Huh?
Quinn’s boxers, jeans, and shirt were there, but my clothes weren’t. I tugged everything inside out, then searched the nearby rocks, thinking they might have been kicked aside accidentally.We definitely left our clothes here, and…
Cold panic settled on my shoulders. This wasn’t an accident. Quinn had talked me into going into the grotto, and now my clothes were missing. And my mirror shard. I was shivering, practically naked, in the middle of this party filled with people who wanted to do me harm.
Shit. Hazel, you’re an idiot. You brought along a weapon to defend yourself, and then you let them get their hands on it.
A few feet away, Someone giggled. “Looking for something, gutter whore?”
I looked up to see Trey’s girlfriend Tillie, wearing a red bikini that left nothing to the imagination, and a matching red silk kimono and Louboutin heels. She stuck her hand on her hip and curled back her lip in amusement.
Terror rose in my throat. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that someone had stolen my clothes. A couple of guys wandered over from the band area. I scanned the area for Quinn, panic swirling inside me, growing bigger and more monstrous as I realized just how perilous this situation had become.
No way was I going to stand around in my dripping-wet underwear and wait for whatever attack was coming. I grabbed a black dress at random from the pile and tugged it over my head. It barely covered my ass, but barely was better than nothing.
“Hey, that’s mine!” A hand grabbed my shoulder. “Give that back, you bitch! You’ll ruin it!”
“Then give me back my clothes,” I yelled, my voice too ragged and panicked to carry any authority. I swung Quinn’s jacket over my head and shoved my feet into his boots. More bodies moved down the rocks toward me. I heard guys snickering, girls chuckling like hyenas.
I shoved past Tillie and headed toward the dance floor.Got to find Quinn. Got to get out of here.
I couldn’t see him anywhere. I raced toward the food and drinks area, scanning the crowd. A couple of guys from the lacrosse game were shaking cocktails for a small crowd. No Quinn. Two bodies tangled together in front of the food table. I squinted. Yes, that was them.
Courtney and Quinn. He was still buck-naked. She had her hands all over him, one graceful leg lifted up and curled around his back, staking her claim. My lips burned as I stood frozen, unable to tear myself away.
She’s not my girlfriend,Quinn had said. Well, he could have fooled me. Of course I fell for his shit like an idiot, because I wanted to believe a guy like Quinn could choose me. But nothing had changed – he was still King, she was Queen, and I wasnothing.
Courtney must’ve noticed me, because she pulled back and licked her lips. “See something you like, gutter whore?”
I like your boyfriend. Too bad he’s a big fucking dicksome idiot. “Nope. I was feeling peckish, but you’re just having your ‘my heart will go on’ moment right in front of the food. Are you sure that’s not a health code violation?”
Quinn laughed. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to face me. His smile wobbled. He wasn’t as sure of himself as he made out. “Hazy, I—”
Courtney gripped his shoulder, digging her nails into his flesh. Quinn snapped his mouth shut. “Back off, dyke,” Courtney hissed. My cheeks burned. I spun on my heel and strode away.
I did a circuit of the party area, walking with purpose and barreling through groups like I was desperate to get to someone even though I was completely alone. I needed to get back to that cave, but I couldn’t remember the way. The only other people who knew were Quinn, Ayaz, and Trey. Quinn was clearly out-of-bounds, I wasn’t exactly going to go near the grotto again, which meant that I had to find Trey.Great.
I found myself back near the drinks table. Thankfully, Courtney and Quinn had moved on. I bypassed the glass bottles and pitchers of red-stained punch and loaded myself up a plate of snacks – satay chicken, sushi, chocolate truffles, little crab cakes with cream cheese. Even if everything else at Derleth Academy sucked, the food was top notch, absolutely amazing. I had no idea how the students got their hands on these expensive ingredients, but I wasn’t going to let them go to waste.
I took my plate and wandered over to the moon temple, hoping that the food would calm my churning stomach and give me something to do with my hands so they’d stop shaking. I stood as close to the fire as I dared, enough to catch a scrap of its warmth, but far enough away from the huddled couples that no one would notice me. Far enough that I could pretend the sight of flames curling up toward the sky didn’t give me horrible flashbacks.
I finished my food and found the corner of a rock by the edge of the terrace. I swung my legs around, dangling them over the edge and studying the Milky Way splashed across the sky. I imagined Thomas Parris and his friends gathered around a similar fire, wearing robes and chanting in Latin to raise spirits and demons. I felt like the students of Derleth Academy were doing him proud.
A rough hand clamped down on my shoulder, dragging me back against the sharp rocks.
“Quinn—” I gasped.
But it wasn’t Quinn. It was Trey. His teeth scraped along my collarbone, biting down against my ear.
“Why can’t you listen?” he demanded. “Why can’t you stay away from my friends?”
I tried to tear myself from his grasp, but he held me tight against him. I kicked out with my feet, trying to find purchase on the rocks. But all I kicked was thin air as Trey lifted me up, dangling me over the rocks. My wet body welcomed the fire of his skin, even though my heart pattered with fear.
Of course, I never did very well with fear. It tended to make me mouthy.
“You’ve been coming into my room,” I managed to hiss at Trey. He made a growling sound low in his throat, the kind of sound an animal would make if it was being provoked. I knew I should stop talking, but I needed to hear it from him. I needed to know the truth. “You took my journal. You tarred my hair. How did you do it?”
“It doesn’t matterhow,” he growled. “It matters why. You had to get the message.”
