“How does that translate to him not reporting a crime?”
“He answers to the school’s board of trustees, and they don’t want to hear about unrest. They work so hard to make this seem like a luxurious, serene place. After that fucking shit show in the caves, they’re going out of their way to avoid any bad press. Scares donors and shit. Avernia is only as powerful as its treasure trove of secrets.”
“Dean Bauer even personally asked me to ramp up my campus beautification efforts,” Quincy adds. “The Daughters ofPersephone have alonghistory of clashing with him, so the request just proves how far Avernia is willing to go to maintain a facade of order. I’d bet they had funding threatened or worse.”
I’m not sure what would be worse for a private university than losing its endowment funds, but I don’t question it. If it’s enough to involve the student organization that Quincy cofounded, which typically struggles for administrative support, then I guess it doesn’t really matter.
“Okay, but… It was still wild. You don’t think the dean will report it atall?”
“Would I have asked you to do this if I thought it would worsen the target on your back?” Quincy asks.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “You didn’t use to set buildings on fire. That’s always been Ash’s thing.”
He grins. “Felt good though, didn’t it?”
“If you’re a destructive psychopath, I guess.”
“You’re a theater major, right? Dramatic flair is your thing, so this should make perfect sense to you.”
I open my mouth to protest but shut it just as quickly. “Damn it. I do love the symbolism.”
His brown eyes crinkle up at the corners. As close to a smile as anyone besides Lucy ever gets. “Exactly. You understand.”
“I’m not sure I’d go that far,” I say. “But if you guys really don’t think it’ll be a problem, then I guess I can stop obsessing.”
“Nelly!” Aurora slings her arms around my neck, shoving me into the lip of the bar as she hugs me tight. “A very nice gentleman gave me some tequila shots on my way back from the bathroom. Where are the Kamikazes?”
Asher’s face screws up as she slurs her words. “I don’t think you need any more liquor.”
“You’re not my dad,” she says, smushing her cheek into mine. “You’rebarelymy friend, Ash-tree, and you’re responsiblefor Foxe being the way he is now, so maybe mind your damn business.”
He blinks, and for a moment, I think I see a blip of emotion in his expression. His eyes stay clear and focused, but there’s the slightest twitch, a muscle thumping beneath his pale skin as if he’s bothered by her words.
Foxe is back in Aplana Island recovering from extensive injuries and surgery, but there’s no denying the change his experience in Fury Hill had on him. Can’t blame him really. According to the bits and pieces I overheard when my dad and Uncle Alistair were talking, they’d violated his body over and over.
Violations like that don’t leave you. They haunt your body and soul forever.
Even when you’re not the one they did it directly to.
Asher steps back without reacting, and Lucy appears. She slips her arm around Aurora’s waist, prying her off me.
“That’s probably our cue to go home,” she says, propping the blond up.
“And why you don’t accept drinks from men you don’t know,” I say.
Aurora sighs, rolling her blue eyes. “Iknowhim. I’ve seen him at school before. He’s sitting right there.”
She points in the general direction of the end of the bar, where a sole patron sits with his head down, chatting on his phone with a glass of red wine in front of him. It’s untouched, and he rubs at his temple with his free hand.
A hand I swearI’veseen somewhere, but he keeps his face tilted, obscuring his identity.
“You coming?” Quincy asks as she slides off the barstool.
I shake my head. “You guys go on. I can make it back to campus on my own.”
She hesitates, gnawing on her bottom lip as the other three head to the entrance. We watch as Lucy stumbles beneath Aurora’s weight, and Asher lets out an irritated noise, bending to toss the blond over his shoulder.
As he does, Lucy leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek. I can’t see his blush from here, but the way he lingers, staring at her like she’s the only thing in the world that matters to him, tells me enough.
