Page 52 of Dead Beat

“No, they put him in a pollen bath, then had him transform into a giant tortoise. It evened him out.”

Alex had to echo the question Turner had posed. “Is it really worth it? What is the point of risking that kind of fallout?”

“I don’t think you’re going to like the explanation this time around. Just be prepared for a lot of bad bee puns.”

They were welcomed at the door by Jonah Martins, one of Yale’s star basketball players—tall, dimpled, with close-cropped hair, and dressed in a long black robe lined in gray fur. Alex was sorry she knew he was probably naked beneath it in preparation for the ritual.

“Thanks for beeing on time,” Jonah cracked with a massive grin.

“You’re very welcome,” Darlington said, manners unshaken.

A young woman was bustling down the hall toward them. “We’re ready to start. If—” She tripped over her robe when she spotted Alex and Darlington.

“Salome!” Alex cried happily. She lifted her palm. “Hive five?”

Salome Nils didn’t even try to hide her dismay. “I … Jonah … Temple room.” She spun on her heel and practically fled down the corridor.

“What did you do to her?” Darlington asked as they trailed after Jonah in Salome’s wake.

“We had a deal. She tried to welch.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Nothing that left a mark.”

“Stern.”

“It’s not my fault my mentor got eaten by a hellbeast. I did the best I could with my limited skill set.”

Alex had only meant it as a joke, but now the knowledge of what had happened in the Rosenfeld basement hung between them. They had never talked about what Alex had done in that moment—because Alex had done nothing at all. She’d let him be consumed.

“That night—” she attempted.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

He cast her a glance. “I assumed you would at least try.”

She could have told him she had been frightened, but he knew that. Or that she was unprepared, but he knew that too. Alex would never be sure if she’d truly frozen or if she’d deliberately stood back, but she wasn’t going to invent excuses for the choice she’d made or failed to make.

She stopped in the stone hallway. Light from the interior courtyard where the ancient ash tree grew filtered in through the leaded glass windows, making the room feel as if it were trapped in blue twilight. She forced herself to meet his eyes.

“I wasn’t ready to choose your life over mine.” She didn’t want it to sound that flat, that final. She wanted Darlington to think of her as someone like him—noble, heroic. But there was no amount of grift in the world that could sell that lie. Better to be honest about it. “I know you would have jumped in. I know you would have done the right thing. I’m not … I don’t know how to do that.”

“You went to hell for me,” he said. “You risked your life for me. You risked your future.”

Because she’d needed his help. Because she’d felt guilty. Because Darlington was supposed to be in charge, not her. Because she’d missed him. And if she was honest, she still missed him. Darlington was like a beautiful object on a shelf. She could admire him, talk about him, even covet him. But she knew his value too well. You let the rabble in on a half-price Saturday, but you kept them in the sale section. You didn’t let a girl like Alex put her grubby hands on quality.

“I did,” she said. “But not because I’m good.”

The faintest smile touched his lips. “What makes you think good is what interests me?”

Alex didn’t know what to say to that. She’d somehow wandered into unknown territory, and now she wanted to do something stupid. She wanted to push up on her tiptoes and kiss his offensively perfect mouth.

“Where’d you go?” Jonah Martins called from down the hall and Alex nearly jumped.

“On our way,” Darlington said, but his gaze held hers.