Heart of Thorns (Shadow Valley U Book 2)

“Is Thorne meeting you there?” Marley puckers her lips in the mirror a few times, then turns toward me.

I shrug. “Not sure.”

Lydia makes a face at Marley, but unbeknownst to her, I see it in the mirror. She shakes her head, as if she’s telling Marley not to ask me about Thorne. Which means that Lydia is much more observant than I give her credit for.

He hasn’t been back over to our place since after dinner with his parents, and our texts have been short and to the point. Aside from a few of our PT sessions, we haven’t really spent much time together. He’s not shying away from touching me when we are together, but something is off.

I’m starting to second-guess my decision to tell him about the arsonist.

Did I scare him off?

Or is it that I’m too invested in our fake relationship? Sure, we’ve broken some rules along the way and we can’t keep our hands to ourselves, but I need to remember that we’re still in a fake relationship.

When Marley, Lydia, and I show up to the warehouse, I pull my phone out to text Thorne.

It feels wrong not to text him.

But it doesn’t feel right to text him either.

Fuck. I’m confused.

I decide to text him anyway. Because regardless of what I’m feeling, we’re still boyfriend and girlfriend to our peers and his parents. That was our deal.

I shoot him the address because it’s not at any of the typical party spots and I’m not sure if he’s been to one of these. One of the lacrosse players likes to engage in cage fighting on the side, and that’s tonight, apparently.

Thorne doesn’t text back.

I pretend not to be disappointed and let Lydia and Marley tug me along with them toward the cage. I glance around nervously. The warehouse isn’t too far from campus, and there are several windows, all within my sight, so I take a deep breath and try to remain calm.

That only lasts ten seconds into the fight, though.

Because as if I wasn’t already feeling antsy, I spot a few football players.

My spine stiffens.

I back away and move closer to the door.

Just in case.

Lydia glances at me over her shoulder, and I mouth that I’m okay. The truth is—I’m not.

I’m even more frustrated when I find zero messages on my phone.

My attention bounces over every football player, lingering on a few familiar faces who I’ve seen talking to Thorne a time or two.

None of them seem to notice me.

It’s fine, Briar.

I yelp when an arm wraps around my waist.

“It’s me.”

My lungs fill with air. I tilt my head back against his chest and slow my breathing. Thorne’s warm eyes are like a safety net.

“You didn’t text me back,” I note.

His brows crowd. “That’s because as soon as I saw your text, Rhys and I rushed over.”

“Worried about me?” I tease, but also, is he?

“After you cut me with a knife, I’m not sure I need to be.” His chuckle rumbles over my back. “But yeah, kitten. I am.”

It shouldn’t make me happy to hear him say that, but God, it does.

“You’ve been quiet,” I state, moving my attention back to the cage in the center of the warehouse.

“I know,” he whispers in my ear. “I’m sorry.”

I shrug, playing it off. “Don’t be. I just figured your parents finally forbade you to see me.”

He grunts. “I wouldn’t listen.” I flinch when the lacrosse player lands a hard hit to the other guy. Jeez. “They did try to set me up on another date, though.”

“Oh, did they?”

Thorne takes a beer from Rhys, who comes to stand near us. He seems more serious than usual, like he’s about to jump in the ring next.

“Yeah, I told them that I’d make sure to run it past my girlfriend and get back to them.”

I snort. “I’m sure they loved that.”

“I’m not sure I care.”

Rhys leans over to Thorne and says something in a low voice. It’s too echoey in the warehouse for me to hear what he said, but Thorne’s arm around my waist tightens, like he’s afraid I’m going to slip away at any second.

Maybe I should.

Just to see if he’ll chase me.

Wait, stop it.

I’m losing focus on the real goal here—finding out who the hell tried to burn me alive.

Rhys leans away, and I peek back at both guys. Their jaws are tight, and they’re staring out into the crowd. Neither of them are watching the fight.

“What are yo⁠—”

Broken glass catches my attention, and I instantly slip through Thorne’s grip and fall to the floor. I cradle my knees and shut my eyes. No.

The sound vibrates throughout the open space, and people yell. I’m paralyzed on the floor with fear so heavy, I can’t even hear Thorne shouting my name. It’s only when he bends down in front of me and grabs my face that I realize I’m in a full-blown panic.

“Briar, baby.”

His voice soothes me. I suck in the air he’s giving me and nod sharply. My nails dig into his forearms, and he hauls me to my feet.

Rhys’s eyes widen as he moves from me to Thorne. “Fire.”

Fire.

“Go get Marley and Lydia!” I shout to Rhys. “They’re near the front!”

Thorne nods, and Rhys is gone. He’s working against the crowd to get to my friends. He makes it to them quickly, and as soon as Thorne sees them heading in our direction, he hauls me upward and into his arms.

“Don’t panic. Just look ahead. I’ll get you out.”

Remnants of smoke float around us, and it doesn’t take much to shoot me back to that night. I shake in Thorne’s arms and wrap my arms around his neck. “I’m slowing you down. Put me down.”

“No.”

Fear sends me into a complete frenzy. The building isn’t engulfed in fire by any means. It’s not like it was doused in gasoline like the note, but it’s still a fire. Orange and red flames flick aggressively, cutting in and out between the rustling of air from everyone leaving. I see a few guys trying to put the fire out but turn away when I start to cough.

“Bury your face into my shirt.”

I do as Thorne says and keep my face there until the cool night air brushes against my neck.

“Get in!” Rhys’s voice perks me up. He’s in his car, Lydia and Marley already tucked away safely in the backseat.

I hurriedly climb in the back, ignoring the bite of pain in my knee.

“We’ve got her.” Lydia slips the seat belt over me and buckles it.

Thorne jumps in the front seat in record time, and Rhys speeds away.

The sound of sirens catches my ear. Lydia’s hand falls to my leg, and she gives it a squeeze. “You okay?”

I nod but stay silent.

“You’re all staying at our place tonight.” Thorne doesn’t turn around when he says this. His voice is low and resolute.

None of us argue.

I know what he’s thinking.

This isn’t a fluke.

It’s another threat.

And if this doesn’t scare Thorne away, then maybe I’m wrong.

Maybe our fake relationship isn’t fake to him either.