“What do you want?” I keep my voice even, prepared for anything.
Her tired eyes turn to me. “Before Oliver disappeared, did you notice anything off about him?”
The mention of Oliver makes me stiffen, and electricity crackles beneath my skin before I force it back down.
“Off how?” I ask, trying to sound blasé about it.
“Distracted. Jumpy.” She waves her drink, the liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. “Avery noticed it too, but he wouldn’t talk to either of us about it.”
I think back to the greenhouse, the pumpkin carving session, and Oliver’s knife slipping across his palm.
Oliver’s been training with weapons for years. He wouldn’t justslip.I chalked it up to nerves because he was preparing to ask me to the Halloween Ball, but Oliver was one of the most confident guys in the school. He wouldn’t get anxious about asking a girl on a date.
“He seemed distracted during pumpkin carving,” I say slowly. “But you know that. You saw us in the infirmary that day.”
Callie nods and takes a long sip of her drink. “Did he ever tell you anything else? Anything that seemed important?”
The question hangs in the air between us.
Oh, just that Thad was recruiting people for something dangerous. That I should be careful who I trusted. And that Logan killed Miles.
“No.” The lie slides out smooth and easy. “He never told me anything.”
Before she can respond, a small ball of fire forms in Logan’s hand, edged in black.
“Jade and I were heading to get drinks.” His tone is conversational, with those melodic, rich layers of compulsion beneath it. “You don’t need another one, so you don’t want to join us.”
Callie’s pupils dilate, then focus again.
“It was so fun chatting with you.” She lifts her drink in a mocking toast. “You used to be fun, Logan. Remember that?Fun?”
Orange from Logan’s fire flickers in his eyes. “Go.”
She huffs and disappears into the crowd, and the flames at Logan’s fingertips fade to nothing.
“That was...” I search for the right word. “Intense.”
“She was fishing.” His hand finds my lower back again, guiding me to the bar. “I don’t like when people interrogate you about things that could expose us both.”
“That’s definitely not fun,” I quip, bumping my shoulder against his arm.
“Fun gets people killed.”
I don’t argue with him, because that pretty much covers what happened at the Halloween Ball.
Logan makes his way through the crowd, people parting around him without seeming to realize they’re doing it.
It must be nice to be terrifying.
“Props only,” Logan murmurs as he hands me a cup of amber-colored liquid. “We need to stay sharp.”
“Wasn’t planning on getting drunk at the spy party.”
“Good.” His lips brush my temple, so brief I might have imagined it. “Stay alert.”
I’m about to respond when recording orbs drift past near the ceiling, golden flames flickering through the cavern.
Seriously? I destroyed them this afternoon. They exploded in a cascade of sparks and shattered magic.
