Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
At the top, I paused, expecting him to branch off for his own classroom, but he didn’t. He stayed next to me, his hand brushing the small of my back. It remained there the rest of the way to my classroom’s doorway. He leaned against the frame like he had all the time in the world, ignoring everyone who passed.
“Alright, Sass. This is where I leave you.”
I smiled, brushing my shoulder against his. “Thanks for walking me.”
“Someone’s gotta make sure you end up where you belong. That’s always with me, isn’t it?”
“Whatever you say.”
I turned to go, but his fingers stopped me, brushing along the base of my throat, slow and deliberate, tracing the spot where the necklace chain sat.
“You’re wearing my heart again.”
My breath caught, and this time, there was no hiding it. I tilted my head back to meet his gaze, his height forcing a vulnerable angle.
“I never meant not to,” I said quietly, placing my hand over his, anchoring us in that suspended moment.
Neither of us moved.
We stood there, caught in the silence, eyes locked until two guys approached the classroom door, calling out greetings to Ryder, their voices too casual, too curious. Their eyes darted between us as they passed, and the moment broke.
I cleared my throat, stepping back. “Get to class,” I urged, nudging his chest lightly. “You’re going to be late. I’ll see you later?”
He backed away, already turning with a smile. “As if you have a choice.”
I stood there for another heartbeat, fingers still resting where he’d touched me, before finally slipping into the classroom.
We were halfway across campus, leaves crunching under our shoes as we made our way toward Cultural Ethics in Modern Traditions. It was a class that sounded like it should be taught by someone in a tweed blazer with elbow patches, but somehow managed to be both weirdly interesting and deeply unsettling. I had no clue how it ended up on my schedule, but it made my Wednesdays shorter, so I wasn’t complaining.
Beside me, Kellan adjusted the strap of his oversized backpack and ran a hand over his dark, cropped curls. He was tall and lean with an endless amount of bubbling confidence. Except this morning. The Hunt had struck again. The first thing he’d said when he walked up to me wasn’t his usual sunny hello, but a somber, “I got Marked.”
“You got Marked?” I repeated back.
“Wanna know how they told me?”
“Spill, but just so you know, I’m Marked too, and there’s no way it’s worse than mine.”
“Oh, yeah? They wrote ‘I KNOW WHAT YOU DID’ across the back window of my car, in all caps with red paint. Then they set off the alarm to make sure I saw it. My neighbors thought I was getting robbed. I had to catch a ride here with Noah today.”
“What does that even mean?”
He huffed a bitter laugh. “That someone knows all my dirty secrets?”
I eyed him. “Do you have a lot of those?”
“Don’t we all?”
Point taken. “Well, I’d trade you. I got a dead crow launched through my bathroom window right after I stepped out of the shower,” I revealed in a far lighter tone than I felt.
Kellan stared at me as if I’d just confessed to murder. “Oh, babe. No. What the actual fuck? That’s not a warning, that’s an omen. That’s some ritual sacrifice shit.”
“I didn’t think of it like that, but now you’ve made it worse, so thanks.”
He opened his mouth to respond when both our phones buzzed at the same time. We shared a look and stopped walking, causing a guy behind us to almost barrel into me. Kellan grabbed my arm and pulled me gently out of harm’s way.
The guy brushed past without missing a step, mumbling, “Sorry, Sanj.”
Kellan’s brows pulled together. “Who the hell was that?”
I turned, trying to catch another glimpse of him. His hoodie was up, head down, and he was disappearing into the flow of students further ahead before I could get a good look.
“No clue. Do you think he was in one of our classes?”
“Not one I’ve seen,” Kellan muttered, still watching the crowd like he could pick the guy out by will alone. “Check your phone.”
I dug it out of my bag and went into my text. “Did you get something from the school?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Un-fucking-fortunately.”
I clicked the message and started to read.
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Crowsfell University Board
It’s prime time for another Crowsfell tradition.
The Hunt officially begins: Sunday at 9:00 PM EST.
In the days leading up to the event, all Marked students must be formally notified of their status no later than Friday at 11:59 PM.
Once notification has been received and confirmed, registered Huntsmen may begin their Hunt alone or in mutually agreed pairs at the start time above.
?? Reminder:
All Huntsmen must be officially registered under the Crowsfell Clause. All Marked students must have already provided legal consent by signing the clause within the Crowsfell enrollment packet.