The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 65

“Don’t you just want to see what else you can melt, Clark?” Jackson asks on a long inhale of breath, looking at me with sad eyes. “Come on, I bet you could melt this whole tree if you wanted to.””

–

“Well, one, that’s not good for the environment,” I say, rolling my eyes at him which makes him laugh, just a little. “And two, no, I don’t want to melt the tree I want to talk about you. Honestly, Jackson, I won’t tell anyone you know I won’t. I won’t even let anyone know that I know! I’ll keep your secret.”

“Why does it even matter, Ari?” he asks, looking away from me. “Why do you want to know so badly? It doesn’t change anything.”

A thousand answers flood my mind. That it could help me understand what I can do how. his power compliments mine. That I want to know more about him. That I’m just so damn

curious.

But, in the end, I settle for the truth.

“I want you to know that you have someone here who will keep your secrets, Jackson,” I say quietly, willing him to believe me.

Jackson looks up at me in surprise, his blue eyes wider than I’ve seen them before.

We’re silent again, but as it has been before with us, there’s no awkwardness to it. But then he breaks it.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” he whispers, half baffled and half…suspicious, I realize. Lik

I’ve got ulterior motives or something.

I stare at him, my heart cracking in grief for the lessons his past life must have taught him.

“Jackson,” I murmur, saying his name like a promise. “Why are you so surprised that I genuinely just…want to be nice to you?”

He turns his face away from me like he’s been struck, staring at the ground beneath the tree in shock and surprise. I watch his profile as he swallows heavily, as he presses his lips

together in frustration or…consternation? Honestly, I don’t know what. But I give him the space to process it.

“I don’t have to eat,” he says suddenly, the words falling from his lips in a rush, like they’ve escaped from a dark place and can’t wait to get away.

ask,

he speaks – but I know not at me. “I don’t have to eat like…ever, if I don’t want to. I

I say, sitting up straighter. “That is….that is seriously weird,

for like…days. Longest I’ve gone is three weeks. And I can run for miles and

go wider as his confession progresses. “And like, nothing happens?

after a while,” he says, shrugging. “Oh, and I can eat

that’s magic,” I say, looking him up and down,

wanted. And I don’t get full I just get…” he looks down at himself, at his seriously impressive musculature. “…bigger.”

look him over anew. “So….could you get as

says, smirking, “we tried that once. I think my skeleton’s reached its natural height I just get…fat.”

then, unable to imagine it. Jackson – he’s

over his eyes and then rubbing it down the length

Clark, you don’t even want to know. Thank god

you just like, experiment? To see how long you

to me. “Wouldn’t you, if you

turning my head. “Though didn’t you get bored, when everyone else. was asleep?

going wide as he laughs. “That’s exactly what happened – and nobody gets that.

honored that he trusted me enough to

down at our clasped

also

connection between our…magic,”

something between us. But I clench my

whatever connects. our magic,” he

we experiment with

“Next time you’re tired, come find me. See if I can pass some energy to you. I’ve got plenty of

casually

anxiously back and forth. She’s pissed, I know, because she wants me to tell him

stroking a hand over her

but lets

annoying to have so much energy?” I ask.

it,” he murmurs, looking into my face now, studying me, I think, in the same ways that I’ve studied him. “It all comes down to what I eat. If I eat too much, it manifests in either sleeplessness or weight gain. If I eat too little, I lose muscle.” He sighs, shaking his head. “It’s annoying, counting