Immortal Consequences(58)

But even with her defensive layers, he could still feel the overwhelming grief choking at his senses. The palpable sadness. There was something hidden here, deep in the recesses of her mind, something she had never allowed anyone to see. August would never violate that privacy, would never even dream of it.

But he still wanted to know…if only to help fix whatever was broken inside her.

He pushed through the surface emotions, falling deeper. He could sense Wren fighting him—a current pulling him backward, a set of invisible hands gripping his wrist. There she is. But he trudged forward, using all his mental strength to counter her defensive measures. It was their usual game of cat and mouse, the give-and-take he was familiar with. But then something shifted. Her resistance slackened. Her usual strength somehow weakened. There was a second of resistance, one final tug on her end, and then her wards snapped and August went hurtling into the core of her mind.

He wrapped his psyche magic around her, iron chains that he knew wouldn’t budge.

Move forward. He whispered the command into her mind. Step off the line.

There was a startled gasp. A choked sound of surprise.

And then August was violently yanked out of Wren’s mind as his eyes snapped open. He didn’t even notice the class around him—the wide eyes watching them with intrigue. All of his attention was focused on Wren. She had stepped off the line, legs shaking, as though even her limbs were in shock from the sudden movement.

“Very good, Mr. Hughes.” Wesley clapped and the classroom clapped along with him, the sound reverberating in August’s ears. “A wonderful demonstration of finely honed psyche skills. Now, if we can get the next person to—”

Wesley’s words were cut short as Wren stormed off, pushing past August. He didn’t hesitate, his own legs moving beneath him as he chased after her, ignoring Wesley’s protests as they exited the classroom and entered the corridor.

Once the door had slammed behind them, August reached out, grabbing Wren by the wrist. She stumbled to a stop, turning abruptly to face him. She was furious, that much was clear. Her cheeks were tinged pink, her eyes almost glassy. She seemed to be either holding back tears or resisting the urge to smack him across the face. Probably the latter, knowing Wren.

“Let. Go.” She gritted her teeth, chin lifted high.

“What is going on with you?” August asked, bewildered.

Wren yanked her wrist free. “Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing,” August hissed. “You’ve never been one to back away from a challenge. To run off when things don’t go your way. And what happened back there? You were barely resisting me! This isn’t like you.”

“Maybe you just don’t know me as well as you think you do,” she countered.

“Bullshit.” August scoffed, leaning in closer. “You are…you are agonizingly talented. It drives me mad.” He rubbed his face in exasperation, a low chuckle rattling in the back of his throat. “You drive me mad.”

Wren shook her head.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Pretend we’re friends. We don’t like each other, August.” She gestured between the two of them, a bitter chuckle escaping her throat. “That’s how this works. I mean, we’ve literally taken turns trying to stab one another for fun.”

“Exactly,” August whispered. “For fun. Come on. Don’t act like you don’t like it.”

Wren scoffed. “I don’t—”

“In fact, I think you love it.” August stepped toward her, closing the space between them, their faces mere inches apart. “Fighting with me. Our constant bickering. The desperate need we have to try to find a way to feel alive. Admit it.”

“No,” Wren replied, voice wavering. “I—I hate you.”

“Do you want to know what I think?” He leaned in even closer. Close enough that he could imagine the feeling of his lips grazing hers. His hands touching her. “I think you hate how much you don’t hate me. You hate how much you enjoy being around me. How much you want to be near me. You hate that this twisted thing between us feels…good.”

Wren didn’t respond. Her eyes bored into his, brimming with defiance. He held his breath, waiting for her to respond, for her to break the spell. He knew he was treading a dangerous line, but hell…he couldn’t help himself. He had to be selfish—just this once. But when she didn’t respond, whatever bravado he had been feeling washed away, replaced by a profound rush of shame.

August cursed under his breath. “Loughty. I shouldn’t have—”

“I have to go,” Wren blurted out, the moment instantly fizzling away.

August leaned his back against the classroom door, surprised to find that his hands were trembling.

“Of course,” he gritted out.

But there was one more thing bothering August, one more thought tugging at his mind. And as Wren turned away from him, prepared to leave, he called out to her.

“Loughty.” He cleared his throat. “Watch yourself around the new girl. I don’t trust her.”

Wren sighed, peering over her shoulder. “You don’t trust anyone.”

“Just…” August shook his head, the words struggling to break free. The corners of his mouth lifted into a rueful smile, almost agonized. “Be careful.”