Page 15 of Alluring Darkness
The others just watch me as I push my chair away from the table and then stride towards the doors. Leaving the library behind, I instead set course for the chemistry lab.
Deep down, I know that I should have stayed. I need to find out who tampered with Connor’s rifle, and that means that I need to continue stealthily interrogating people. But I can’t do that when all I can think about is what color that girl’s face would be if I just happened to slip some poison into her drink one day.
I need to clear my head, and the best place for that has always been a chemistry lab. So I will mix some poison for Resting Bitch Face in order to calm down, and then I can decide whether I’m going to actually use it on her or not.
My head is still spinning with annoyance and questions and plans as I round the next corner.
And slam straight into someone’s chest.
A hiss sounds as he sucks in a breath of pain between his teeth.
The collision sent me stumbling a step back, and when I finally right myself and look up, I’m met with Connor’s still bruised face.
His gray eyes go wide as they lock on me. “Raina?”
I didn’t expect him to be up and about quite this fast, so for a few seconds, I just stare at him while I’m trying to figure out how to play this. Since I still haven’t figured it out, all I manage to say is, “Hey, Con.”
Confusion washes over his features. Then he flicks a quick glance up and down the corridor, as if he’s worried that someone might see me. Grabbing me by the shoulder, he pulls me into an empty office and then closes the door. I’m thankful for the extra seconds to formulate a plan.
There is no way that I can tell Connor what I’m really doing here. He might think I’m crazy and odd, but I know that he’s very protective of me. So if he finds out that I’m here to be a shield for him against Eli’s wrath, he will do everything in his power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m pretty sure he would even go so far as to tell Eli what I’m doing. And we can’t have that.
So I decide to play to his insecurities. He is carrying our family’s entire burden on his shoulders, and I know that he is secretly worried that he won’t be able to do it. That he will fail and let us down. Let Dad down. And if I hit him there, he will miss even the most obvious clues in his anger and hurt. I know that it’s cruel. But it’s the only way I can protect him.
“What are you doing here?” Connor asks, eyes wide with confusion, once we’re out of sight.
While blocking out the guilt twisting inside me, I frown at him and shake my head as if the answer to that should have been obvious. “Studying.”
“Studying? What do you mean,studying?”
“At Blackwater University. I’ve enrolled as a student.”
He jerks back, completely baffled. “What? Why?”
“Because someone needed to step up and try to save our family from ruin.”
He looks like I’ve just slapped him across the face. Pain stabs through my heart at the hurt that flashes in his eyes.
“You think I’m not good enough?”
Since I don’t trust myself to speak, I just shrug.
Anger joins the terrible hurt in his eyes. “So, what? You think you can just… take my place? That you can just magically fix everything? I’ve spentyearsworking for this, Raina!”
“Yeah, well, since you’ve clearly made enough enemies to land you in the hospital wing instead of focusing on your classes, I think we need a backup.”
“You?”
“Me.”
“You’re delusional. You’re not even trained for this, Raina. You won’t be helping our reputation. All you will be doing is further tarnishing it, because you don’t know a single thing about this world!”
“Then don’t tell them that I’m your sister. Tell them that you have no fucking clue who I am. But I’m not leaving.”
“Fine,” he snaps. “That’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Good. Because I can’t have him accidentally blowing my cover with Eli.
For a few seconds, the two of us just stare each other down. My heart is breaking at the sight of that anger and pain in Connor’s eyes when he looks at me. But I swallow down the lump in my throat while trying to convince myself that this is for the best.