Dark Nebula (The Chronicles of Kerrigan) by W.J. May

system b etter than any of us .” Rae didn’t like Kraigan’s intense focus . She understood their unspoken connection involving their mutual lack of background on the tatù world, but it still made her uncomfortable . Let Molly be the center of attention . S he ’s great at it.
    S he physically turned to Nicholas, forcing Kraigan out of her line of sight for a moment . “ Hey, you going to be my Physics partner this term ? ”
    “ Hell yeah! Especially since we had great chemistry in Chem last year?” Nicholas grinned. “ Just kidding. Chemistry ’ s easy for me, but you’ve got levitation and all that so I’m counting on your for Physics.”
    “Kraigan,” Molly said. “Want to be my partner? I could use your brains.”
    A loud roaring engine cut off his response . Rae tried to resist the urge to shudder . Her back was to the parking lot , but she knew instantly, without turning, who it was.

Chapter 6

    Discomfort
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    D evon .
    Rae ’s heart rate accelerated. It took every ounce of will she posses sed not to turn, run to his car , and wrap her arms around him. She tried to focus on keeping her attitude nonchalant , but she knew that anyone looking would see right through her .
    “Speaking of Devon and Julian — ” Nicholas said.
    Rae made every effort not to turn in the direction Nicholas pointed to o quickly . She hoped she acted half-normal as she tried to avoid anyone else’s gaze. It would not have mattered; she only had eyes for Devon once he stepped out of his car.
    Dressed in a white polo shirt and army pants, Rae did not think she had ever seen him look so handsome. Looking as if he had just stepped out of Top Gun , h is hair had a slightly messy appearance , as if he had been running his fingers through it on the drive back from wherever he had been. He even wore the same sungl asses and had dog tags around his neck. He looked …scrumptious. Hello Maverick!
    Devon ’s gaze swept across the fields before landing on Rae. She dropped her sunglasses back onto her nose , and closed her eyes to concentrate . At that range, she didn’t know if he would get the message , but it was worth a try .
    You ’re lookin’ pretty hot from over here.
    Devon grin ned and raise d his hand in greeting. He said something to Julian before the two of them jogged towards the group.
    “ Who are they ?” Kraigan asked Nicholas, his eyes narrowing as he watched.
    “ Devon and Julian. T he one with the long hair is Julian. ”
    “The Fabio-looking dude?” Kraigan squinted, his hand shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight .
    “Uh, sure.” Nicholas raised his eyebrows as he gave Kraigan a sidelong glance .
    “Who’s Fabio?” Molly whispered to no one in particular.
    Rae shrugged. She had given up trying to educate her friends on American culture. There seemed to be no point. How Kraigan knew about Fabio was a question she didn’t want to ask. To h e r , Devon and Julian looked like a pair of models -- like poster students for Guilder. She took a peek around the fields to see what the other students were doing. Almost everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch Devon and Julian . Her chest swell ed with pride . That’s MY man!
    Desiree lean ed over , her breath warm against Rae’s neck before she spoke . “I’d like to try my tatù out on either of them, especially the Dean’s son.”
    Instinctively, Rae stepped back and spread her feet . She crossed her arms and exhaled a hot breath. “ It won’t work. You do know Julian can see into the future , right? A nd Devon ’s not into people using their tatùs for personal gratification .” She blinked, shocked that her whispers sounded like a hiss.
    Desiree held her hands up, eyes big. “I was only joking, Rae. I didn’t know you’d be so defensive.”
    Neither did I . Rae ’s face b urned with embarrassment at her total lack of control . “Sorry. ” S he shook her head and exhaled. “I don’t know why I said that.