Nell laughed, bright at first, but then the sound tapered off into something quieter. She swirled the wine in her glass. “Because, darling, Sig doesn’t have any brothers or cousins. And because…”
She paused, her tone dipping into the careful register she usually saved for fragile books and fragile feelings. “Because something’s wrong. What is it?”
The air shifted. Goldie felt it like static against her skin. Nell’s gaze stayed steady, unflinching. “You were weird at the library today. You’ve been buzzing since you found the body. And not just because you found a dead body. So. What’s up?”
Goldie sighed. Took a few gulps of wine. Let herself try to line the chaos up into something coherent. She set the glass down, drew a deep breath, and looked straight at Nell?—
—only to see her best friend’s eyes flashing faintly white, her mouth moving silently, obviously talking to her mothman.
Goldie shrieked and kicked Nell’s ankle. “Youbitch!”
Nell blinked, her eyes clearing back to green. “What? I was just asking him if you’d said anything about the wholesleepwalking policehorny bloodword vomit you laid on me when I walked through the door!”
Goldie moaned and slapped her forehead with her wine glass. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just… a lot.”
Nell took a slow sip, eyes narrowing. “Uh-huh. You going to tell me, or am I supposed to read about it in the threads?”
So Goldie told her, her words halting at first and then spilling out in a rush. The Grove Core clawing at her skin. Finding Marlow’s body. The Thornfather’s Assistant finding her and carrying her to her apartment. The vines that left her rattled and blissed out in equal measure. The rejection. The out-of-body strangeness she couldn’t shake. Everything.
By the time Goldie ran out of words, her glass was empty again. She poured herself more, her voice wobbling. “And nowI’m ready to jump on anyone with a Y chromosome. It’s ridiculous. It’s annoying. And it’s not me.”
Silence stretched for a beat. Nell reached across the table, her hand warm and steady on Goldie’s wrist.
“You’re still you,” she said softly. “Just… hornier than usual. Which is saying something.”
Goldie huffed a laugh that broke on a hiccup. “Gods, that’s sentimental.”
“Of course it is. I’m getting drunk.” Nell’s smile tilted sharply, and for the briefest instant, her eyes flashed white. “Oh good. Sig says that the pizza’s here. I’ll go grab it.”
Goldie sat up, pointing an accusatory finger. “Donotgive him a blow job while I’m waiting for my food.”
Nell cackled, vanishing into the hall.
Left alone, Goldie chugged another glass, then poured herself one more. The edges of the room wereveryfuzzy now. Her body buzzed with warmth, but underneath, something else stirred. Something that wasn’t just alcohol.
She shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Her skin prickled, like the static charge before a storm. The wine glass in her hand vibrated faintly, as though the air itself were humming. Goldie swallowed hard. “Nope, building. Don’t get fucky on me tonight.”
The door swung open and Nell reappeared, a pizza box balanced on one hip, wine glass in her other hand. She set the box down with a thunk and collapsed beside Goldie, draining the last swallow of her glass before immediately refilling it.
“Okay,” Nell said, eyes bright, cheeks flushed, hair halo-frizzed around her face. “Eat. Carbs. Now.”
Goldie flipped open the pizza box, grabbing a slice and cramming it into her mouth. Nell did the same. They clinked their wine glasses like champagne flutes and chewed noisily.
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Nell asked after swallowing a huge mouthful of pizza.
“It?”
“The sleepwalking. The police. The hot council guy, and the Assistant with the amazing vines. All of it.”
Goldie slumped back against the couch cushions. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”
"Well," Nell said thoughtfully, "if it were me? I'd at least figure out a way to keep yourself in your apartment at night. I'm sure if you asked the building nicely, it would lock you down."
The lights gave a little flicker—not annoyed, exactly, but distinctly huffy. A low groan rippled through the radiator pipes, like an old man clearing his throat before delivering bad news.
Both women looked up.
"Okay," Nell said slowly. "That sounded like a no."
