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Eve’s shout was loud and close, and I welcomed it. I turned to her just as she skipped to my side.
“You survived!”
“So did you.” Threading my arm through hers, I stepped away from Cayden without another word, and we started up the stairs. Maybe tonight would be a good time to start drinking heavily?
“It wasn’t that bad,” Eve said.
“Hey, why wasn’t I aware of how close you and Beckett are?”
Eve blushed. “We’re not close at all. I don’t know why you think that.”
“He called you Cinderella.”
“Yeah, probably because I clean his house sometimes. Believe me, if this were the story, he’d be the evil stepmother, not the prince,” Eve muttered. Her tone was loaded with everything she wasn’t saying. There was definitely more there, but it seemed she wasn’t in the mood to share.
“Whatever. Where there are Ice Gods, there’s trouble—except your brother, of course,” I added quickly.
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I am aware of who my brother is to the general student body. He’s a dick, and a bully, and has broken more hearts than any guy has a right to, but…”
“He’s your brother,” I finished for her.
She sighed resignedly and nodded. “So, let’s go and get a birthday drink or something.”
“Sure,” I said easily.
Eve stopped dramatically in the middle of the hallway and stared at me. “Who are you, and where is the real Lily?”
“I can have one drink. Yesterday was my birthday, after all,” I added. What I didn’t say was that I was probably going to need a drink to get through tonight with my sanity intact. Cayden had maneuvered me here for a reason, and there was little to no chance I’d be getting out of here without finding out why.
* * *
An hour later, and I might have actually been having fun at a school party. Maybe the sun would rise in the west, too; that was how upside down everything felt.
We were talking to some kids from art class and having a great time. The Ice Gods had disappeared somewhere to hold court with their gushing fans, the music was good, the snacks were amazing, there was a real live personal chef in the kitchen, and the one cocktail I’d had had mellowed me out a fraction and stopped my head from swiveling and looking for Cayden every two minutes.
“Let’s walk around, I need some fresh air,” Eve muttered later, when the crowd in the huge sitting room became too much to bear.
The air inside was heavy and damp, and I longed to feel the cool autumn breeze on my face. I followed Eve out back. The swimming pool was uncovered, and the blue was tempting, despite the chill in the air.
“Come on, let’s see if there’s anyone in the pool house,” Eve said, taking off before I could stop her.
I followed reluctantly. If there was anywhere that Cayden and the Ice Gods would be, it was in there. I had no idea why Eve was eager to run into them, but then, she’d hadn’t had the problems with them that I had. Well, the problems I’d had with one of them. Before Cayden West’s arrival at our school, I’d been invisible to the Ice Gods and most of the student body. I didn’t really know how to feel about the fact that a lot more people knew my name now. I didn’t know how to feel about the reality of being someone, instead of no one, at school.
Inside the pool house the music was quieter, and there was a hum of conversation. As soon as we stepped through the door, I knew it was a mistake to come here.
The Ice Gods sat around the cozy couch area, and several of the rest of the team were dotted about, talking to puck bunnies. Selena sat on the couch between Cayden and Marcus. Marcus flirted with her, flashing his megawatt smile, while Cayden inspected his bottle label like it was the most interesting thing in the world. His whole body seemed to jerk when he saw me standing in the doorway.
Was I upset that he hadn’t sought me out? Of course not. That was crazy. I wasn’t trying to set a new record for some kind of accelerated Stockholm syndrome. Cayden was a threat; he was using the secrets he’d stolen from me to twist me into doing whatever he wanted. More importantly, he was dangerous. Ellen, the girl from his old town, had seemed terrified of him. What was his deal? What kind of guy had my father let into his house while we were sleeping?
“Evie, isn’t it time you started home?” Asher called to his sister, watching her with dark eyes.
Winter, who lounged in a chair by the daybed, deeply engrossed in her phone, snorted loudly. It was a surprising sound, considering the bored blonde never seemed to be listening.
“Got something to say, DeLaurie?” Asher tossed at her.
“She’s your twin, last time I checked, not your little sister. Stop treating her like she’s five.” Winter’s arctic tone was legendary. Tonight, hearing it employed against an Ice God was kind of amazing, and on Eve’s behalf, no less.
“What’s it got to do with you, rich girl? We all know you wouldn’t be here without Daddy’s permission, would you?” Asher’s tone was half teasing, half lethal.
