Wild and Out of Control

|chapter eighteen|

"Always remember to gain trust within your friend group, Dani. You may not trust them at first, but in time, you must learn how to. Trust is a fundamental element in the success of a Squad, and trust goes both ways. If you don't trust them, what makes you think that they'll trust you?"

- PAGE 85, THE BOOK OF ANTONY

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|danica|

"What did Professor Devera say at today's Battle Brief, Dani?" A few moments go by until there's a figure in front of me. "Hello? Are you listening?" Violet waves her hands in front of me.

     I snap my head up, my elbow slipping off the table, and wood fills my vision as my head greets the table with a hard thud. I groan as I rub my forehead with one hand while I use the other to pick up the knocked-over pencils. I meet Violet's expecting gaze, ignoring Liam, and smile at her. "Umm, I think it was something about...something."

     She scoffs, clicking her tongue and turning toward the tall and blond man sitting next to me. "You see Liam? This is what I've been dealing with these past couple of days. What you've been dealing with as well, I can guess." Violet makes her way across the table until she stands behind me, and starts to rub my shoulders with a comforting pressure. "What's been on your mind as of late, Dani?"

     "Nothing." Xaden Riorson's hands on me. Xaden Riorson kissing me. Xaden Riorson in general.

     It's been days since our kiss in the private gym, and I haven't seen him since. I guess he's the one ignoring me this time. But that kiss...It wasn't like any of the other kisses I had with other men. It was full of passion, hunger, and lust with a hint of possessiveness. 

     I know it was wrong, but...

     Man did it feel right.

     I shake my head and grimace at the fact that I thought kissing Riorson was right. The hell it was. It was just in the heat of the moment and was completely and utterly wrong. He shouldn't have kissed me and I shouldn't have kissed him back.

     "Yeah, sure, it's nothing," Liam mutters from his seat next to me, carving those little wooden figurines of his. "You've been acting strange these past couple of days and a certain someone has also been acting strange these past couple of days."

     Violet drops her stack of books on the table and scoots up close to Liam. "Really? Who? And how does this connect to Danica?" Violet flutters her beady little eyes at him and I groan into my arms. She's flirting with him. Just great. "Tell me, please." 

     "Well, I only...only—" He falters when Violet bats her eyelashes at him. He clears his throat and shifts in his seat. "I saw that our Wingleader has been very...angry as of late. Well, more angry than usual."

     Violet gasps as she whirls on me and pins me with a shocked stare. "What did you do, Dani? Did you step on his foot or something? Oh wait!" she adds, her eyes flaring as she remembers something. "Xaden had Danica stay behind during gym training the other day so they could 'talk'." She snaps her fingers. "Something happened in the gym that pissed both of the assholes off and that's why they're in a mood. That's it!"

     Liam and Violet turn with me both wearing shit-eating grins as they look at me expectantly. "So, come on, tell us," Liam drawls, his Tyrrish accent coming out. "What happened in that gym?"

     I laugh, but then turn serious. "No. Nothing happened in the gym. He just wanted to talk about what happened that night Oren and his gang broke into my room because we didn't really get the chance to talk. And the fact that he executed Amber Mavis."