2. River

River

“ G oddammit,” I mumble as I clutch my side.

I’m sitting in the hospital waiting room on northside. Finn rushed me to it after I was shot. But the bullet just grazed my side, so I’m not a top priority to be seen. It’s not what I’m used to, but I’m also aware that makes me entitled. It’s something Maddy has opened my eyes to—that my royal blood simplifies many things. Although, I feel like complications come with it, like if I’m not careful and I’m spotted here, the paparazzi will get word of it, and then my father will.

If that happens, I’ll be in so much shit. I’m already worried about what will happen when he realizes I’m dating Maddy. It’s not like I’m forbidden to date. However, my father won’t like that I’m dating someone from a lower class.

That won’t stop me, though. I like Maddy. A lot.

Even though it was a graze, it still hurts like a bitch and is bleeding. It’s been a while since it happened because I had to pay Drew off before we could leave and that took a while. I’m still wary of whether Drew will back off from bothering Maddy, but I’ll keep an eye on her.

And like I mentioned already, I’ll make Drew pay for what he did to her. I just need to come up with a plan on how to do that. Calculative and careful—that’s how it needs to go.

“How bad are you bleeding?” Finn asks as he sits beside me, scanning the crowded room while bouncing his knee up and down.

I lift the towel pressed to the wound and check. “It’s not too bad.”

He leans over to look, his frown deepening. “This is taking too long.” He gets up and strides over to the front desk.

“I’ve never seen him this stressed,” Noah mutters from the chair beside mine.

I press the towel back to the wound. “Maybe he’s changed since we all stopped being friends.”

“Has he?” Noah questions, thrumming his fingers on the armrests.

“Not really.” I glance at my brother, who’s talking to the nurse behind the desk.

He keeps yanking his fingers through his hair and shifting his weight.

“I think this situation is getting to him.” I slump back in the chair and let my head rest against the wall behind me. “He’s not used to this kind of stuff.”

“You mean, having to take care of you?” Noah says while stretching his legs.

He’s right, but I’m not about to sit here and talk about Finn. Instead, I ask, “You want to explain why you were down in northside?”

He fiddles with the zipper on his hoodie. “Not really.”

I suck in a breath through my nose, trying to keep my patience. “I think, since Finn and I came and saved your ass, you should give us an explanation.”

He stares at the floor. “I can’t.”

I press the towel harder against my side and wince. “Why not?”

“Because I can’t.” When he lifts his gaze to mine, his eyes are full of what looks like fear.

What is he so afraid of?

“What the hell happened?” I ask. “And I mean, with everything. We used to be like brothers.”

He smashes his lips together and stares at the door. “Used to be. Not anymore.” With that, he stands. “I’m going to go get some fresh air.” He rushes across the room and exits through the sliding glass doors.

What in the hell is he hiding? Because while we might not be like brothers anymore, I still know him well enough that I can tell he has a secret, one that has him afraid.

Thirty minutes later, I’m being checked out by a doctor. I think Finn used our family name to move the process along, which makes me feel both bad and relieved. It’s a complicated feeling, knowing we’re using our wealth to get what we want, but the pain is also starting to spread.

The wound is too round to get stitches, but the doctor cleans it, bandages it up, and gives me some painkillers. He doesn’t even act suspicious when I tell him it’s a bullet wound.

By the time we leave the hospital, the sun has risen over the peaks of the mountains, and the pain medication is making me drowsy. I end up falling asleep in the car.

When I wake up, we’re back at the academy. Finn has parked my car in a spot near the front, and Noah is bailing out of the back seat.

Finn shakes his head as he watches him stride toward the academy. “He’s annoying the shit out of me,” he mumbles as he pockets the keys.

“He has a secret,” I say through a yawn. “And it has him spooked.”

Finn glances at me as he shoves the car door open. “How do you know that?”

I shrug, blinking a few times. “While you were talking to the nurse, I asked him what happened, and he got tense then took off. I could tell he was scared.”

A crease etches between his brows. “What the hell do you think it could be?” He reaches to grab his phone from the middle console, and I notice he has dried blood on his hand—my blood.

Because I was shot.

I’m unsure if the reality of that has fully set in.

I have blood all over my shirt, as well, but I put on a jacket that was in the back seat so it’s mainly concealed.

“I’m not sure,” I tell him tiredly.

“Well, why does he not just tell us?”

“We’re not friends anymore. Why would he tell us?”

He wavers. “True. He told Maddy, though.”

“He hasn’t told her everything.” The mention of Maddy has my heart speeding up, even with the sedative in my veins. “And I don’t think he purposefully got her involved in this. But I don’t know all of the details because she told me to talk to Noah and ask for myself because she didn’t want to tell his secrets.”

A trace of a smile tugs at his lips. “That sounds like something she’d say.” His smile fades as moves to duck out of the car. “Speaking of Maddy, we should go make sure her and Lily are okay.” He closes the door.

I push my door open and carefully climb out. I have to move slowly or the wound starts to throb. I shut the door and round the front of the car. Thankfully, it’s early enough that hardly anyone is awake. That way, no one should see me like this. It’s going to set me back a handful of days with my training, which sucks, but I’ll be okay. Maddy will blame herself, of course, when she finds out.

I’m not thrilled at the idea of keeping secrets from her, but I’m not keen on telling about this either.

In my head, I go over ideas on the best way to tell her while Finn and I walk up the stairs and into the academy. Our footsteps echo against the domed ceilings of the empty hallway. Not all of the lights are turned on, so the alcoves are shadowed over. Finn is uncharacteristically quiet, his expression set in deep thought. I let him be, figuring it’s probably a combination of exhaustion and worry.

As he reaches up to sweep his hair out of his eyes, I realize another problem—the dried blood on his hands. And, while the jacket conceals most of the blood on me, a few drops are on my hands, too.

“Lily will flip if she sees blood on us,” I say before we get to our dorm room. “We need to make sure she doesn’t. And I don’t want Maddy seeing it either.”

“I have a feeling Maddy doesn’t have a problem with blood,” Finn informs me but slows to a stop in the middle of the hallway. “But you’re right. Lily will have a panic attack if she sees us like this … We can shower in the locker room and change into some workout clothes.”

“Good idea.”

We turn around and start making our way toward the locker room.

Fortunately, it’s empty, and five minutes later, I’m scrubbing the blood off my flesh.

The doctor instructed me not to get the wound wet, so I have to keep one side of my body out from the spray of the showerhead. It’s a pain in the ass, but I manage.

I’m a lot slower than Finn, and I’m not done when he calls out, “I’m done. Do you need help? Or can I head back to the dorm and check on things?”

He’s worried. So am I.

While the society said I’d completed the task to get in, which was them taking Maddy and leaving her in the woods, I don’t believe they’ll simply leave her alone now. Not when she was already on their radar. Plus, she may be connected to a once hunted bloodline that became extinct. Although, if Maddy is an Everford, then the bloodline isn’t extinct, which puts her in danger.

“Go check on them,” I call out over the water hitting the tiled floor.

“Are you sure?” he checks.

I think he might be worried about me.

I’m fine, though.

I am.

I always am.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I assure him.

A few moments later, I hear a door click shut.

I’m alone with nothing but the steam of the shower and the throbbing of my wound for company. My chest feels tight, and I lower my head against the wall and breathe in and out.

I try to fight it, try to get my body to give in to the numbness of the pain medication. But in the end, my anxiety overwhelms me. I gasp for air, clawing at the wall. The water is humid and complicates breathing, so I hurriedly shut it off. I still can’t get air into my lungs, and I’m on the verge of passing out when I hear voices coming from inside the locker room.

“Do they know if it’s her?” a guy says, his voice laced with familiarity.

“I think Eli is almost positive she is, but I don’t know … He’s got some sort of vendetta against this chick, anyway, so can we really trust him?” another guy replies over the sound of a locker shutting.

“Maybe he just wants to fuck her,” the first guy replies. “She’s hot. I bet she’s a lot of fun, too.”

“Yeah, but she’s northside,” the other says. “God knows what diseases she’s carrying between her legs.”

I grit my teeth with so much force that my jaw pops. While I’m not usually a violent person, I want nothing more than to go out there and punch both of them in the face. The only thing that stops me is that I’m wound and doped up.

I suck in a breath, reining in my rage the best that I can, and instead listen. But the room grows quiet, so I’m assuming they left.

What I want to know is why Eli has a vendetta against Maddy. Is it because Maddy is an Everford? Even if that’s true, that still doesn’t explain why Eli is so fixated on her. Unless he knows and is slowly hunting her?

That thought puts me on edge.

But no. There’s no way that could be true. Eli is an asshole, but a killer …? There’s no way.

And yet, the drop of doubt residing inside me has me questioning everything.