Page 74 of Burning Daylight

My mother’s frown deepens, and I grin at her, wide and obnoxious. “Just joking.”

She sighs again, looking at the pink dress a final time before giving a sharp nod and handing it off to Beverly.

“Is anyone else home?” I ask her, hoping she says my brothers are here to see me.

I’m not naive enough to believe my father would be. Busy men don’t have time to spend at home with their families; that’s another life lesson my mother taught me at a young age, and it’s one that’s proven true.

“Don’t be ridiculous. They’re all living their lives. You’ll see them later today at the party.”

I suck on my lips to keep from saying something out of turn.

“Try not to cause any trouble in the meantime, hmm?” My mother watches me with an unreadable expression, her hand cupping my cheek.

My chest pinches, and I lean into the touch, surprise flowing through me.

“And don’t eat that breakfast Beverly brought in.” Her eyes trail up and down my form. “We’re trying to make youfitin that dress, dear.”

18

JULIETTE

A modern-day cursed queen with ice in her veins, wearing a crown forged from the bones of those she’s killed.

Death by Pilates: her favorite way to watch them go.

She smells of roses and arsenic, and when the princess disappoints her—which is often—she flashes those bright red talons. The princess often wonders if one day she’ll dig them into her chest and rip out her heart, the same way she does to all the other people who annoy her.

Just another casualty bleeding in the name of perfection.

“Welcome home, Baby Calloway.”

My cousin Tyler drops his arm across my shoulders, dragging me out of my head, where Iwas busy crafting the perfect villain origin story for my mother.

The smell of vodka is strong on his breath. So strong, in fact, that it makes my nose scrunch.

“Ugh,” I complain, elbowing him in the side. “You reek, Ty.”

Tyler grins cheekily at me, his strawberry-blond hair dropping across his forehead. “Just celebrating your homecoming.”

“I don’t know why. Nobody else is here for me.”

Tyler’s smile falters, and he squeezes me tighter to his side.

I’ve been poked and prodded until my hair is perfect, and my makeup is flawless, and the whole time, I’ve been trying my best not to stew in the fact that none of my brothers have even come by to say hi, and I have no real friends in the area until next week when Felicity comes home. Hopefullysansher boyfriend Keagan.

At least my dress is pretty.I run my hands over the soft pink fabric.

The late-afternoon sun casts a bright glow over the courtyard, and the light catches on deep, purplish-black shading underneath Tyler’s eye.

I jerk forward, gripping his chin and yanking him closer. “What happened?”

Tyler flinches before covering it up with a smirk. He taps me on the head like I’m a pet and coos, “Don’t worry your pretty little heart about it.”

“I can’t justnotworry about it now that I’ve seen it.”

“Sure you can,” he replies, gesturing toward the groups of dressed-up people scattered around the pool in the middle of the courtyard. “Just pretend you’re like every other member of your family.”

I frown. “Ourfamily, you mean. And that’s not fair.”