Page 49 of Alchemy of Souls

“And don’t forget that you’ve hada lotof relationships,” she says.

“Are you keeping tabs on my dating life, Claws?”

The pink in her cheeks bleeds onto her nose. “It’s impossible to miss.Anyway, moving on. It’s hard to believe friendship is new to you in any shape or form.”

I sigh. Am I actually going to tell this girl something real? I guess so. “That thing you have with Maggie? I don’t have that. With anyone.”

Her eyes widen. “Bas?” she asks.

“He’s a decent guy, don’t get me wrong. But it’s more a friendship of convenience. Everything we do overlaps, everyone we know.”

“Your family?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I think they’d be the first people to feed me to a shark.”

Her brow furrows. “Your brother?” she asks more quietly.

There’s a tightness in my chest I can’t quite pinpoint. “I was close to Liam. Or more like I followed him around. He was five years older than me. I think I annoyed the hell out of him.”

She waits for me to go on, but when I don’t, she nods. “My little sister does that. And I love it. Sure, it can be aggravating sometimes, but kids are also the absolute best and funniest. Little siblings love so completely that you just melt when they look at you. I bet your brother felt the same way about you.”

Her words hit me hard. Like an uppercut I never saw coming.

She must realize it, because she says, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to… never mind. Come sit. I promise I’ll try not to pry.”

She pats the bed and I’m torn. Because I know if I sit, I’m going to talk. And I’ll probably say things I shouldn’t.

“Thanks, but I’m beat,” I say, and regret it before I even walk away.

CHAPTER 27Grayson

11 DAYS TO GO

Eloise’s mixed emotions waft toward me every ten seconds as we rotate through practice stations in Akari’s training class. It’s distracting as hell and I have absolutely no idea what any of it is about. Because Naomi, Ivy, and Bas have been glued to my side and I haven’t been able to shake them.

Until now.

Akari bellows: “Change stations!”

Eloise breaks from Maggie and Adrien and heads for the blades station, a slight limp in her step even with the Ace bandage.

Naomi turns to me and Bas. “Ivy and I are headed to the rock wall. Join us?”

“I actually want to take another go at throwing daggers.” I flash my disarming smile and add, “You’re welcome to join me, though.”

Naomi scrunches her nose. “You know I hate blades.”

Yes, I do know that.

“Same,” Ivy says, as Akari yells at all of us to get a move on.

As the girls walk off, Bas claps me on the shoulder. “See, now that’s the smooth Grayson Stone we all know and love, keeping tabs on Belrose and making time for your friends. Win-win.”

Except there’s nothing winning about it. Naomi still hasn’t told me anything about her intel and Eloise has barely made eye contact with me since I turned down her offer to read last night.

I roll my shoulders out as I cross the room toward the long table littered with weapons. It’s about fifteen feet from the wall lined with bull’s-eyes.

“Tonight, Eloise,” Maggie says like a warning as she walks toward the poisons station. “I don’t care if ye fall over from exhaustion or suddenly contract the plague. No more excuses!”