Chapter 66

KATHERINE.

Steve began to drive again but before he could pick up speed, I rushed over to the driver’s side of the UTV and through the partially opened window, I grabbed him by his fuck-ass ponytail. “What the–” I slammed his head against the window – hard – and Poppy shrieked while I heard a sickening crack that was made either by the window or his skull. I didn’t care, I did it again.

“What the fuck?!” He opened the door while trying to get his hair out of my grip but I had the upper hand here and as soon as he began to push it open, I kicked it shut and he cried out in pain. I shouldn’t react like this – I knew better – but the fact that they could have badly hurt Kit and showed no remorse for it sent me over the edge. “Poppy!”

Right after he called her name, Poppy snapped out of whatever trance she was in and her face contorted in anger before she quickly got down from the UTV. In the blink of an eye, she was right next to me and her fist was flying towards my face but before it could connect with me, a hand stopped it.

“For fuck’s sake,” Theo muttered, sounding fed up with life, and the rage on Poppy’s face immediately turned into a fearful expression.

“Theo, she attacked–” She glanced at me and when her gaze slid to my hand, I was reminded that I was still gripping his ponytail. “She’s attacking my brother!”

“I’m not blind, Dawson. What the fuck? You know the speed limit for vehicles on campus and you know what happens if you go over the speed limit and with what your brother just tried to do–”

“It was an accident!”

Steve finally managed to yank his hair out of my hand and I immediately stepped away from the door while he got down from the UTV, eyes blazing. He looked like he wanted to kill someone – definitely me – and I couldn’t help but move closer to Theo while he advanced. Yeah, it was a cowardly move, but I no longer had the upper hand and wasn’t interested in being beaten within an inch of my life.

“Easy there, fucker,” Theo said calmly, pressing a hand to Steve’s chest and pushing him back when he got close.

“Who the fuck are you? Back off.” He tried to move forward but Theo kept his hand firmly against his chest and he narrowed his eyes at Theo. “Do you have a death wish?”

“Are the members of Silver Bow all idiots?” Theo moved his hand from Steve’s chest and held a hand out while Steve growled. “Give me the keys.”

“Fuck you. No.”

“Now,” Theo replied firmly and Steve growled again while Poppy went to the UTV to grab the keys. It was then I realized we had quite the audience because everyone around was currently staring at us – some looked a bit worried while some looked like they wanted a fight to happen.

“Wanna go?” Steve said through gritted teeth as he stepped up to Theo and though I couldn’t see the expression on Theo’s face, his demeanor remained calm. That seemed to anger Steve even further and as he moved closer to Theo, Poppy came back with the keys and immediately grabbed her younger brother, pulling him back.

“He’s an Agris, Steve. You can’t!” she said in a rush and fear flashed across his face for a moment as he let her pull him back while I drew my brows together.

‘What’s an Agris?’

Then Steve quickly schooled his expression and scoffed. “Whatever.” He turned his attention to me and scowled. “You’re dead meat, Roxley,” he added before spitting on the ground next to me and I immediately grimaced.

“Ew!”

He suddenly rushed towards me, his fist raised, but Theo stepped in front of me and he quickly backtracked and scoffed again. He then flipped us the bird with both hands while letting Poppy pull him away and once they were quite the distance away from us, Theo turned to face me and I pursed my lips when he raised a brow.

Except for CMES club meetings, I’d been completely avoiding him ever since the day we spoke in the library and now that I was staring right at him, all I could think of was how he was getting married to Lenore.

“You told me to stand up for myself,” I muttered.

“You could get expelled for attacking someone on school grounds.”

Fear instantly washed over me. ‘What?’ I blinked at him in surprise before realizing that he was right. It was in the rulebook and my heart rate picked up because they were definitely going to report me since Poppy wanted me out of Blackwood. And the bitch Dean would gladly kick me out.

But I couldn’t get expelled, I hadn’t found my mate yet.

“He tried to…” I trailed off because I had no solid defense. Steve had tried to hit Kit but he could just say it had been an accident. I couldn’t say me trying to split his head open was an accident.

The crack I’d heard when I hit his head against the window came to mind and my gaze slid to the window before my eyes widened. There was no crack there so it must have been his skull.

“Oh my God,” I muttered in a shaky voice and Theo let out a harsh breath, making me face him once again.

He then closed his eyes and shook his head sideways and when he opened them again, he said, “That’s not going to happen. Go to your brother.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Kit who was still standing where I’d left him but Zac was next to him now and saying something that was making him laugh. I faced forward once more to see Theo getting into the UTV. “Theo–”

“You won’t get expelled. Don’t worry about it,” he said, but that didn’t make me feel relieved and he must have seen it in the expression on my face because he tilted his head. “I’ll handle it.”

My shoulders immediately relaxed at those words even though I didn’t know what he’d do to handle it, and I sucked in a breath. “Thank you.”

He gave me a nod and started the UTV before driving off while I returned to my brother.

“Kathy,” Kit called excitedly just before I got to him. “Zac told me you’re in a ghost club.”

My brows snapped together at that and I glanced at Zac. “Come on, dude,” I said and he gave me a defensive look. I hadn’t told Kit about the CMES club because he loved listening to ghost stories – he’d completely guilt you into telling him them, then he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

“I didn’t know what else to say. I was with Theo when–” Zac cut himself off as he glanced in the direction I’d come from. “And Theo’s leaving. Bye, Christopher.”

“Bye.” Kit waved at him as he ran after the UTV Theo was driving before slipping his hand in mine. “Let’s go to the soccer field now.”

The fact that he didn’t even seem bothered by all that had happened just now made me snort while I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s.”