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I return it and get lost in her inscrutable dark eyes. I love her eyes. They’re like whirling black seas of onyx, mysterious and impenetrable.
They bore into me with unmasked determination. Seeing the stubbornness in them burns the back of my neck. She’s acting like I’m a monster or something. The longer she holds off agreeing, the worse she makes me look, and that’s really starting to piss me off.
I harden my face and lift one of my eyebrows in a challenge.
Her gaze snaps back to Cristo.
She stammers, “I-I’m sure…you can get one of his…friends to help him.”
She’s wringing her hands together, clasped in front of her in a sign of desperation. I let out an irritated sigh. Is this playacting payback for what I said after the kiss?
Cristo snorts. “He’ll spend his time fucking these so-called friends, not studying. That’s why it’s gotta be you.”
He flicks his index finger up. “For one, you’re jailbait.”
Not true, but he doesn’t know her real age and neither of us bother correcting him.
Another finger ticks up. “Secondly, Tatum is the only Lupu who doesn’t loathe me. I won’t risk pissing him off by letting Lucian fuck with his little sister.”
He angles his head slightly and eyes Lucian. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah,” I grind out.
For the love of God, why the fuck are they acting like I’m going to jump her or something? Okay, maybe she has a point, but Cristo?
Star’s shoulders abruptly slump down as if Cristo just popped her bubble of bravery.
Hmm, must have been the mention of her brother. It’s no secret how close the two of them were. He was more like a father to her.
“Whatever,” she mutters into her chest, stomping her foot lightly.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Cristo grumbles. Then he looks her in the eye and warns, “Just do it, Star. I need him to graduate, okay? Don’t cross me on this.” His tone drops an octave. “You’ll regret it if you do.”
She gulps audibly and she’s right to be nervous. By agreeing, she’s making a tricky commitment. This is themafie. For whatever reason, mysefchose her and now that he has, the burden is on her to help me pass. Failure is not an option.
Having gotten what he wants, Cristo slaps his hands on his knees and raises himself to standing.
Dismissing her, he claps me on the shoulder, leans in, and mutters a harsh warning in Romanian, using gutter slang to tell me what’s what.
I nod dutifully, but I’m still irritated by it. As if I’m some beast who’d physically harm her. And he’s fucking insane if he thinks a warning would stop me.Sefor not, I do what the fuck I want.
Cristo gives me a curt nod and says, “I’ll let you both get on with it then.”
He disappears, leaving us to stare at each other like two cowboys readying for a duel.
Throwing her shoulders back, she glares at me, putting every ounce of strength she has in it.
Cute.
Cute on top of gorgeous, because at that moment, as the sun descends below the horizon, a ray of gleaming light strikes her head. Her ice-blonde hair, normally the color of pearl dust, lights up like a halo. Other than her platinum-colored hair, most people don’t notice her because she’s always hiding in the wings, trying to meld into the wall. Yet, I’ve noticed her from the beginning.
Only…
I tilt my head to the side and study her carefully. Her shoulders are pushed back instead of slumped forward like usual. Her eyes drill into me as opposed to darting away. She stood up to Cristo instead of promptly agreeing to his request.
Something has changed… Intriguing.
Star swallows and the old show of nerves makes me smile inwardly.
