“What RaeRae means is, to balance on the dicks,” Royce teases as the guys grow closer. “As in...” He trails off wiggling his eyebrows. “Ain’t that right?” He looks to me, a big ass, innocent grin on his far from innocent face.

I glance at Victoria who blinks up at him, her head tilted the slightest bit, and a laugh bubbles out of me. I reach for Maddoc’s hand when he extends it, letting him pull me up.

“Nope.” I chuckle. “Not at all what I meant, ponyboy.”

“Ah, come on.” He wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t lie. ‘Ponyboy’ proves you were thinking about the ride, even though it should be more like massive steed.” He grins. “Tell her how good we are, RaeRae. I’m thinking Cap wants to bone her down. Me and him could keep her up through the night, I’d bet.”

Victoria smashes her lips to the side as she pushes to her feet and turns to walk away, but not before I spot the slight blush creeping up her neck.

“You do know we’re not blood brothers, right?!” he calls out, teasing her further. “We can play with our toys at the same time and it not be weird, just sayin’!”

Cap’s glare prompts me to step out of Royce’s hold and then he gives him a solid shove.

“You’re such a dumbass,” Cap grumbles. “I’m going to class. I’ll come get you for second period, Raven.”

I nod, leaning against Maddoc when he steps against me.

Royce just laughs at his own idiocy and bends to snag my uneaten donut with his mouth. He heads for class.

“Thought you were dying for that thing?” Maddoc kisses my wrist as we follow the other two back into the building.

“I was, but after all the shit last night, Cap earlier and then the bomb from your dad, it’s not hittin’ the spot.”

As soon as we walk in the door, Maddoc stops me, slowly pushing me against the wall, hands on my hips, and glares down at me.

I lift my arms, lazily draping them around his neck and he turns his head, running his lips across my skin, smirking when I shiver.

“You’ve switched it up on your people, Big Man. They’re not used to seeing their king get so openly handsy,” I tease.

He steps closer, his hands sliding up my sides, under my sweater, completely ignoring everyone around who has paused to watch with side-eyes. “Don’t care,” he rasps. “They need to see anyway.”

“See what?” I meet his lips with my own.

“What’s mine. I want them jealous and understanding that they can’t have you and I can. Whenever I want.”

I hum against his mouth and he grins but turns serious a second later.

He pulls back a little. “Tell me you know we’re not keeping shit from you because you’re not a part of us.”

“Tell me you understand why I have to try to figure it out on my own.”

His glare intensifies. “I won’t allow you to try and protect me again.”

I let my arms fall from around him and he steps back.

“I told you before, I do what I want.”

“So do I. I will lock you in the fucking house if I feel the need to, Raven.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second, Big Man.”

With that, I walk toward Royce who waits for me with tight eyes outside our classroom door.

I glance back at Maddoc, and the stiffness lining his forehead works as a weight on my shoulders.

Thankfully, Royce senses it and snakes his hand around me. Maddoc tips his head at his brother.

“Chin up, RaeRae,” he whispers. “Don’t let these assholes read you.”

With that, he leads me into the room where we hide our inner issues and pretend we’re as solid as they think. Physically, we are, but mentally we’re becoming a fucking freak show.

We take our seats and not ten minutes in I’m already getting antsy as fuck.

I look at the clock.

It would take me about five minutes to run to the Bray house to try and catch Maybell. That’s ten minutes there and back. Doable.

I was vomiting all day yesterday, so I could get away with playing the upset stomach card. The only issue is getting Maybell to talk and how long it would take to do so.

The boys are like her kids, so her loyalty is to them, but the other day on the porch she was about to tell me something before Maddoc burst outside to make sure I was still there. She must have something she feels the need to say.

I have to try.

I shift in my seat, gripping the edge of the desk when a paper hits my head. I look to Royce.

He glares and shakes his head, knowing damn well what I’m thinking – not even a bathroom break alone is “allowed” at this point.

To further prove my point, the door flies open and Captain ushers a puffed-up Victoria into the room.

She jerks in his hold, her glare flying over her shoulder but he doesn’t even spare her a glance.

He looks to Royce, nods his chin, meets my eyes and walks out.

Victoria slams her paper on the teacher’s desk and then makes her way to me.

Royce chuckles quietly in his seat and looks past me, motioning for the kid on the other side to slide back a few desks, which he does without question, and Victoria drops into it.

She scowls at me. “You are starting to dictate my world without even speaking.”

“Fuck you,” I throw back. “What are you talking about?”

“Seems I’m now in all your classes, you know, as an extra set of eyes. Grown ass girl and you need a babysitter?” she bitches.

I can’t help but smile at that. “I’ve always been a problem child.”

She scoffs, but it comes out as a laugh and she digs out her notebook, instantly cutting me off and focusing on the teacher.

I glance back at Royce who lifts his hands.

“Precaution, RaeRae.”

Precaution, right.

They know by now she won’t snitch me out, even if they asked her to. It’s not in her nature, like sitting on trouble isn’t in mine. I guess they want to be sure I have some sort of backup at all times in case they aren’t around, someone to run to them if needed like she did when Collins attacked me in the bathroom.

“Are you my piss partner?” I whisper to her and she cuts an annoyed look my way.

“Apparently, yeah, but not my first day in this class. I can’t afford to fail. Hold your fucking fists in for twenty more minutes, and we can worry about whatever shit you’re wanting to pull during PE or Study Hall or... something.”

I sit back, satisfied, winking at Royce when he glares at our whispering.

She gets me.

Raven is covered, by either Royce or Victoria, and Cap just now went to class. This gives me a solid thirty minutes to try and get ahead, make some fucking sense of what’s to come.

I slide inside, slamming the door, and his head snaps up.

He jumps to his feet with a glare. “What the hell are you doing?”

His words are strong, but his eyes fly over my shoulder, making sure only one of us stepped through – like one isn’t fucking enough – before cutting back to me.

He can’t go anywhere. He’s trapped in here, with me, until I decide to let him out.

“So, you were on track to be Brayshaw, huh?” I study him. “Yet your brother became a Graven.”