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“I—”
I didn’t wait to hear the rest of his words. Instead, I did what I should have done before I let him get so close to me.
I ran from him.
NINE
Wiping away my tears with a shaky hand, I stumbled back up to the house, disappearing into the anonymity of the crowd, another face amongst many. I’d never been a big drinker—drinking had been discouraged during my time in Switzerland, and the tiny stipend my parents had sent over for me hadn’t allowed for luxuries like alcohol, so I’d only had it on the odd occasion when I’d socialised with the few others I’d come to know during my time there. But now, all I wanted to do was to lose myself in alcohol, to blank out the memory of Zayde’s hard, strong body right in front of me, the way his eyes had flashed with pain when I’d thrown those accusations at him, the way that, even now, I wanted him. It felt like I was being torn in two.
“Where are the drinks?” I mumbled to myself, going up on my tiptoes to see over the bodies blocking my view.
“Drinks? What’re you in the mood for?”
I spun around to see a beautiful girl studying me with interest. She was probably a little older than me, maybe Zayde’s age, with long dark hair that fell in tumbling waves down her back, wide blue eyes, and a warm smile that widened as our gazes connected.
“Oh. Um. I don’t know. What is there?”
The girl took a step closer, lightly touching my arm. “First time? It can be a bit overwhelming. I remember the first time I ever came to one of the Four’s parties…” She blew out a breath, shaking her head. “That’s a night I’d rather put behind me.”
“Why?” I asked, interested despite the fact that I was on a mission to forget. But there was something about the girl—something so warm and open that it immediately put me at ease.
“Well.Thatis a conversation that needs alcohol. Come on, I know where the good stuff is hidden.” She shot me a wink as her hand moved to loosely clasp my wrist. “Because I hid it.”
I let her lead me through the kitchen to the huge fridge, where she rummaged around behind several large bags of various vegetables. It was clear that she knew her way around the house, and that made me wonder just how well she knew the Four. I’d never seen her before; maybe she was a student at Alstone College.
“Here it is!” Pulling out a bottle, she waved it in the air. “Let’s find somewhere a bit quieter. Outside?”
No. That was where Zayde was. I shook my head violently. “I’d rather stay inside.”
“Okay. The games room should be quieter. We had everything in the lounge before, but someone broke the PlayStation and managed to crack the TV at our last party. So this week, we’ve been clearing out a junk room to turn it into a games room. You should’ve seen the shit the boys had in there—so much crap that needed to be taken to the tip. It looked like one of those hoarders’ houses. At the moment, most of it’s in a skip on the driveway…”
She was still talking, but all I could concentrate on was the fact that she’d saidwe.
The question burst from my lips. “Do you live here?”
Her head swung to mine, and her eyes widened as she pushed open the door to the games room. “Shit, I haven’t even introduced myself yet, have I? I’m Winter.”
Winter Huntington. The girl Jessa had told me about. The estranged daughter of Christine Cavendish, who Joseph had blackmailed James into hurting. Not only that, but he’d alsohither, and he’d been involved in the plot to take over Alstone Holdings. She was going to hate me when she found out who I was.
“To answer your question, I do live here. My boyfriend’s Caiden Cavendish. Do you know who he is?”
I didn’t trust myself to speak, but I managed to nod.
“Alright, that makes it easier to tell you the story of my first party here.” She tugged me over to a huge squashy leather sofa against one wall that was miraculously unoccupied—the other occupants of the room were either crowded around the TV, intent on whatever game they were playing, or circling a small, low table where a large bong sat, along with various other related paraphernalia. Sinking down into the chair, she carefully opened the bottle, taking a swig before handing it to me. “Mmm. I love this stuff. It’s strong, though.”
I took a cautious sip, and then another. Light, bubbling liquid trickled down my throat, a taste of champagne and something fruity but with a sharpness…possibly raspberries. “Oh, this is good. What is it?”
“I think it’s pink gin, Chambord, and Prosecco. Jessa made some at our last party, and I fell in love. It goes down way too easily, though.” Kicking her shoes off and curling her legs up on the sofa, she turned sideways to face me. “First things first. We need proper introductions. What’s your name?”
I swallowed hard, staring down at my hands. “F-Fallon.”
“Fallon? That’s a pretty name.”
Chancing a glance back at her, I noticed that her expression hadn’t changed, and I relaxed a little. That had to mean she wasn’t aware of who I was. I knew I’d have to tell her eventually, but for now, I could sit here and pretend that I was normal.
The thought suddenly hit me. I’d never had this before. Never been to a party, not one my parents hadn’t forced me to go to, to be on show and expected to act a certain way and speak to certain people.
It was so nice to be anonymous, even though it couldn’t last.
