Free Reckoning (The Watchers Book 5) by Verónica Wolff

much.”
    I was getting cocky, and so I didn’t hear the other Trainee approach at my back until rough fingers speared through my hair, scraping my scalp as they seized a handful. “Rob, you’re such a fuckup.”
    The hand wrenched my neck back.
    Josh.
    Betrayal stole my breath, gutting me.
    “Josh?” I pulled free but fell onto my butt, feeling the plip-plip of hairs as they were torn from my scalp. But the pain barely registered. “What is this?”
    My heart thudded back to life as two truths became instantly clear. I’d thought Josh was a friend, but I could see by the joyful menace on his face that he really wasn’t. And, more pressing, Josh was strong—easily stronger than me.
    A grin spread across his beach-bum handsome face. “Happy to see me?”
    There was a time when I would’ve been.
    I crab-walked backward, trying to wrap my mind around this latest betrayal. Though really, the seed of doubt had been planted long ago when he’d forged an association with Lilac, my old roommate and nemesis. And later, even more so, when I’d watched him participate in a sick ritual in the heart of the vampires’ keep. Now my worst fears were being realized.
    He was someone else’s ally, not mine.
    I forced my heart to harden against this new worldview. “You boys are just full of surprises,” I said, silently cursing the crack in my voice. I didn’t know how much more hardening my heart could take in this world.
    He swiped out a hand to grab me, and I dodged him, finally back on my game. “I thought we were friends,” I said, my voice louder now. “What did I do to you?”
    Hell, what did I do to anybody to deserve any of this madness?
    “We saw Tom readying his boat.” Josh’s Australian accent lilted the sentence into a question. “Headmaster thought it meant someone might be wanting to make an escape, and it looks like that someone was you. We can’t let you do that, can we?”
    I popped to my feet and dusted off my hands. He wanted a fight? Fine, I’d give him one. “And you think you can stop me?”
    I glanced from him to Rob, who was staring slack-jawed and one-fanged at Josh with unconcealed worship. “You and who, Hermie the dentist here?”
    Rob didn’t like that one bit, and his face tightened into a glare of total hatred. “If you think you can just walk off this island, you’ve got another thing coming.”
    “I’m not going to walk,” I said with all the bravado I could muster. “All I’ve got coming to me is a boat, taking me away from this freak show.” I’d just have to make it look like I knocked Tom out and stolen it. The last thing I wanted was for the kindly old Draug Keeper to get in trouble on my account.
    I summoned my courage and began to stride back down the path. It was a desperate gamble, but I was out of choices. I could only hope Carden was out there somewhere, on his way to me.
    A third Trainee appeared at the top of the ridge. “Dude, I told you guys to wait.” He hopped down and popped his knuckles, staring at me like I was a present under his Christmas tree.
    I sized him up. The guy was pretty average looking, but I knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving. For all I knew, he might’ve been an MMA champion in his former life.
    “Hey. Brian, right?” I spoke as calmly as possible. Meanwhile, I was frantically assessing my situation. “What’s up?”
    I realized the moment it came out that it was a rookie thing to say. Sure enough, he grabbed his crotch. “I’ll show you what’s up.”
    I had a sassy reply to that, but it stuck in my throat as they closed in.
    There was an explosion of limbs—mine, theirs. Mostly theirs. Josh had gotten behind me and was tying my arms behind my back.
    Rob skittered closer, kicking at my ankles, trying to hook my feet. His mouth was a tightly grinning line, his lips molded unevenly, grotesquely, over the gaping hole where his left fang should’ve been.
    I hopped away, but Brian was there to give me a shove.