Page 55 of Loving the Tormentor

I take a sip of mine as Ella's mouth twists.

"Well, it's complicated."

"It's complicated means he wouldn't let her." Alex snorts. "Trust me, she tried."

"What?" I choke out.

"Oh, she doesn't mind," Alex adds innocently, refilling her glass too.

Peach is already sipping on her new one as she heads back to the couch. She resumes her jumping, now to "abcdfu" by GAYLE.

"I'm telling you. It's got to do with the Circle," she says, like she's been investigating this deeply. "It'salwaysthe fucking Circle when they go shady on us."

"But I'm not part of this," Alex whines desperately. "Why are they bringing Xi down this slippery slope?"

"Xi isuseful, Alex," Ella jumps in. "Think! He's a jack of all trades."

"Exactly!" Peach points at Alex with her glass, accidentally spilling margarita all over her friend.

"What's the Circle?" I ask, completely clueless. I'm going to need more alcohol if I have to keep up with this conversation.

"Uh…" Ella hesitates.

"Oh, fuck," Peach adds, sitting down on the sofa, eyes sobering.

Alex licks her lips before wiping salt off her cheek. "Nothing?"

"Please, don't tell me the conspiracies about billionaires being part of secret societies is a real thing." I chuckle awkwardly.

"It's a fucked-up world we live in," Peach explains simply. "Should we leave it at that?"

I try to keep a straight face, but I’m pretty sure she just agreed with me. They clearly won’t get into it, and it’s probably for the best, so I smile and nod, ignoring my instinct to run away as I drink more alcohol.

The song changes to "Picture To Burn" by Taylor Swift, and I take the opportunity to put an end to the uncomfortable moment.

"What is this playlist?"

"Oh, it's a playlist we made!" Alex giggles.

"It's calledwe're angry girlies," Peach says.

"With two pink heart emojis," Alex insists seriously.

"And sparkles!" Ella adds.

The song is cut short by a notification. It's aswooshkind of sound, like something passing quickly through the air. It's followed by two other phones making the same sound.

"No," Peach groans. "Please, don't let this evening get any worse."

"What's that?" I ask, biting into a cookie. "Oh my God, Ella. These are delicious."

"Fuck, Nyx," Alex says softly, her eyes on her phone. The whole mood is coming down, and it’s a palpable kind of shift. "I'm sorry."

"What? What is it?" I watch the other girls unlock their phones and their faces fall.

"Nyx," Peach snaps, her green eyes killing me in one look. "What did I tell you about Achilles? Do you havenosurvival skills whatsoever?"

My stomach sinks. "What's going on?"