ribcage was showing and it was evident she wore no bra.

“Isn’t it January?” I grumbled. “We’re supposed to wear sweaters this time of year.”

“We’re in California.” Kate stepped towards me. It was more like she stalked towards me. A chill went down my back, and I edged back a step. She walked like a panther would towards its kill. “If you’re cold, have some booze.”

“Yeah.” Parker started forward, but Kate clamped a hand on her arm. She was jerked back. “Drink up, wino.”

“Wino?” Nate materialized at my side. He couldn’t hide his amusement. “Since when did you start drinking?”

“Nate!”

“Parker, stop,” Kate seethed.

I grinned at him before I took the cup he’d been holding. “Tonight, apparently. I’m a wino, you know.”

“I heard.”

“I have a drinking problem.”

He shook his head and tsked me. “You’re so young, Sam. So sad.”

I finished his drink in one swallow. “Tragic even.” And I tried to ignore the burning in my throat. What had he been drinking?

“You two are making fun of me,” Parker screeched as she continued to strain against Kate’s hold. She had one hand on her arm and a tired expression on her face. When she yawned, her fingers let go and Parker stopped in surprise.

She hissed at her, “You’re supposed to hold me back.”

“I’m bored. We can’t do anything.” Kate gestured to Nate. “He’s here.”

“Nate. Leave.” Parker turned to him.

His grin grew. “You leave.”

“Come on. Just go. Please.” Her smile turned seductive. “I’ll make it worthwhile.”

He mirrored in Kate’s boredom. “Been there for the night.” Then he smirked. “And we all know you’ll come crawling back later.”

She flushed. “I won’t now.”

When she turned and stomped away, he called after her, “Good to know. I’ll look for someone else.”

She froze, twisted back around, and opened her mouth. Kate yanked her behind as she led them away now. “That was stupid of you.”

We heard Parker mumble, “He wasn’t supposed to call my bluff—”

“Idiot.”

I turned with a grin on my face, but—slap! My head snapped to the side, and a stinging spread from my cheek. I sucked in my breath at the pain and looked back with a glare.

Cassandra had her arm extended back for another slap.

A growl burst out of me and I started to charge her when she was yanked to the side and an arm pulled me backwards. I kicked at them. “Let me go!”

“She’s a bitch!” Cassandra screeched. “Let me go, Adam! She deserves this.”

His head was bent low as he whispered something to her. It enraged her further, and she clawed at his arm. “Let go! Let go! Let go!”

“Get her out of here!” Nate’s voice was rough. His arm tightened around my waist, and he lifted me in the air. When he started to walk away, he barked again, “Get her the hell out of here. All of you go!”

“Nate,” Mark started.

“Out!” he roared back. He glanced at the crowd. “Get ‘em out. Now.”

The guys clipped their heads in nods and started ushering Adam and Cassandra towards the cars. Mark stood closer to his girl, but when the guys descended on them, she waved goodbye to him. He was scooped up with the rest of them.

“Sam!”

Becky was being led away by a guy I recognized from the bonfire earlier. She tried to duck under his arm. “Let me stay.”

Nate growled in my ear, “She goes with them. I don’t want any of them here.”

I clambered over his shoulder and yelled back, “Go home. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sam? What about my car?” I saw Adam at a different car. Amelia and Cassandra were already inside. They were both sulking and crying at the same time.

“I’ll get it home. Go.”

Nate swept around the barn’s corner then and they were gone from our sight. He settled me on my feet but kept a hand on my arm. “You okay?”

I nodded and pressed my palm to my face. “That was a bitch slap.”

“Yeah.” He nodded and grinned ruefully. “You were going to lay one out on her.”

“I wanted to.” I studied him. “Why’d you stop me?”

He jerked a shoulder up. His tone was rough. “Because I could barely contain myself. If I didn’t get you out of there, I was going to lay into her too.”

That image brought a smile to my face. “I would’ve liked to see that.”

He shuddered. “Not me. I’d be in jail and my folks would have me shipped back to Brazil. It would be a year before they’d allow me back here.”

“Brazil?”

“It’s where they’re at.”

“Oh.” I frowned as I remembered I had no idea what Nate’s parents did for a living or where he lived besides his cabin. I was about to ask when Mason separated from a group by one of the bonfires. He approached and a frown grew the closer he got.

“What happened to her?”

“Hello. Right here.”

Nate held his gaze. “She got attacked.”

“Who?” Mason bit out and his hand crumpled his can. The savagery in his tone made me breathless. My heart skipped a beat.

“Kate and Parker were the first ones. They didn’t touch her, but after I sent them off, she was slapped by that Cass bitch.”

A derogatory name slipped from Mason before he caught my face and lifted it for examination. “Ouch!” I hissed from the sudden movement, but he rubbed a gentle thumb over my cheek.

“It’s already getting red.”

I sensed the anger in him and knew he was struggling to control it.

“Bitch.”

Nate nodded in agreement. “I had them all shipped out.”

Mason cursed. “No more fucking parties with Academites.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Then Mason held me against him and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You okay?”

“She was getting ready to wallop her when I pulled her back. She would’ve socked her a good one.” The amusement was evident in Nate’s voice. There was pride too. “She’s a fighter.”

CHAPTER NINE

When I woke, the room was dark, but I felt Mason climb off the bed. “Where…?”

He patted my arm but went to his door. That was when I realized someone had been knocking on it, and I sat up as the hallway light filtered inside. Mason kept the door tight behind him and blocked my view to whoever was there. After a quiet conversation for a few seconds, he shut the door again and padded over to me.

“Who was that?”

Mason crawled next to me and slid a hand over my waist. He tugged me close and then raised himself up on an elbow. “My dad.”

“Your dad, but why—” And then I remembered.

Becky had been crying.

Kate and Parker had been mean.

Cassandra had slapped me. I hissed at that memory and touched the side of my face.  Nate ordered all of them gone.

I spent the rest of the night tucked between Mason and Logan. Nate was beside Mason, and we remained around a bonfire until three in the morning. When we returned to town, Mason had been about to drop me off at Garrett’s, but I told him to head to the Kade mansion instead.

I wanted to be in his bed. Then I had the other realization that shook me.

The Kade mansion was my home. Somewhere over the last five months, this place had become my home. When I admitted that to myself, I had to hold back tears. I didn’t know why, but for some reason it made me tremble. I tucked my hands underneath my legs. It was never good to show weakness.

Mason hadn’t said much, but I knew he could tell. He made love to me in a tender way that left me breathless during and afterwards. Then he held me as tears slipped down my face. Neither of us spoke a word. We had fallen asleep like that.

“What time is it?”

He groaned as he checked the clock. “Six thirty or so.” He nuzzled underneath my jaw and chuckled. His breath teased my skin. “Guess we know what time Garrett got home, huh?”

I could’ve smacked my forehead. “I forgot to text him and tell him where I was going to be tonight.”

Mason cursed. “Forget him.”

I slid my fingers through his hair and tugged his head up. His eyes sparkled from the moonlight as he grinned down at me. “What else did James say?”

A dark look flared for a moment. Then he replaced it with annoyance and collapsed next to me. “Your mom wants a family meeting.”

My heart stopped. “When?”

He cursed again. “I have no idea. We have to finish that tournament today so it’s not today. I know that much.”

“Where?”

“The tournament?”

I swatted his chest. “The family meeting.”

Mason looked over. “Are you serious? Don’t you usually avoid things?”

I shrugged in the bed. “Maybe I’m proactive now?”

He rolled his eyes but reached for me. I was lifted in the air and placed on top of him. My eyes sparked as I straddled him with my hands on his chest. He caught them and rolled again. I was on my back. This time, he straddled me and my hands were held captive above my head.

“You’re proactive now?” he asked as he bent low and started to lick underneath my jaw.

I gasped and squirmed when he moved lower. “Don’t you have a tournament today?”

He gave me a look filled with promise and tucked two hands on the inside of my underwear. As he whisked them off and scooted even lower, I sucked in my breath, feeling his lips linger at the apex between my legs and his tongue swirl between them.

I forgot all about the tournament.

*

When I rolled over, the bed was empty beside me. The clock said it was past eleven, and I felt bone tired. Mason left a note on his desk with a set of keys beside it. The tournament was still in Roussou, and they would be back late. After I showered and changed in my room, I grabbed Adam’s keys and headed downstairs. When I passed the kitchen, Mousteff stuck his hand out. A steaming cup of coffee drew me closer. It smelled of heaven and French vanilla. I grabbed the to-go cup with a smile of thanks. He grunted to the kitchen, and I heard a chopping sound soon after.

Like old times.

Once I found Adam’s car in the spacious garage, between James’ BMW and his Mercedes Benz, I called Adam to see where he wanted me to drive his car. He told me not to bother.

“I’m at Mark’s right now. I can run over in an hour.”

“Is that Sam? Tell her to come over,” Malinda hollered in the background.

Before he could relay the message, I chuckled. “On my way.”

It wasn’t long before I parked his car on the street and rang their doorbell. Malinda threw it open a second later. She wore a long blue silk robe with her hair up in matching curlers. A smile stretched from ear to ear as she held a phone to one of them.

She waved me in. “Come in, come in.” Then she turned away. “Oh, not you. David’s daughter was at the door…”

As she went to the kitchen, I went to the dining room and stopped short at the sight before me. Mark and Adam were hunched over in their seats. Each wore gym pants and sweat shirts with messily rumpled hair. Their eyes looked soft around the edges, and I wondered if they’d just woken up. Adam ran a hand through his blonde hair, his eyes sparkling. “Hey, Sam.”

Mark grunted as he dug his fork into a pile of pancakes in front of him. “Hi, Samhow’sitgoing?” He shoveled two thirds of a pancake into his mouth as he reached for more syrup.

“Hey, guys…” I was amazed. There was no other word as I took in the buffet before them.

There was a dish piled high with pancakes next to one with French toast. A bowl of sausage was at the other end of the table beside a bowl of bacon. In the middle were three different flavors of syrup, butter, whip cream, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips…my eyes couldn’t take it all in. My stomach rumbled in protest when I caught a whiff of a fresh batch of—I turned around and my mouth fell open—omelets.

Malinda walked past and placed a dish with omelets piled high. Hard boiled eggs were added to it, along with a separate bowl with scrambled eggs.

“Here, honey.”

I turned in time as Malinda shoved a cup in my hand. She filled it with coffee and then dumped creamer and sugar afterwards. A small spoon was plopped into it, and she blasted me with a smile. “Sit, honey. Sit.” She nudged me to the table.

Adam chuckled as I sat across from him, wide eyed. He ran a hand over his face. “Yeah, I couldn’t believe it at first either. My mom doesn’t cook and she exists on egg whites, coffee, and energy drinks. She claims they’re healthy drinks, but its crap.” He gestured to Malinda, who was popping bread into a toaster. “She’s not at all like Mark’s mom.”

“It’s Malinda.” She pretended to shoot him a glare but turned back to the phone with a charming purr.

Mark elbowed him. “You gotta try some of these omelets. My mom makes them with feta cheese. Mmmm. Ilothemessomuch.”