Page 112 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

Jazz and Val hug me while Nox smiles at us. “I don’t even know how and when you marked each other,” Jazz says.

“And I don’t think I want to know,” Nox mutters.

“I do, though,” Val points out.

“I want the juicy details too.” Jazz chuckles.

“Later,” I promise them.

Our talk gets interrupted by Terry. “Alright,” he says, staggering towards the door with Marilou still clinging to him. “We are excusing ourselves for the rest of the night.”

“Happy birthday, girl,” Jazz yells when they are about to disappear. “Go get your birthday present. Though, I hope he has an actual present for her, too,” she adds.

“He has,” I reassure her.

“This reminds me of the one time Eric dressed up as a parcel, with a bow around his… well, you get the image,” Val says. “He was lying on the bed like a sex god, wiggling his brows at me.”

Arden groans. “I never wanted to have that image in my head.”

“Me neither,” I agree. “He is my cousin. Literally blood related!”

Val doesn’t take mercy on us and starts to tell us more juicy details about Eric. I notice she never really goes into too much detail, still keeping his integrity. I’m happy for her and Eric, though. They are really getting along so well.

To my surprise, Lion and Tori eventually approach us. They are not holding hands or anything, but at least they stopped avoiding each other. “Guys,” Lion mutters. “How should I put it… well…”

“We apologize for the drama,” Tori helps him out. “We were so sucked up in it, we couldn’t find a way out. But Lionel and I will go for a cocktail now to talk a bit.” She leans her head back and sighs. “Maybe I should change, though. I feel overdressed.”

“No,” Lion blurts out. I know him as confident, so it’s unusual to see him so confused and out of words. “You look great.”

Tori blushes. “Well, then, I will stay like this.” She hugs me briefly. “Thank you,” she whispers. “For helping me out. And you two,” she looks at Jazz and Val “for listening to my whining and giving me some confidence and perspective.”

“Anytime, honey.” Val smiles.

Jazz leans forward. “Go get your wildcat,” she whispers.

“That was corny.” Tori giggles. “Well, let’s see what happens.”

She and Lion wave at us one more time before they leave together. I have no idea how these two will work their issues out, but at least they are talking.

I can hear Arden’s phone vibrating in his pocket. Not letting go, he keeps one of his arms wrapped around me while grabbinghis phone with the other. For a moment it’s silent, then, “Oh,” he says. “No way!”

His reaction piques my interest, and I turn around. “What happened?”

“A message from Gustave,” he says. “Seems like they wrapped up things now, and he went home and did some work.”

“On New Year’s Eve?” Nox asks. “No, wait, forget it. He is a genius too, right? For him it probably wasn’t even work.”

Arden nods. “Yes, you might be onto something.”

“So?”

“He found the meaning of the rune.”

“No way!” I exclaim. “What does it mean?”

“It means peridot,” Arden explains.

“Isn’t that a gemstone?” I ask.