“Wait, Sam might have something to tell us,” I whispered.
Hawke stopped, but he kept his eyes on the tree line. Although we were scanning each band as we caught them. There were no rules against anyone coming by and trying to steal them away. Not that they’d make it past Sam.
Speaking of the psycho, he stepped toward us. “New girls co-ordinations. Apparently, she was dragged out further away from us on purpose.”
Hawke and I shared a look. Douglass was a deadman walking. He’d have been better off staying neutral. I nodded, and we both headed back out. I generally knew where we were going, but I let Hawke take the lead. He had some animal instinct when it came to hunting. I swear he was meant to be a wolf or something instead of a human.
“Get off,” someone shouted.
The sound of flesh colliding drew my attention. Hawke and I looked at each other. He shrugged, and I gave in to my curiosity. Lux and Sam would forgive us for being a tad bit behind schedule. Well, Lux would. Sam might make our lives a living hell for a week or two.
We both stopped just as three guys came into view. Bolton was easy enough to make out but what really drew my attention was the new girl in the middle. They circled her. Bolton held his jaw as he glared at Keegan.
“You’re stupid. We’ll show you what happens at Aridole when trash doesn’t know its place.”
My fists were clenched at my side as I took a single step toward them. Before I could react, Keegan brought her leg up and in between Bolton’s legs, hitting him in the crotch.
The others moved on her, and I snapped out of my moment of appreciation. Keegan went down, hitting the ground hard as the slap across her face echoed around us. Hawke had disappeared from my side at some point and was now in front of me. His fist pounded into one of the guys who had tried to take Keegan down.
Bolton lifted his head as I ran up to him and slammed my foot into the side of his face. He’d have a huge bruise come morning. And no doubt the bruise would still be present come the first day of school. It brought me joy, but nothing would be as great as the day I’d be allowed to kill a slimy piece of shit like him.
I turned, ready to take on the other one. Still, I should have figured Hawke was already handing it. He was a loose cannon on a good day. He was using the dumb fuck as his punching bag.
“Hawke,” I groaned out.
The gleam in his eyes was all too familiar. He wanted them dead, and I couldn’t blame him. I wanted the same.
A sweet whimper pierced the air, and I was reminded that we’d both reacted to the new girl nearly being taken down by three guys. Keegan placed her hand on the back of her head. I was moving before I could even fathom why.
“Are you okay?”
Bright green eyes flickered up at me. “No. That’s a dumb question.” She groaned, glaring at me. “Who the fuck are you?”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “Soon to be your king.”
Keegan didn’t seem impressed in the slightest. I offered my hand to her, and she knocked it away.
“I’m fine.” She stood up on her own.
The dress she’d come to the party in was ruined, but I’d have to be dead not to notice the lean muscles in her legs and arms. Her hair had broken free of the tie and was now an unruly mess that I wanted badly to tangle my fingers in.
“This is so stupid,” she muttered.
“I don’t know. It seems well worth it to me.”
Keegan glared at me, and I couldn’t contain my grin any longer. It only seemed to piss her off even more.
“Are you going to follow us? Do we have to tie you up?” I asked.
Hawke made his way over to us with a smile on his face. His gaze set on the new girl. “Please say tie up.”
Keegan flipped both of us off. “Fuck off.”
Hawke moaned and moved closer to her. To my surprise, she didn’t back down. She eyed him up and down but stayed still. Not many people in Aridole allowed someone like Hawke to get close to them. He exuded crazy.
“I bet you would look great tied up in green rope. What’s your favorite color?” Hawke asked.
I shook my head. “You might as well follow.”