“Yeah?”
My fist connects with his jaw, and as he staggers back, I move forward. I grab hold of his shirt and let my knuckles slam into his cheek. The blow makes him sag to the floor, and I go down on one knee because I’m not done yet.
I only start to feel calmer when my fist meets his face for the fifth time. “If you ever touch her again, I will kill you.”
I shove him back against the floor as I get up, my breaths exploding over my lips.
Covering his face with a trembling hand, he mumbles around the blood, “Who?”
Stalking out of the room, I walk until I reach the stretch of lawn between the dorms and the library. Pressing the heels of my hands to my eyes, I take deep breaths so I can calm down totally before I go back into our dorm.
I feel Falcon and Mason behind me, and the second I go down to my knees, they’re right beside me.
“Take a deep breath,” Mason begins to say in such a calm voice, it gets through the anger. He places his hand on my chest, then repeats the words, “Take a deep breath.”
When my breathing begins to slow down, he wraps his arms around me. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you, buddy.”
I take another couple of breaths before I say, “I’m good.”
Falcon helps me up while Mason climbs to his feet. My shoulders sag, and shame hits me like a tidal wave. Bringing my eyes to Mason’s, I say, “I snapped at Kingsley.”
“She won’t hold it against you,” he assures me, his face still torn with worry.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, and then I look down at my hands and seeing the blood on them, makes me feel sick to my stomach.
Falcon pulls me into a hug, brushing his hand repeatedly over my back. “It was bound to happen. You had to deal with a lot today.”
I shake my head against his shoulder.
“It’s nothing we can’t fix,” he says, and pulling back, he frames my face with his hands. “You feeling better?”
I nod, and when he presses a kiss to my forehead, I let out a bark of laughter. “Now you’re pushing it.”
He smiles at me. “Anything to hear you laugh.”
Knowing what I have to do now, I turn around and take a deep breath before I walk back to Lee’s suite.
As soon as I step inside the living room, I go directly to Kingsley and wrapping my arms around her, I whisper, “I’m sorry I raised my voice at you.”
She hugs me back, nestling her face against my chest. “It’s okay. I should’ve answered you when you asked the first time.”
I shake my head and tighten my grip on her before I let her go. Catching her eyes, I ask, “We’re good, right?”
“Of course. Pfft. Like I would let something so small get between us when I had to deal with his grumpy ass for months,” she says, jabbing a thumb in Mason’s direction.
“I’m never going to hear the end of it,” Mason grumbles as he goes to lean back against the wall.
“Aww…” Kingsley coos, walking toward him, “but I still love you.” The second the words leave her mouth, she freezes, and her eyes widen with surprise. “Oops.” She shrugs and looking awkward, she makes a run for the door.
“You can’t take that back,” Mason yells as he sets off after her.
“And that’s officially the weirdest and most random declaration of love I’ve ever seen,” I mutter.
“I have to agree,” Falcon says, holding out his hand to Layla. “Let’s go, my rainbow.”
I wait for him to close the door behind them before I turn to Lee.
“I’m just going to use your bathroom quickly,” I say, and go to wash my hands. I didn’t close the door behind me, but I’m still surprised when Lee follows me inside.
Pointing to the closed toilet, she says, “Sit.”
I listen and sitting down I watch as she wets a facecloth. She squeezes the water out and then kneels down in front of me. Picking up my left hand, she begins to clean the blood off.
The corner of her mouth lifts. “I used to get into many fights when I was twelve. It was hard to control my temper.”
“I can’t imagine that,” I admit.
Her lips stretch into a wide smile. “That’s when I learned kung fu. I learned how to direct my emotions into healthier things, like work and helping my mom. It helped me find inner peace and patience.”
I love hearing her voice. It’s tranquil and soothing.
“Anger is a healthy and natural emotion. It’s when you put it into a negative action, and you lose control that it becomes destructive. Most times, you only end up hurting yourself then.”
She brushes a finger beneath the cut.
“You kicked him,” I remind her. “How’s that different from me hitting him?”