Page 23

They’re both here to see me? “Thanks for the invite, but I’m really tired and⁠—”

“Oh no, you don’t,” Ever says, grabbing my forearms and hauling me out of my room. Bree kicks it shut and points her finger at it. The lightest shade of blue ripples over my door before sinking into the wood.

“Really? Locking me out?”

Bree shrugs. “Only for an hour. Come on!”

Realizing there’s no way I can talk my way out of this, and that the grief has fled in the wake of their presence, I sigh and relent. “Fine, if you’re going to beg me, I guess I’ll come.”

Ever snorts. “Goddess, you’re so dramatic.”

I put the back of my hand on my forehead and pretend to faint—something Addy and I used to do. Ever barely manages to catch me in time, eyes wide until she realizes I’m faking it. Her eyes narrow, and once I’m on my feet, she playfully shoves me.

“Jerk.”

“Here I thought we were friends,” I say with a sniff, ignoring the cynical part of me that wants to self-isolate. As much as I would feel less vulnerable alone, I kind of like having their company.

“Shit,” Bree murmurs as we reach the end of the hall. A few Foundation girls who sat at the table with Melody and her two besties are coming down the stairs and we’re about to cross paths.

“Don’t get too close, their poverty might rub off on us,” one of them loudly whispers, and the other two titter, joining in, but without the head of the snake, they’re harmless. Not to mention, their insults need some work.

Even still. Ever and Bree are my friends, new as they may be, and no one is going to fuck with them. I pause and study the bitches, tipping my head. “Something’s different about you.” I tap my finger to my chin, squinting and making a show of trying to figure it out before gasping and snapping. “That’s it! Your heads aren’t up Melody’s ass.”

“Vaeloria save me,” Ever quickly jumps in. “You’re right!”

“Someone call the Diremount Weekly!” Bree adds, raising her voice loud enough that a few people lounging in the chairs sprinkled around the perimeter of the foyer turn to look at us.

“Ugh, whatever, gutter scum,” one says. “You know the only reason you’re so strong is because you’re the bastard of some Foundation, right?” The Foundation tosses her hair over her shoulder. “How is your mom, by the way? Still lying on her back for money?”

“Oh, you’re going to regret that,” Bree snarls, lunging for her.

The girl who said the nasty thing about Bree’s mom yelps as Bree grabs her hair and yanks her head back. Her two friends rush forward, but I draw my dagger and Ever growls, hands partially shifting, nails extending to razor-sharp claws. They hesitate, contemplating if their friend is worth a brawl.

“You can’t kill her,” Ever reminds Bree.

“Yet,” she says, a vicious smile on her lips, and she drops her mouth to the girl’s ear and whispers something I can’t hear. She must be blocking the sound of her voice. The girl goes slack in Bree’s arms, and she runs her hand along Bree’s side, almost caressing her.

My eyebrows lift. Well, that’s different.

“Come back to my room?” she asks, biting her lip seductively.

“What the fuck did you do to her?” one of her friends asks.

“Sorry, you’re not my type.” Bree releases her and turns, batting away her hand when she tries to grab her.

“Bree!” the girl pleads.

“What did you just do?” I ask as Bree rejoins me and Ever. Mindcraft, obviously, but what did she whisper to her?

“I made her think she was in love with me.” Bree smiles. “Ready?”

“Bree!” the girl screams as we leave her standing there. “I love you!”

“Uh, what’s going on?” a Foundation with a sweater draped over his shoulders asks as he comes down the stairs.

“Oh, Goddess, everyone is watching,” one of her friends says, panicked. “What do we do?”

“Leave her,” the other replies.