Page 155 of House of Marionne

“My feelings?!” Her voice cracks, and Felix pulls her into him.

“It’s all right,” he says. “Just calm down.” He peers around, and I press harder into my hiding spot.

“I feel like you’re clouding my judgment.”

He strokes her face, which is pressed against his chest. “Don’t talk that way. You love me.”

“I do, but this is about my House. How Duncan was to replace Marionne. And I was close, so close, like a daughter to her, until she came back.” She pokes his chest. “Darragh Marionne was grooming me!”

My eyes widen.

“Shh.” Felix pets Shelby but she pulls away from him. His jaw clenches.

“I mean it, Felix. What am I supposed to do now? I can’t go anywhere else. I want what was promised.”

“Darling.” He fingers her hair. “Calm, calm, it’s going to be okay.” He pulls her into a hug and she exhales, resting against him. “You’ll have everything I promised you, that and more. I just need time to think.”

She folds her arms. He lifts her chin, running a thumb across her lips. She turns her face away, but he tugs it back to center and she gives in to him, their faces joined in a quick kiss.

“You should’ve trusted me,” he says, smoothing away her tears.

“I’m trying to.”

He holds her face in his hands dotingly, then his expression hardens.

Shelby crumbles in his hands in a cloud of dust.

Felix kicks leaves over her pile of ash before vanishing on the spot. I stumble up and run, trying to scrub what I just saw from my memory. Once the trail to the Tavern and the Chateau are visible again I slow, panting, when I spot Abby.

“Quell?” She gazes past me with curiosity.

“You came!” I throw my arms around her, and a dam inside me breaks. Maybe I won’t be alone in this. Maybe I’ve not abandoned everything that mattered to me. But once she knows the truth, the full truth, she will probably hate me, too.

“Of course I came. You’re as pale as a ghost. Are you okay?” Her nose scrunches, eyeing my dress. “You debuted in black?”

“I’ll explain everything,” I say, and then I realize someone’s hovering behind her. Mynick.

“I hope it’s okay I brought him.”

I stuff my shaky hands in the pockets of my gown.

“Were you able to find Octos?” I ask, rubbing my arms, imagining I can rub away the horror I just witnessed.

“She was,” a voice behind me says.

I turn and sigh at the sight of him. I could hug him. “Thank you so much for coming.”

He nods, keeping a distance. Almost everyone’s here. I look for Mom through the trees, but don’t see her. Abby sets a hand on her hip, watching expectantly for an explanation for all this. I pull her aside.

“Abby, I don’t know about Mynick.” I tighten my hand on the shawl. “He’s not—”

“He came here with me. He broke the curfew rules. He’s in this with us. Whatever we’re doing. You can trust him.”

“You don’t know what I’m about to tell you.”

“If it’s a problem I’m here, I can go.” Mynick folds his tattooed arms, and I notice he has several more marks than before. Octos eyes him out of the corner of his eye, but whether it’s in contempt or admiration, I can’t tell.

“No, it’s fine,” Abby says to him. “It’s fine, right?” She presses me.