There’s a choked sound.“You’re going to pay for that.”
He’s gone before I can respond, and I’m back to people-watching and deciding whether to leave.
If Tana were here with me, we wouldn’t be against a wall, watching others enjoy themselves. She’d pull me into the crowd, into the sweat and heat and buzzing electricity.
Instead I’m standing witness to it all. All these raw, unguarded moments at the Dagger. My gaze slides back to the corner of the cave, and my breath catches in my throat. Jasper is pulling Adrienne deeper into the shadows, their bodies flush with each other. His fingers are back in her hair. Guiding her down but not forcing her.
She sinks to her knees, and I gulp hard and wrestle my gaze away.
Xavier and I are drunk as we stumble back to our quarters. He’s bare-chested for some reason, but neither of us can agree on what happened to his shirt. He claims Gray stole it, but that seems wrong.
When we reach the door, he grabs my arm, his eyes full of misery. “No, don’t make me go in there yet. I spend all my time in there. Let’s finish that somewhere else.”
I look at the half-empty bottle of glenshade I’m holding. “You’re right. We need to finish this before we turn in.”
“This is why we’re best friends.”
“We’re not best friends.” I plow forward. “Come on, I want to show you something cool.”
I grab his hand and drag him down the hallway toward the air lock that leads out to the Ledge.
“Nice,” Xavier says, admiring the view.
The stars are so bright tonight, providing ample light for us to walk along the wide ledge and find a spot for us to sit. When he stumbles slightly, I grip his arm to steady him and force him to sit before he topples over the edge.
We’ve just made ourselves comfortable when the air lock hisses open and none other than Jasper Reed steps outside, a rolled cigarettedangling from his mouth. He’s shirtless and disheveled, and I don’t miss the way Xavier’s eyes rest briefly on his unbuttoned pants.
Jasper startles at the sight of us. “Party’s still going, you know.”
“We moved it out here.” Xavier tips the bottle and guzzles down some more glenshade.
A lighter hisses, and the orange flame reflects in Jasper’s eyes. A moment later, the minty scent of euca travels toward us. It smells stronger than usual.
Xavier notices, too. “Is that synthetic?”
“Pure.” Jasper takes a deep pull, then steps closer, holding out the joint.
After a beat, Xavier accepts it and brings it to his lips. He coughs as he exhales.
Jasper chuckles. “Has a kick, doesn’t it?”
When Xavier offers me the joint, I shake my head. I’ve never been into drugs, neither herbal nor chemical.
“How did you get the pure shit?” Xavier asks the other man.
“I’m Jasper Reed.”
“Well aware. We compiled an entire dossier on you.”
“ ‘Well aware,’ ” Jasper mimics. “In fact, I just spent the whole night asking Adrienne why I shouldn’t slit your throat. You and your Command have been messing with my enterprise for years.”
Xavier cocks his head, smirking. “Didn’t seem like you and Adrienne were doing much talking.”
“Well, first we did other things—many times—andthenwe talked about why I shouldn’t slit your throat. She thinks you might be useful, but the Tribunal’s still out on that one.” Jasper’s curious gaze slides toward me. “What’s your story, Wren?”
Something about the way he says my name makes me uneasy. “I don’t have one.”
“Oh, I highly doubt that. Everyone has a story. And I have a feeling yours is quite eventful.” He sucks on the joint, then passes it back to Xavier. “How are you liking the Dagger?”
