Page 3 of Her Wicked Knights (Their Hallowed Queen #3)

"Cute." Audrey says in a tone of voice that assures me she doesn't think it's cute at all. She twists a lock of hair around her finger, making it clear that there's no point in holding my hand out for her to shake. She looks at me with enough disdain I can already tell she's not gonna play nice.

"Jake." I nod at my friend, who's been more distant than ever since he started dating Marley. I'm pretty sure he knows, no matter how hard he tries to act like he doesn't, that he swooped in and took the girl that every one of us wanted for ourselves. It's why he's been cagey with us.

"What's up, Tripp? Had a good summer?"

"It was fine." I tell him, wishing I could sink into the ground and disappear from this misery altogether. "Yours?"

"Good." He musters a smile and then turns to say something to Audrey as Marley focuses on me again. "What's your schedule like this year? Do we have any classes together?"

God, I fucking hope so.

I reach for my phone, tapping on the screen that will bring up my course list again. "Marsh, Fawn, Cantori, LeGrand, lunch, and Newman."

"You have LeGrand for fourth? English?"

"Yeah," I roll my eyes.

I've heard LeGrand is a bore, that she prattles on about symbolism that authors probably didn't even use intentionally.

"I have that too!" Marley grins. "Actually, it seems like we'll have the last three hours of the day together." She bumps my arm with a conspiratorial smile that makes one of my own form on my lips. "I've got Newman last, too."

"Oh, me too." Audrey chimes in, despite the fact she's not looking at her phone. "That's history, right?"

"Trigonometry." I correct her, appraising her face.

It's wrong to judge a book by the cover, but nothing about her crop top and crossed arms indicates that she has any interest in something like math.

In fact, her eyes look like they glaze over a bit the second I mention it.

Then again, maybe that's just because I'm talking, and she clearly has no interest in me.

"Same thing," Audrey shrugs. "Ooh, speaking of, we'd better get going. I want a front row seat in Marsh's class. I've heard he's hot."

"Who said that?" Jake grumbles, matching my energy for once.

Marley laughs, swatting her new friend playfully. "I said he was easy on the eyes." Marley shrugs unapologetically at her boyfriend. "Oh, come on, I know what you said about Miss Montague last year. Freak."

Jake's cheeks go pink, and he swallows, properly chastised despite Marley's amusement.

"Freak, hmm?" Audrey rakes her eyes over Jake, as if looking for the evidence to back that up. "I'm not buying it."

"Not buying what?" Rev asks, slinging an arm around Marley's shoulder effortlessly. He does everything effortlessly, as if it's really so easy for him, to be that close to her but not have her, to touch her in such innocent ways.

"Now that's a freak." Audrey giggles, batting her lashes at Rev and intensifying my immediate dislike of her. Rev grins at her appreciatively before turning it on me.

"Nice hat."

I dip my chin to hide the way that compliment makes me feel, but when I look back up, he's grinning knowingly.

Damn him.

"We were just debating whether Jakey here was a freak like Marley seems to think." Audrey explains. "I don't see it. The mayor's son? Come on, what's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Jake clears his throat, looking uncomfortable as Colton joins us, glaring at him. If anyone was more upset than me about Jake taking Marley off the market, it's Colton. He doesn't even try to hide it.

"Probably the Principal's cat, right, Jake?"

Jake's face pales a little, and Marley turns to look at him curiously as Audrey rolls her eyes, unimpressed with whatever happened to the principal's cat.

"And you?" Her question is for Colton, who looks at her as if he just realized she was there. "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Colton thinks about it a minute before opening his mouth. "I stalked a girl."

Audrey laughs in disbelief, and Marley's head snaps to him in the same frame of mind. "You what?"

"Mmhmm." Colton nods. "I still do it. I stand outside her window sometimes, look up and catch glimpses of her moving around in her room. Sometimes she forgets to draw the curtains before she changes, and I can see her silhouette in the light of her lamp."

"That's hot." Audrey says.

Her friend disagrees. Marley stares at Colton with shock on her pretty face, unable to believe him capable of something so dark.

"That's wrong."

"Maybe." Colton shrugs. "But that won't stop me. I'm obsessed. I can't control it."

"You're scaring an innocent girl." Marley objects with a shake of her head. "You can't really think it's okay? Colton, you need to stop before you get caught."

"I can't stop loving her." Colton deadpans.

I'm astounded once again by how goddamn oblivious Marley Lavigne is, because I think she's the only one who doesn't immediately realize that the girl Colton's talking about is her.

Audrey giggles, like something about that is funny.

Marley opens her mouth to fight him further, but the bell rings and signals our three-minute warning, and like the good girl she is, her brain switches back to obligation.

"I have to go. My psych class is all the way on the other side of campus. We'll finish this conversation later!" She's already stepping away as she departs, panic setting in about being late.

Jake only lifts a hand in goodbye, not bothering to chase her down for a kiss or anything as Audrey sidles against him.

"Show me where Marsh's class is?" She pleads.

I groan at the realization that we share the same first period— not just me and Audrey, but Jake as well. What have I done to deserve this torture?

The blow is softened, however, when Rev slings an arm around my shoulder and Colton takes up at my other side.

"Looks like we're all together for first period."

I stifle a groan. History's never been my favorite subject, and it's going to be worse than usual watching Audrey make googly eyes at our teacher.

"Bold of you to tell the girl you're stalking that you're stalking her." Rev chuckles, his voice low enough that only Colton and I hear him.

Colton shrugs. "I didn't tell her. Just said it in front of her. Besides, it's not like I'm leaving her bloody body parts. I'm not a fucking killer."

"Yet." Rev smirks, amused with himself as Colton glares at him, clearly unamused.

But I am amused.

I want Marley Lavigne more than I've ever wanted anything, but at least I have these two. I can't imagine how unbearable it would be without them.