She shook her head.
“I couldn’t make your voices out.”
Asher’s expression softened immediately. “I’ll teach you how to use your gift properly. Soon.”
“It better be, because I’m not sure I’ll survive your assault on my soul.”
Asher sighed.
“Don’t call it that,” he said, sounding irritated.
“What shall I call it, then?” Asher bowed his head.Yep. Assault. Hailey thought so. Eureka was close, thankfully.
“Did you enjoy your night?” he asked exasperated.
They stood outside the door, facing each other.
“Not really,” she told him apologetically. “Except for the dance. And the kisses—your kisses.”
Asher grabbed her right arm and pulled her to him, lacing his fingers through her hair. He pressed his lips to hers and unleashed a slow, deliciously reassuring warmth, which quickly spread across her face, down her neck and into her shoulders, releasing all of her tension and dazzling her into a groggy stupor.
“Whoa,” she breathed when he released her.
She wobbled, dumbfounded.
“Sleep well, Hailey. I’ll see you tonight. In the Aether.” He ushered her inside and disappeared into the shadows.
Chapter thirty-nine
Strange Family
“Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard.” — Victorian proverb
Parents' weekend at Bear Towne University was in full swing the next day, and Giselle’s mother and sisters had flown all the way from Hell to collect her for the winter break. Hailey only went to the luncheon at Chinook Hall because: she had nothing else to do, was avoiding Fin, she hoped to see her roommate once more before she left, was avoiding Fin, and—oh, yeah—she was avoiding Fin.
Not even close to hungry, she stared blankly at the buffet, completely engrossed in counting the serving spoons when a disinterested voice rang through the hall. “Hey, Prostitute.”
Instinctively, and she had no idea why, she turned to look, and when she did, Giselle, who had done the yelling, pointed and laughed.
Hailey rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a weak smile.
Her roommate stood with three supermodels next to absolutely nobody. It was funny. Even the professors gave them a wide berth. Hailey caught a shiver just looking at them, though with their crystal eyes set into porcelain skin, they were a vision to behold. Like Giselle, the other three banshees were beautiful, tall, and thin, but unlike Giselle, they had long flowing golden-white hair, which was constantly ruffled by an invisible wind that didn’t affect Giselle’s blondish-gray locks. They almost looked angelic.
Until they smiled.
Hailey wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Giselle’s family were much paler than she was, and as she drew near she heard them—ringing like crystals. It was beautiful.
Giselle threw her arms around her and lifted her off the ground in a powerful, frigid squeeze.
“Okay,” Hailey wheezed. “Put me down!”
Giselle dropped her and smiled.
Her family looked disgusted.
“Where’s your uncle?” asked Giselle.
“Ireland,” she mumbled. He’d gone back to the homeland for Christmas that year, satisfied that Hailey’d be safe under the watchful eye of an Envoy. Her original plan had been to spend the holiday with Fin at his cabin, an idea Uncle Pix abhorred but had finally accepted. But she was pretty sure her invitation had been rescinded sometime between the “don’t touch me” and “weeping cesspool” comments the night before. Besides, she’d probably be dead before Christmas anyway.
