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I’m trying to slow my breathing, trying not to freak out completely, when Lila is beside me, herrainbow hair a blur as she scans me from top to bottom.
“Ever, you okay?” she pants, eyes wide with concern. “I heard Stanley and those other two idiots were harassing you.”
“So you heard it, but no one bothered to help me?” I spit out, but my gaze lands on Alistair and Damien, my two knights in dark armour.
My gaze locks with Alistair’s, and it’s like time stands still.
There’s a flicker there, something possessive, something that tells me he’s not done with me yet.
But then he breaks away, his back straight, every inch the Duke he is, with Damien gliding silently at his side. They don’t say a word, just leave a trail of questions in their wake.
“Whoa,” Lila whispers, elbowing me gently. “Did they fight off Stanley?”
“Yeah,” I mutter. But why? And what does it mean for me? Probably nothing. They probably just hate Stanley as much as I do.
Before Lila can question me further, Alex races up, his easy smile a welcome relief from the tension. He looks like shit, and the fumes of stale alcohol are all around him. I guess he hit up the party at North House without me.
Not that I should have a problem with that.
But I do.
“Ready for the next round of torture?” he asks, nodding towards the looming building of our next classes.
Lila winks at me before answering for us both, but I know there are more questions lurking in the depths of her overactive brain. “Sure. Let’s go.”
We fall into step with him, and I try to lock away the image of Alistair’s intense gaze, the silent threat of Damien’s presence. But they’re etched in my mind, darkly fascinating, drawing me in despite my better judgement.
7
EVER
The second the door shuts behind us, my shoulders sag. “God, I’m fucked,” I mutter, kicking off my shoes without bothering to aim for the rack.
“Tell me about it,” Lila groans right next to me. We shuffle into the house like we’re wading through mud.
We trudge up to our rooms, and I chuck my bag somewhere near the desk and collapse onto the bed. The mattress grabs hold of me like it missed me all day. I let out this long sigh, trying to get my head straight.
Again, I think of Alistair and Damien and how they swooped in like some dark lords. It gives me a shiver, not all of it fear.
But the question remains: why? I frown at the ceiling, tracing cracks with my eyes. The Duke and the Baron. What’s their side of this game?
I know it has to be a game. Stanley and co were definitely goading me into something, bullying me even to go to this party. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if I showed up and no one else was there. Just me and an empty house, feeling like a prick. It’s not the first time I’ve been bullied, it probably won’t be the last. I’m too reserved, too shy. Lila kind of saved me from that when we became friends. She has a mouth on her that would put a blush on a sailor’s cheeks, so no one dares to talk back to her. She protects me.
But then in swoop Alistair and Damien, two total strangers, two of the most popular guys on campus, and I feel like theirs is an agenda I’m not familiar with. Alistair’s gaze, when it locked onto mine, was... raw. It’s the only way I can describe it.
I roll over, pressing my face into the pillow. The fabric smells fresh from the laundry yesterday, and I sigh. I’ve got half a mind just to pass out and forget the world for ten hours, but there’s a knot in my stomach that won’t let go.
A sudden sound jolts through the floorboards, followed by a tang of something burnt that scratches at the back of my throat.
“Shit. Sasha? What have you burned now?” She is the world’s worst cook. I’m on my feet before the words finish their echo, opening my door to a stronger stench. “Fuck!” Adrenaline kicks my heart into overdrive, and I move fast.
Stumbling downstairs, followed by Lila, my hand skids along the rail, slick with sweat or terror.
“Fire,” I gasp as we tear through the living room to the kitchen.
“Ever! Ever!” Lila’s voice is a sharp stab of reality. I can’t see her, but I know she’s close, lost in the smoke like I am.
I launch myself towards the danger, towards the heat that wants to sear the flesh from my bones. “Out! Get out!” It’s all I can think, all I can scream.
