“I’m curious. Was that actually supposed to make me feel better?”
“Would you stop being a snot for two seconds and listen to me?” she snapped. “We’re almost there.”
It was a shame my eyes were covered, because that meant Violet couldn’t watch me roll them, but I sighed and took a step up. Then another. A sudden wall of AC smacked me in the face, and I felt Violet shuffle around me, the door screeching as it swung shut. I waited for something to happen, for Violet to help me forward or give me another instruction, but nothing happened.
Thirty seconds passed.
Sick of not knowing what was going on, I reached up to pull off the blindfold, but before I could undo the knot, someone moved in my direction.
“Violet?” I asked.
A pair of warm arms wrapped around my waist. “Try again.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Xander?”
“If I kiss you right now,” he replied, gently running the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip, “will these kill me?”
“Nope.” I’d been making an effort to avoid eating anything Xander was allergic to. It was difficult, but at the end of the day, impromptu make-out sessions put my favorite foods to shame. “I had a dairy-free salad, an apple, and—”
He cut me off with his mouth. After not seeing him for two months, I melted against his body, sliding a hand up the nape of his neck and cradling it. Xander’s lips were hot as they moved against mine and…wow. Just wow. How was it that every kiss with him felt better than the last? All I wanted to do was spend the rest of the day locked in his embrace.
“All right, lovebirds. That’s enough,” Violet called from across the room. “You can maul each other later. We have to get ready.”
Ready for what? I yanked off the scarf and blinked a few times before realizing we were standing inside Violet’s trailer. The one she used on the set ofLady Phoenix.
Back in January, she’d gone through two quick rounds of auditions before being cast as Kelina Stardust. Less than a month later, preproduction began. By that time, I’d forgotten all about her promise, the one she’d made the night of her birthday party. But Violet hadn’t. When she brought me to the first table read, I nearly had a heart attack.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, glancing between Violet and Xander. Judging from the smirk on his face, he knew exactly what was going on. The two were clearly up to something, and I didn’t know how I felt about my sister and boyfriend conspiring behind my back.
“We start filming the night battle for episode three today,” Violet explained. “How do you feel about being an extra?”
“An extra?” I asked, her words not computing.
“You know, an actor who appears in a nonspeaking capacity, usually in the background.”
“You want me to be in the episode?”
She nodded. “That’s the idea.”
“Me?” I repeated.
Xander and Violet exchanged looks. “I think you broke her,” he said.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing she doesn’t have any lines. You okay with yours?”
He pulled a folded-up booklet from his back pocket—a script. “Got them all memorized,” he said, tapping a finger against his temple.
This shook me from my daze. “You’re going to be in the episode too?”
“Violet felt bad about my fight scene being cut fromImmortal Nights,” he explained, “so she hooked me up with a guest spot. Hope you don’t mind sharing the spotlight with me.”
“Holy shit, we’re going to be in an episode ofLady Phoenixtogether.” It was hard to imagine that only six months ago, the two of us had met at Comic Con. Xander hadn’t even heard of the comic back then.
“We are,” he said, grinning at me.
“Are you nervous?” I asked as a sudden burst of anxiety shot through me. I knew it was silly to worry since I didn’t have any lines, but my stomach was suddenly a fluttery mess.
“Me?” He scoffed. “Not a chance.”
