The sky had long passed sunset, clinging to the last kiss of light. Cotton candy pinks and dandelion golds had given way to rich purples and deepening blues. The vibrant skies truly were one of the best parts of Luckland.
My feet slowed as a new sound tugged at my ears. Rushing water.
Up ahead, a wide waterfall thundered down into a gorgeous pool of aquamarine. Ripples splayed across the surface, shimmering beneath the final threads of light.
A figure loomed just beside the waterfall. Half-sunk in shadows like an angry phantom haunting the woods, probably waiting for his next victim.
Pogue.
I nearly had to stifle a laugh with my hand. His irritation was beyond potent as he paced back and forth. I swear even the trees were leaning away from him.
Great.
This was either going to be wildly entertaining or full-scale torture. There was no in-between.
I gulped down air in an attempt to catch my breath. I was desperate to hide the fact that I sprinted for ten minutes and was now fighting for my life.
Please god,I thought,don’t let there be any marathons in the Eostre Trials.
Taking my sweet time at the dress shop and then making a pit-stop home to get changed felt like an empowering move at the time. But now, I wasn’t so sure.
Darkness suddenly swarmed my view. Pogue stepped forward, an angry puss plastered on his face.
“I can’t imagine you’d comprehend this,” he growled, eyes drawn like blades. “But some of us actually have important lives to attend to.” His voice dropped with a lethal force. “You wanna piss your time away? Fine. But don’t wastemine.”
The hit of his fury had my foot stepping back.
That old, familiar flush crept in—the feeling of being belittled. Having to wear my insecurities like a chainmail blanket. I wanted to bury my eyes in the dirt.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words are fucking bullets . . .
It shouldn’t have surprised me that my life didn’t count asimportantin his eyes. But I wasn’t going to shrivel, not this time. Because I wasn’theranymore. The girl who’d let the insults stick to her like flung mud.
So—Fuck. Him.
“Wasteyourtime?” I stepped forward, claiming my ground. “What about all the hours ofmytime you’ve wasted? Sending me off on solo-hiking missions so you could play creep in the woods. Living out your stalker fantasy!”
Darkness crept in.
“Like I said, it was a test. One you failedmiserably,” he snapped, eyes like shards of glass, scraping. “Not that I’m surprised.” He closed the space between us. “Don’t, for one pathetic second, think I enjoyed watching you.” Tone vicious and cold. “I’m not that low-grubbing dog that follows you around with his tongue hanging out.”
The scorch of my cheeks went straight through me, burning into my soul. My insides bubbled, brewing a boiling pot of wrath.
My hands shot out before I could think—shoving him.Hard.
“Asshole!” I exploded, wielding my finger like a sword. “You’re afucking asshole!No wonder you’ve got a permanent puss on your face. You’re constantly marinating in your own lonely, despicable existence. People would rather swallow their own tongues than be in your presence!”
It wasn’t my strongest comeback. But I was seeing red and threw the first insult I could reach for.
Pogue’s face went unreadable. Except that ever-present judgy face.
A wicked smirk slithered into place, possessing the corner of his mouth like it’d been waiting for this.
He leaned in, a mere inch away.
I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me. I angled my head enough to meet his eyes.
Cruel. That hint of a smile was so, very cruel on that annoyingly pretty face.
