Page 12

VIOLET

"T hat's, literally, the worst thing you could do at the moment."

I stared at Mei through the reflection in the mirror. She was lying in my bed, head lolling off the mattress, freshly dyed pink hair sweeping the floor. “Going out with Caleb for hot chocolate?”

“Wearing that thing.” She huffed and rolled onto her stomach. “It’s atrocious.”

I looked at my outfit. I was wearing jeans and a gray turtleneck. “I mean, not the cutest, but I think it’s fine to catch up with an old friend.”

"You're not catching up with an old friend" she contradicted me, wrinkling my blanket while jumping off the bed. "You're making those fuckers believe they might lose you. You're telling them you could replace them at any moment."

I slowly turned around. “I’m not.”

“Come on, Violet.” Mei looked at me with her eyebrows raised, crossing her slender arms across her chest. “Be honest with yourself. You’re mad and you want to piss them off. Which is totally understandable, by the way.”

“Caleb is an old friend” I pointed out, though my voice sounded weak. “I was already planning to meet him before… before all of this happened.”

I bit my lips. The wound was as fresh as the one on the palm of my hand, still bleeding through the bandages I'd put around it. I felt betrayed. Lied to. And while some part of me understood they were only trying to keep me safe, I couldn't help but be bitter about how they'd acted. They were all in on it, they'd purposely left me out, maybe even sparing a laugh at my expense. Okay, perhaps that was being a little dramatic. But still.

“For this afternoon? Come on.”

“It was convenient” I grumbled, pulling at the edge of the bandage. “We were both free.”

Mei looked at me for a long moment without saying anything, her eyebrows disappearing behind her thin bangs.

“Okay, fine” I finally admitted, plopping down onto the armchair in the corner. “Maybe there’s a tiny part of me that wants to make them mad. But I’m not using Caleb to get back at the boys” I clarified. “I genuinely want to catch up with him.” And ask him about Daisy, but that didn’t mean I was using him.

She shrugged. “Whatever you say. If you want to piss them off, you need to do it properly.”

I let her snoop in my closet, which wasn’t very furnished to begin with, but Mei still managed to put together something cute. That had to be one of her powers. Definitely.

“Tell me this isn’t a hundred times better. Go on, say it.”

I checked my reflection in the mirror. She'd picked a black miniskirt Daisy had gifted me in ninth grade, a skin-tight, off the shoulder sweater, and knee-high boots I'd bought with my first paycheck. The guilt had been so heavy I'd never even worn them.

“I look nice” I admitted, smoothing the thin sweater of my stomach.

"You look hot" she corrected me. "Here." She ran to the desk to grab a pencil, using it to twist my hair into a knot. She finished her job by running her fingers through my bangs, shaping the strands in a way that made them seem intentional. "Ready to piss off three assholes."

They wouldn’t find out, quite probably, but it didn’t matter: I felt a bit better about myself, and that was enough. I thanked Mei with a tight hug—she didn’t particularly appreciate it, given the way she slithered away after half a second—and left the room with her. I was meeting Caleb in ten minutes.

“I feel like I’ve monopolized the conversation” I said, as we made our way down the empty hallway. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you kidding me?” She pushed me jokingly. “You’re fulfilling my reverse harem fantasies. Let a girl dream.”

I gave her a tiny smile. We walked in silence for a while before she spoke again, this time staring straight ahead. "Besides… I don't talk about it much, but you saved me. You risked your own life for a stranger." She shot a quick glance my way. "You went against my rigid ass family to try and take me back. The least I could do is hold you accountable for your debatable fashion choices."

"Well, thank you" I laughed, then nudged her with my shoulder. "I'm glad I didn't listen to your rigid ass family, even if I thought your brother was going to execute me."

Well, he hadn’t. He’d done something vastly different, the memory of that night making me burn up with embarrassment and something else. Something I didn’t want to admit, especially now that I was so mad.

Mei and I parted ways at the Coven’s entrance, where Caleb was already waiting for me.

"Look at you" he blurted out, after whistling. "You clean up nice. You're almost passable. Wait." He stopped dead in his tracks as we were leaving the building, staring with a vaguely anxious expression. "You know this is not a date, right?"

I blinked. “Why would I think it’s a date?”

He made a gesture toward me. “You look put together. You never do.”

“Yesterday we met for the first time after twelve years” I pointed out. “I’d say you can’t really judge. Besides, I didn’t think this was a date. We basically grew up together.” A shiver crawled up my spine. “It would be like dating a relative.”

He nodded, letting out a long breath. “Good. Because, just for your information, I’m into men.”

“My sincere condolences” I mumbled absentmindedly. “I mean, no. That’s cool. I’m just not the hugest supporter of men at the moment.”

He nodded, and while I knew he was connecting the dots, he had the grace to drop the subject. I was done reliving that humiliation.

With the drizzle picking up, we decided to seek shelter in the closest café, the one standing on the other side of the square. The round tables scattered around the room were all empty, the muffled notes of an old song filling the silence.

Ten minutes later, we were sitting in front of steaming cups of hot chocolate, pushing the tissue dispenser back and forth because none of us wanted it in our portion of the table.

“I owe you an apology” I said, looking down at my cocoa. “A big one, too.”

“I’m guessing it’s either for throwing up in my van or ghosting me for over a decade.”

I straightened up, cheeks immediately getting warmer. I’d almost forgotten about that. “I didn’t throw up in your van.”

“It was a close call, you’ll have to admit.” He shrugged. “You barely made it out before…” He made a gagging sound. “You know.”

“I even asked you to pull over because I didn’t want to get the van dirty” I mumbled, pushing the tissue dispenser in his direction. “Ungrateful brat. I should’ve just puked in there.”

He shoved the dispenser right back. “I thought this was an apology? Let me tell you, Hardy.” He leaned over, shaking his head. “It sucks.”

I had a sassy answer waiting on the tip of my tongue, but I forced myself to swallow it. “I’m so sorry, Cal. I completely cut you off, and this is not meant to be an attempt to justify my behavior, but I think you deserve an explanation.”

"Is that it?" He pulled back and crossed his arms. "I thought you'd throw in a mansion and a million bucks to ask for my forgiveness." He clicked his tongue. "Deeply unimpressed."

I pushed back the smile forming on my lips. “I didn’t have the best relationship with my mother.”

“Yeah, I recall. She was kind of a bitch. No offence.”

“None taken” I said, a humorless laugh in my words. “Things got… worse when your magic manifested. She was mad my powers weren’t coming through like yours. There were so many more reasons for the collapse of our relationship, but yeah.” I took a sip of chocolate, slightly burning my tongue. “Stupid thirteen-year-old me lived your magic awakening like a betrayal, and it felt easier to just… cut you off.” I gripped the cup harder. “I’m sorry.”

"I mean, I would lie if I said it didn't sting" he replied after a second. "I thought I'd done something wrong for a long while. It was Daisy who told me you were dealing with stuff at home, and so I told myself you'd come back when things got sorted out."

I bit my lower lip, guilt making my heart shrink. I’d been too focused on survival to realize what a shitty friend I’d been. “Turns out they never did. They just got messier.” I took a breath as I tapped on the cup with my fingertips. “I’m not expecting things to go back to how they were. I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted.”

“Let’s see.” Caleb rubbed his chin. “Your apology seemed sincere, but as I said earlier, you lack a bribing gift. This is kind of unacceptable. I don’t know if we can be friends again.”

“What if I say the hot chocolates are on me?”

He seemed to think about it for a moment, then he gave a curt nod. “Deal.”

We awkwardly hugged over the table, then sat back down in mutual embarrassment.

“Never again” he said.

I nodded quickly. “Never again.”

Affection had never been our thing.

“So, I know we have twelve years to catch up on, but I actually have something pretty urgent to ask.”

Caleb placed a hand on his chest. "I forgave you not even two minutes ago and you're already asking for favors?"

“It’s not a favor” I clarified. “It’s about Daisy. Have you… talked to her at all, lately?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You two were always attached at the hip.”

I pressed my lips together. "Things got hectic when I became part of Alpha Team out of nowhere. I neglected her for weeks, and now she isn't answering my calls, texts—nothing. I'm worried" I admitted in a low voice. "When was the last time you talked to her?"

He shook his head. “Months ago. I was busy training, she was dealing with her father… I was planning on calling her as soon as I was done with exams, but then the whole Team situation happened.”

I tried to ignore the bubble of disappointment in my chest. A part of me was expecting a similar answer, for some reason.

“Have you tried going to her house?”

“Once” I replied with a sigh. “She sent me away. I don’t want to make things worse by showing up uninvited again.”

“Maybe we could go to—Oh.” Caleb looked up, past my shoulder, a new glint dancing in his eyes. “We have company.”

I turned, and my stomach immediately dropped. Nicholas, Quinn, and Kenji were coming through the door of the café, their gazes heavy on us. Nicholas was still wearing the bloody t-shirt from earlier. None of them had changed, to be fair; they’d probably gone straight to submit the mission report to the Team’s administration office and then come here, not even stopping to take a shower.

I turned back around, pretending I hadn’t seen them. “What were you saying?”

"Your guard dogs look pissed" Caleb whispered, still staring past my shoulder. "Should I be concerned for my safety?"

“No.” Maybe. With those three, one could never be too sure. “What were you saying?”

Caleb opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. He was too busy following the boys’ movements to pay attention. A moment later they appeared in my field of view, but I stubbornly continued to ignore them. It was only when they all got chairs from nearby tables and dragged them to ours that I finally acknowledged their presence.

“What are you doing?” I snapped, eyes darting from one to another as they all took a seat at our table. “This is a private conversation.”

“Too bad” Nicholas answered, stealing a cookie from the small tray between Caleb and me. “It isn’t anymore.”

“I have the day off. You don’t call the shots.”

“We do” Kenji cut in, gripping the edge of the table so hard it creaked. “Something came up. It has to do with the Team.”

Quinn, sitting backward on his chair, let out a long sigh. “We’re mortified about interrupting this little rendezvous. Believe us, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t a matter of the utmost importance.”

“She’s coming with us” Nicholas concluded, reaching out to grab my arm. I moved back before he managed to touch me. When he realized, he turned to look at me with shock and something that reminded me of hurt. Welcome to the club, buddy. “You’re coming with us” he repeated, more slowly this time.

“Not before you tell me what’s going on” I insisted.

Kenji clicked his tongue. “Not the right place or time to discuss it.”

“If it’s because I’m here, I can—”

Three yes cut Caleb off at the same time, so loud they drowned my no.

“You don’t have to go” I was quick to add. “As a matter of fact, I have a better idea.” I stood up. “We can both go.”

The energy around me shifted in a way that had become familiar; it turned heavy, electric, charged with the weight of all that was left unsaid.

“We have a potential new mission” Quinn revealed, index finger hooking a belt loop of my skirt. “There is an evaluation to be made.”

I took a step back, ignoring the wounded glimpse I saw in Quinn’s eyes. “Then go. You made it clear my presence is unnecessary. I won’t stand it the way.”

Nicholas got up as well, his magic running me over in all its violence. “Nobody said that.”

"You didn't need to. I drew the conclusion myself." I pressed my lips together, trying to hold everything in. "The last thing I want is to be a burden, so go. You surely won't miss me."

“You are mistaken” Quinn tried, slowly rising to his feet. “Please, love. Later we can take a moment to explain what happened, what do you say?”

I crossed my arms, forcing myself to take a deep breath. “I say I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Kenji was the last one to stand up, putting the chair back where it belonged. “The Team needs you. You’re coming whether you like it or not.”

“Well, I’m not moving from here. Do you plan on dragging me by my hair?”

He moved surprisingly fast. One moment he stood behind the table, the next he towered menacingly over me, his magic a deep, low rumble I felt in my bones. "Not my style" he murmured, before hoisting me over his shoulder.

I screeched, a sound so ugly it made my own hairs stand up. “Stop! Put me down!” I shouted, though my voice but my voice was muffled against his shoulder, pressing hard into my stomach. “Not funny!”

“Your jacket” he said, totally ignoring me. “I don’t want half the town to see her ass.”

“Then put me down. God, are you out of your mind? Kenji! Stop!”

“Violet” he said, squeezing the back of my right thigh. I felt the heat of his hand despite the tights. “Be good.”

I wiggled even harder, but his grip was iron-like. I didn’t move an inch.

“I said, be good. Or I won’t be able to answer for my actions.”

“Is that a threat?”

“The only threat around here is you” Nicholas grumbled, and a moment later something warm and heavy landed on my butt. “You and that damn non-existent skirt.”

“My skirt is none of your concern” I barked, blindly kicking in hopes of hitting someone. “Quinn, will you please be the voice of reason and tell him to put me down?”

He bent his knees to look at me, an amused smile on his lips. “Are you coming with us willingly?”

“I don’t see why, you don’t need me.”

“We do need you, love. So while I don’t appreciate people looking at you in this position, I’m afraid I can’t tell Kenji to put you down.”

Brutes. Barbarians. Bossy pricks.

“Caleb? Can you help me?”

“I’m sorry, Hardy. You’re obviously not in danger, but if I interfere, I will probably be. I ain’t trying to get myself mutilated.”

“Smart guy” Nicholas mumbled, somewhere in my vicinity. “Still hate his guts, but he’s smart, I’ll give him that.”

“I thought we were friends, you traitor!”

“Well, you ghosted me for twelve years, so…”

“I said sorry.”

Kenji chose that very moment to start moving, unconcerned with the fact I wasn’t done talking. I stopped squirming, fully abandoning myself into his hold, hoping he’d struggle as much as possible. He obviously wasn’t, but a girl could dream.

“It’s even raining” I complained, when the door opened and let in a gust of cold air. “I don’t want to get wet. Please.”

“Don’t you?” There was an amused edge to Quinn’s voice. “Are you sure, love?”

“Positive. I don’t want to get wet.”

Somebody scoffed. “As if.” Nicholas, of course.

Out on the street, the rain poured down—its steady drumming left no doubt about it. Yet, not a single drop was touching me. I turned my head as much as I could and found out why: the rain veered away above us, as if we were protected by an invisible dome moving along with us. It was most likely Nicholas's doing. Well, if he expected a thank-you, he could forget it.

“You can let me down” I grumbled, poking Kenji’s broad, toned back. “I’m not going to run, you know.”

"Quiet. We're nearly there."

“I said I’m not running!”

My protests met silence.

"Can I at least know what's going on?" I tried, forcing myself to keep my voice calm. "We're alone now."

As soon as I was done speaking, Kenji halted, grabbed my hips, and set me down, his movements quick yet soft. My head spinning, I had to hold onto the closest thing I could find—a white fence that had seen better days. A white fence I recognized.

My head jerked up, breath hitching in my throat as my suspicion morphed into confirmation. We were standing before Daisy’s house. “What’s going on?” I blurted out, whipping around despite the dizziness. “Why are we here?”

"There was a big explosion of foreign magic" Quinn explained, looking like he was fighting the urge to steady me. "Fae, most likely."

It took me a moment for his words to sink in, one more to grasp what they meant.

“My best friend lives there, her father is sick” I forced myself to utter. I turned to my boys, momentarily forgetting my anger. “We have to get inside. Now.”