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, confused.

almost angry as he speaks – but I know not at me. “I don’t have to eat

say, sitting up straighter. “That is….that is

like…days. Longest I’ve gone is three weeks. And I can run for miles and just….not get tired.”

his confession progresses. “And like,

me then. “I get really skinny after a

looking him up and down, “Rafe’s as big as you and he also eats like

laughter, “I mean like…I can eat without stopping for as long as I wanted. And I don’t get full I just get…” he looks down at himself, at his seriously impressive

ask, my laughter fading as I look him over anew. “So….could you get as big as an elephant if you

think my skeleton’s reached its natural height

imagine it. Jackson –

eyes and then rubbing

even want to know. Thank god there aren’t

just like, experiment? To see

me. “Wouldn’t you, if you figured out that

bored, when everyone else. was asleep? And like, get

what happened – and nobody gets that. Like, after eighteen blackberry pies…you never want a slice of pie

I sigh, so happy that he told me, so honored that he trusted me enough to keep his secret. “It’s one hell of a power. I wish

down at our

ask, also looking

some sort of connection between our…magic,” he

I correct him. Us, I think. There’s something between us. But I clench my jaw to keep from

think that you were able to melt the marble because of whatever connects. our magic,” he says, and I nod, agreeing. “So…maybe I can pass mine to

experiment with that?”

pass some energy to you. I’ve got plenty of it –

pleased to see him talking more casually now, like one would to

pissed, I know, because she wants me to tell him my secrets, to be as open with him as he’s

to her, stroking a

huffs but lets

annoying to have

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