Strength (Mark of Nexus #1) (4 page)

He cleared his throat, and I jumped.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you earlier.”

I tilted my head back. “What?”

His expression softened with an indiscernible emotion. “Your arms.”

My arms
? Was he talking about the bruises? That didn’t make sense. They were covered by my sweatshirt.

I opened my mouth but couldn’t find the words to question him. What if this apologetic act was all part of his snare? He could be trying to lure me back to his bedroom or worse. I had to be careful.

“What makes you say that...?” I paused, motioning for him to fill in the blanks.

“Wallace.” He started to reach out and hesitated. “Uh, Wallace Blake.”

I grabbed his hand and gave my strongest handshake, ignoring the tingling sensation that spread throughout my palm and up my wrist. My fear was morphing into adrenaline. I could do this. I could take the madman. “All right, Wallace Blake, what makes you say that?”

He pulled his hand back. “You’re already bruising.”

“How would you know?” I crossed my arms and spread my legs into a stance so wide, my line of vision dropped to the center of his chest. It probably wasn’t as intimidating as I’d hoped.

The sirens got louder as the trucks rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop.

He clenched his jaw. “I saw your arms.” With a tilt of his head, he gestured toward the other side of the parking lot. “I didn’t mea—”

“That?” I cut in, too uncomfortable to hear the rest. “That was nothing.”

Urgent flashes of red dashed over his face, but he didn’t so much as blink—his gaze determinedly locked on mine. “You sure?”

He wasn’t getting it.

“Look, I appreciate you coming to check on me, but I’m fine. Really.” Without thinking, I pushed on his chest, just as I would’ve Aiden’s or my brother’s. “You’ve atoned.”

He didn’t budge.

My mouth came unhinged as I realized what I’d done.

“Shit.” I ripped my hands away and took a step back “Sorry.”

His brows nearly lifted to his hairline.

Shit. I mean, crap.
He must not like to be touched. He wouldn’t do something with all of these people around, would he? My pulse started pounding out a warning. “Hey, I didn’t mea—”

His dimples betrayed the slightest of grins, and he shook his head. “I get it. It’s fine.”

My heart skipped a few beats. For a second there, I thought I was going to have to run. As much as I wanted to downplay his reputation, I was still bracing for some kind of psychotic meltdown. Gorgeous or not, the guy was a time bomb.

I needed to come up with an excuse to get away. Whatever he was doing, it was starting to have an effect on me. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down—not when I was this tired.

He studied me for a moment. “So, it doesn’t hurt?”

“Ugh. Just let it go,” I pled before I realized what I was saying. It was obvious he was forcing himself to stand there and make small talk. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?

“Let what go?”

“This.” I gestured between us, before smoothing my hair against the wind. “I told you I’m fine, so there’s no reason for you to worry about it. It’s not like you know me.”

“Fine.” His gaze lifted over my head, and he nodded toward the building. “Looks like they’re going in, anyway.”

“Good.” I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, everyone was starting to swarm the entrance. Well, almost everyone.

Gabby came charging through the crowd. “Hey!” She waved her arm back and forth. “I’ve been looking all ov—” She stopped short a few feet away. “Oh, hi.”

Ah, hell. I knew that look. She had no clue who he was, and she was undressing him with her eyes.

“Gabriela Hernandez.” She looked up through her lashes, flashing a demure smile. “I’m Rena’s roommate.”

He furrowed his brow like he was trying to decipher her words.

“I’m Rena,” I cut in, hoping to avoid further confusion. “Rena Collins.”

His gaze slid back and forth between us, and he finally nodded. “Ah.”

Gabby didn’t miss a beat, sidling up beside him as we wandered toward the line at the door. “And you are?”

He didn’t seem fazed by the blatant attention. “Wallace Blake.”

She jerked her chin back, looking explosive. “The crazy guy?”

“Gabby!” I slammed my palm against my forehead. “Filter.”

Her eyes widened. “I-I...well, I just...” She bounced on the balls of her feet, eyeing the diminishing crowd. “Oh look, there’s Aiden.”

Before I could say anything, she darted ahead, leaving me to deal with the consequences. Great. I ran a hand through my hair and glanced up at him. “She didn’t mean...”

He offered me a grim, emotionless smile. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s not like you know me, right?”

Guilt rushed past on a frigid gust, and all at once, it hit me. Her assumption had hurt him.

My
assumption had hurt him.

I was wrong, and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so bad about it.

Chapter Five

Fweeeeet!

My body jolted and I gripped the mattress, struggling to place the shrill, skull-piercing sound. I cracked one eye open. “What the—”

“Could you hear me, if I were getting attacked?” Gabby stood by the door, holding a small, silver tube to her lips. “Do you think it gets attention?”

“We’ll soon find out,” I said in a rough voice, “Because I’m going to kill you.”

She gave a cutesy little grin and flopped down on her bed. “Hey, rape whistles are the first line of defense. You should be happy.” The metal glinted in the light as it dropped to her chest, following the weight of her keys.

I wasn’t happy.

My head was throbbing, and she wasn’t making any sense. I pushed myself into a sitting position. “Remind me again why I’m happy.”

“Uh, I woke up early and walked all the way to the security office in the snow?” She reached into her pocket, produced a second whistle, and tossed it in my direction. “Put that on your lanyard. It’ll help protect us from Wallace.”

Wallace...

I caught the whistle with both hands and flinched, recalling how the night had ended. After Gabby’s little faux pas, his entire demeanor had changed...

No, that wasn’t right. I’d been the one to hurt him; her outburst just brought everything out into the open.

He didn’t say another word after that, not even when we crowded into the same elevator. I’d been given the silence I asked for, and it was suffocating. By the time I made it back to our room, my stomach was in knots.

I didn’t say anything when I collapsed onto my bed. I just lay there, praying the whole thing had been a dream. Gabby must’ve interpreted that as me being miffed about what happened. The whistle was her peace offering.

I got up and straightened my pajamas. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

It was a typical exchange. In a room this small, there’s no place to hide tension. One of us always ends up buying the other’s forgiveness.

“So, what were you guys talking about last night?” she asked.

I drew in a slow breath and forced the whistle onto the tiny, metal ring. She had to bring it up. “He apologized.”

Her gaze lingered on my shoulders. “For running into you?”

“Yes, and before you ask, I don’t know why I bruised,” I said. “I’m probably just vitamin deficient or something.”

Her brows knit. “Ree, that’s all that happened, right?”

“Yeah, I told you that.”

“Okay, because he’s a really big guy, and you’re pretty little. I just don’t want to think about him shoving you around or something. I mean, if he did...you’d tell me, right?”

I felt offended. I shouldn’t have, but I did. She didn’t think I could take care of myself—even worse, thought I would lie about it. “He didn’t lay a hand on me, other than to keep me from falling.” I held up my hand like I was taking an oath. “I promise.”

And if she didn’t buy it, I was going to smack her with my oath hand.

She eyed me for a moment and sighed, crossing her arms. “Okay, I believe you, but Aiden’s going to need some convincing. He doesn’t trust that guy.”

“He’s just afraid of the big, bad wolf.” I stretched with a yawn. “He’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know, but I definitely didn’t expect the infamous suitemate to look like
that
.” Her eyes went round, and she fanned herself. “Boy’s got some serious tall, dark, and handsome going on.”

I crossed the room, too brittle to feign nonchalance. “I guess.”

“Oh, whatever. Don’t act like you didn’t notice. Those big Neanderthal types are right up your alley.” She snickered, back to her usual self. “If he weren’t bat shit crazy, I’d go for him.”

“How do you know he’s crazy?” I yanked the cabinet doors open and surveyed my wardrobe. A thrifty, colorful mess—just like me. “Everyone keeps saying that, but how do any of us know?”

“Well, it’s not like there’s any other explanation. The school isolated him. He’s always screaming and growling to himself in his room. He’s gorgeous, but nobody talks to him. You think any of that’s normal?”

I made a face. She had a point. “I don’t know. I just feel bad writing him off like that.”

“Do you like him or something?”

I spun around. “Are you serious? I don’t even know the guy. I’m just trying to be fair.”

She raised one eyebrow. “Okay, but you never had a problem with it before.”

Ouch.

I turned around, grabbed a random t-shirt, and bumped the doors shut with my elbow.

“
Well, maybe it’s because I’ve got a face to put with the stories now.” My stomach twisted. “It’s like those commercials raising money for kids in third-world countries. You see them and feel like a jackass.” Not my most poignant speech.

“I guess.” She shot me another one of those crazy looks. “I just don’t get why you’re defending him all of the sudden.”

Oh my gosh. I had to leave before I started having PMS-induced, homicidal thoughts again. “I’m gonna hit The Rec,” I said, cramming things into my gym bag. “We can finish this later.”

“What’s your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem.” I hoisted the bag over my shoulder and headed for the door. “I’ll see you later.”

~

For the past five semesters, the Fitness & Recreation Center has been my sanctuary. I mean, I love my friends, but this is the only place I can go off the radar. Nobody bothers me here. I think it has something to do with the smell—a mix of sweat, leather, and chlorine
. Mmm…

I fished around inside my bag until I found my red wraps. For now, I had the bag room to myself, but it probably wouldn’t last long. With quick, practiced movements, I bound both wrists and hands before shoving them into black gloves. I’m not much of a fitness freak.

I may frequent this facility, but it’s not in pursuit of anything admirable. To be honest, I’m just a vice girl. When things get tough, I tear into a heavy bag. It’s not a workout, despite the cardio and muscle-building benefits; it’s the only socially acceptable way to indulge in my love of hitting things.

Not that I should admit that.

I shadowed punches for a few minutes, releasing sharp breaths through my mouth. I’m the first to admit I’m a novice. I mean, I know the basic techniques well enough; I’m just leery of someone coming in to scrutinize my form. I’ve never dealt well with criticism—constructive or otherwise.

I looked up. The bag hung there, smug, ready to accept the challenge of my abuse. I flexed my fingers before forming tight fists and dropped into a familiar stance. This was my meditative time. I needed this.

The speakers cranked a Skillet song, and I tried to absorb the heavy, pounding rhythm into my heart.
One, two, three, four—jab, cross, hook, uppercut.
My breaths came in perfect time as I slammed my fists into the worn material. The bag swung, and the chain creaked.

For whatever reason, the whole Wallace fiasco had me worked up. He probably hated me after the way I’d acted last night, and who could blame him? I wiped at my forehead with the back of my arm.
Plus, Gabby and Aiden are convinced I’m caught in some conspiracy.
All I’d done was run into the guy. Twice.

I gritted my teeth and really lit into the bag. It wasn’t fair. Nobody knew Wallace—not even me. Someone just decided he was dangerous and
bam
. The guy was socially blacklisted. Aiden hadn’t intended the stories to get that far out of hand, had he?

My breath caught in my lungs, and I paused with one arm extended. The guilt made sense now. I’d been one of Wallace’s condemners. I’d let that prejudice affect my actions, even though he’d been nothing but respectful of me. No wonder I’d hurt him. I narrowed my eyes and punched the bag again for good measure.