Chapter 25

"Are you still making a drama?" I teased, with the phone pressed to my shoulder. I smiled when I heard Matias sigh heavily.

"I'm in the middle of my training, what do you want?" he asked, his voice emotionless.

"What do you want for dinner?" I asked, feeling the sun warm my face. Lying on the ground, I heard the Hebi resting from the long walk near the river. "Or do you prefer to cook for me again? But just so you know, I might get spoiled," I joked, laughing.

Matias was silent for a long moment before giving in to my charm.

"Indian," he replied, widening my smile.

"Deal, I'll see you tonight," I said and ended the call.

"Got a date?" Kenji said as he approached.

I sat on the ground, feeling the dirt and grass stick to my sweaty shirt and put the phone away.

"You know I don't go on dates," I commented, shrugging. My gaze shifted to the group; they were talking and cooling off by the river. "Girls like dates," I muttered, lying back down, feeling the breeze caress my hot face.

"I like dates," Kenji retorted, sitting next to me. "Especially the ones that end in sex," he said, making me smile.

"I don't need to go on dates to have sex, I just need to make a call."

"That sounds like a prostitute to me," he murmured.

I opened my eyes, but Kenji was gone before I could lay my hands on him. I forced myself to get up and called everyone to continue the trail. We walked back to the mansion, and it was pleasant to feel the humid forest air, the smell of wet earth, and how the sun shone through the leaves. At the reform school, the air was always stuffy, and even though the sky was blue on hot days, it was dull and unattractive.

The feelings of those days made my stomach tighten, and I pushed those memories deep into my mind. I would never go back to that endless hell.

After the walk and a long shower, I did my homework, accompanied only by Kenji, and tried to ignore the fact that Shin hadn't shown up. At dinnertime, I said goodbye to Kenji and grabbed one of the cars from the garage.

It was already past nine when I picked up dinner from the only Indian restaurant in town. The smell was amazing, and since I wasn't used to the food, I ended up ordering the most popular dishes. Matias should like it.

I was approaching the parked car when the loud wail of a siren made me stop. I looked at the white police car and the two officers who got out of it. With a long sigh, I placed the food on the car's hood and turned around.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, ignoring the curious looks of people passing by.

"Turn around and put your hands on the hood," ordered the tall, bald man.

"Okay," I forced myself to say.

"We received some anonymous reports that a group of Hebi were seen walking around the city armed," he explained, starting to search me. "By your hair, you're a Hebi, right?" he asked, but I remained silent as his hands searched all over me.

"So?" I questioned when they abruptly turned me around. He had my wallet and I watched as he read my documents before giving a cautious look and showing the ID to his partner.

"Okay, open the car and step away," he ordered tensely.

"Do we really have to do this?" I asked, staring at him.

"Open the damn car and step away," he repeated, raising his voice.

I ran my tongue between my lips, feeling my muscles tense, and the anger in his tone made my blood boil. Annoyed, I forced myself to unlock the car and step back.

While the bald man stared at me with his hand on his weapon, the other searched the car. Whatever they were looking for, they wouldn't find anything. I'm not an idiot, and no Hebi worth their salt is.

"I kinda had a date now, and you're ruining everything," I commented, hoping the food wouldn't get cold.

"Shut up," he demanded harshly.

Filthy pig.

"Clean," the officer said, closing the car's trunk.

"You're free to go," the bald man declared, tossing my wallet in my direction. I caught it easily, silently watching them get back into the car. The car sped down the avenue, and quickly I took my phone out of my pocket and snapped a photo of the license plate.

With anger churning in my chest, I sent the photo to Shin; he knew what needed to be done. I grabbed the dinner off the hood and drove to Matias' house, trying to calm my feelings. We had promised that Hebi and Lily wouldn’t come between us.

When I entered the apartment, I found Matias studying at the kitchen counter, wearing a long-sleeve shirt and dark shorts.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, feeling something warm fill my chest when his eyes met mine.

"Very," he replied, closing the laptop without a second thought. He approached and helped me separate the food. The smell filled the room, making my stomach growl.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, starting to eat while still standing.

"I don’t know, we could watch something," I suggested, eating the tandoori chicken eagerly as I sat on the wooden bench.

"Seriously?" Matias asked, smiling, making my heart skip a beat.

Carefully, I studied his relaxed face and how his shoulders seemed relaxed. He looked in great spirits; the last time I saw him completely like this was the night we met.

"What? You think I only come here to have sex?" I asked curiously, unable to look away from his perfect smile.

"I think so," he confirmed, furrowing his brow.

"Then you don’t want to watch a movie with me?"

"Okay, but my house, my movie," he declared, sitting next to me. He pushed the books aside, making room for his dinner.

"Please, no cheesy stuff. You look like the type who likes those stupid romances," I joked, stealing another smile from him. The desire to kiss him grew with every second.

"Fuck, shut up," he asked, looking at me with amusement.

"You have a nice smile, you should smile at me more often, then I wouldn’t get so pissed off at you," I teased, stopping myself from touching him, but soon his smile started to fade, and I froze when his hand touched the collar of my shirt.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, but shuddered as I felt his fingers trace the curve of my neck.

I held his gaze. His relaxed expression had vanished, replaced by a clenched jaw and an empty stare.

"Who?" he demanded, pulling his touch away.

"Matias..."

"Who?" he repeated, interrupting me coldly.

"You know who," I finally answered.