Page 61

Twenty-FiVe

I slide down the wall and hide my heated body under the blanket, breathing his scent in deep. I can’t stop myself. Sypher stands outside the second door, a solemn, moonlit statue looking at me, arms crossed and scowling. He wants Eli?Go ahead, have him.I avoid his gaze, leaving only Sola and Coen’s continued writhing kiss on the couch to view—or the closed hatchway I didn’t leave through, taunting me.

In the minutes before I fall into a deep red sleep, I question my sanity. What would ever make me want him? That cursed bubbly drink. I give it all the blame.

Morning is a painful shock to my system, full of blinding light and recollection. I stuff the bar in my mouth and go for the note.

Never,

I have another trigger for you…try not to scream my name. Again.

See you tonight.

Eli

I’m still crumpling and unfolding the note repeatedly when Sypher shows up in the late afternoon and flops onto the couch.

“Where’s Elivander?” I shove the note behind me.

“Late.” His tone is worse than usual. “The Centress made him stay to talk to her.”

“Do you know what tonight’s trigger is?”

He pulls his short hair with two fists. “I don’t really care.”

“It looks like you do.”

A bitterness takes hold of his face, crinkling it into a mask of slits for eyes and a drum-tight mouth. “I don’t care what Eli does with you. If you would hurry up and do what he wants, we could get rid of you.”

Harsh.“And if I were gone sooner?”

“Even better,” he mumbles as he rises from the couch.

I stand slowly and near the cell bars, my thoughts falling in line faster than I can think them. “I could be.”

He pulls a knife from his pocket, squints one eye and chucks it at the corkboard. It lands dead center.

“If you let me go,” I add.

He turns on his heels, light brown eyes wide. “I can’t do that.”

“You could.” I tap the bars, choosing my words. “And what you saw in the hallway last night would never happen again.”

His face hardens. “That was nothing.”

“I guess not…if being held to the wall with those big hands is nothing.” Sypher swallows, a little twitch below his eye. I push him further. “Or if having his face so close that I taste him with every breath is nothing.” Dammit. The memory has me squeezing my legs together again.

He retrieves his knife and stomps back across the room, his chest heaving as he aims his next throw. “You’d leave Sonnet for good?”

“Yes, or do you think I should stay?” I work his jealousy, pulling it to the surface. “I mean…stay for Elivander.”

Sypher flinches and sends the knife flying again. “No. He doesn’t need you.”

“But he mightwantme.” A lie. Every splash of desire in his eyes last night was tainted with scarlet soda.

He twists his hands together, white knuckles rolling like waves. “That’s what you think? And did he tell you that your friend was moved?”

“Yes, weeks ago.”