Lily
The first night that Zed slept over, I had weird dreams all night. They weren’t bad, necessarily, but when I woke up, I had a strange taste in my mouth. They weren’t sex dreams, more like… we were running from something, and I was scared, but Zed was protecting me and keeping me safe.
When I woke up, my heart was thudding like a drum. It was the day of my final exam, and I was nervous about telling Zed that I had to go to class, especially since he woke me up demanding coffee.
“I don’t drink coffee,” I told him sincerely. “Sorry.”
Zed had grumbled and swiped all the dishes into the sink, sending a crash that had echoed through the whole apartment. I’d felt bad, but not that bad; after all, he was the one who forced his way into my apartment. And into my life.
The way he’d been looking at me in my nightdress made me feel like he knew what I looked like naked. It was a curious feeling, and if I had to be honest with myself, I didn’t really hate it. When Zed stared at me like that, I felt a tingling between my legs. I realized that I wanted him to want me, and that made me blush more than anything else.
I changed into a sweater and jeans. It was snowing outside, and I thought glumly about walking to class with Zed hulking behind me. I couldn’t even think about my final. I’d studied, but this was days ago. Already the thing with Zed seemed like it had lasted forever. It was hard to believe that three days ago I didn’t know he existed.
Zed knocked on my bedroom door. “Lily, I need caffeine,” he said with a grunt. “I’m going to buy some coffee.”
“Good!” I chirped, opening the door. “You can drop me off at school and pick me up after my exam.”
He shook his head. “You’re not fuckin’ leaving my sight, little girl. Sorry to disappoint. Didn’t want you to get any funny ideas.”
I groaned. “Zed, do you know what the security is like on my campus? They have metal detectors everywhere. And I’m not supposed to bring people into the buildings who aren’t registered as students.”
“Tough shit,” he said in a short breath. I watched as he stretched and rubbed his back with a pained expression. “You have to deal with me now because you couldn’t keep your cute little nose out of trouble.”
“But this is a final,” I whined. “They’re not going to let you in!”
“Then I guess you don’t get to take it,” he said, grinning at me. Reawakened rage plumed within me; I couldn’t believe that only a few minutes ago I’d been thinking about Zed in a sexy way.
“Fuck off,” I spat out, stalking back into my bedroom and collecting my school things. “Just keep your head down and don’t say anything.”
“We’ll see,” he teased as we walked out to his car. “I have a big fuckin’ mouth sometimes.”
“I know,” I said icily.
We drove to school in silence. Zed made a huge deal about stopping at a 7-Eleven and buying coffee. He spent the car ride drinking it in tiny sips and talking about how good it was, and I felt my irritation growing with every passing minute. I tried to shove all thoughts of Zed out of my brain and think about the final, and school, but I couldn’t.
“Nice campus,” Zed said when we pulled up. “Looks safe, nice.” He made a visor with one of his hands and gazed around. “Definitely doesn’t look like anything bad could happen here,” he finished sarcastically, glaring at me.
I knew he was fucking with me; the campus of my community college wasn’t very nice at all. It was littered with trash, and homeless people always snuck onto the grounds overnight and slept there. There were lazy-looking rent-a-cops at every entrance, and metal detectors at almost every door. As we walked, I kicked at a chunk of loose concrete with the toe of my shoe.
“Okay,” I said breathlessly, watching the condensation fog out into the cold. “Just stay in the back, and don’t bother anyone.”
“Aye, aye,” Zed told me as he gave me a mocking grin. “I’ll be quiet, yas sir!”
“Shut up,” I mumbled, pushing open the door to the classroom building. The guards waved me past with the usual indifference. If they noticed Zed, they didn’t say anything about it.
He shot me a cocky grin when we got to the right room.
“Don’t say anything,” I warned again. “I’ll be done as soon as I can.”
Zed nodded, looking serious once again. I took a deep breath and walked to the front of the room, grabbed a bunch of stapled papers, and took a seat. The professor nodded at me. He didn’t acknowledge Zed, and I didn’t volunteer information. Maybe everyone thinks that he’s my boyfriend, I thought. Anne did.
The thought of Dawning Center made me cringe. I had only received a terse message from Anne asking if I was okay. I’d texted her back, saying that I’d explain everything soon, but I hadn’t volunteered yet, and she hadn’t called me back. If I were lucky, I’d still have a job when all of this mess was over.
The final was mostly multiple choice, with an essay section at the back. I mechanically moved through each page, checking the appropriate option, and sneaking the occasional glance backward. Zed appeared to be bored out of his skull; every time I looked at him, he was cleaning his fingernails or picking his teeth. Ugh, I thought, rolling my eyes. This is awful.
But the more I thought about it, the more I felt kind of… special. It was true that I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know anything about Zed, but for him to protect me like this was something else. I couldn’t believe that he’d risk his life to save me—a girl he’d only seen a couple of times. I was dying to know what his backstory was, but I had a feeling that he’d never tell me. At least, not for quite some time.
My hand ached by the time I’d finished writing the first essay question, and I looked at the rest of the exam with dismay. I’d been in there for over an hour, and I still had three essay questions to go. I’d written five pages on the first one, and I turned to Zed with a mopey expression on my face.
He was scowling and looking down at his phone, and as he saw me watching, he held up a finger and got up from his seat and walked out of my room. I thought my heart was going to pound through my chest. Was it possible that Zed had been right? Was I really in danger at school?
***
Zed
I skulked down the hallway of Lily’s school building, looking for a payphone. There was a bank of them in the lobby, and I grabbed one, then dialed the number that Peyton had just texted me. It rang for a long time before anyone answered.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end was gruff and hardened, just like my own.
“It’s me,” I said quietly. “Codename C.”
“Ahhhh, yes, Peyton told me you would be calling,” the voice drawled in a low tone. “And how can I help you on this fine day in Detroit?”
“I’m looking for the leader of Iron Angels,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “If he didn’t tell you that, you’re not going to be any help to me at all.”
“Ah, but I can,” the voice purred. “Meet Peyton tomorrow, and he’ll give you some information from me.”
“I can’t wait that long,” I protested. “I have to get it now.”
“Impatience won’t help you, Mr. C,” the voice said in a silky tone. “Bye bye.”
The line went dead.
“Fuck!” I yelled, slamming the receiver back down onto the payphone. It clanged and jangled and made the receptionist a few doors down come out into the hallway. She frowned at me with grandmotherly concern.
“Is everything all right, dear?”
“Sure,” I lied, kicking some dust with my shoe. “Just waiting for my… girlfriend to get out of a final.”
“Oh, how sweet,” she cooed. “Young love!”
I rolled my eyes, not even knowing what to say to that. The idea of calling anyone—even jokingly—my girlfriend was too much to handle. Peyton and the guys would have a shit fit if they saw me now, waiting in the hallway for Lily like a nervous husband. I swallowed a lump in my throat and swaggered back down the hallway before slipping into the classroom and taking my seat at the back.
When Lily heard me come in, her head snapped up, and I watched with pleasure as her cheeks pinked and flushed. She shot me a quick smile before turning back to her test, her silky dark hair draped over her face.