Page 58

I waited, stomach churning, for her fury. For accusations, more tears, or worse, silence. But when I gathered the courage to meet her gaze again, I found her soft eyes full of sympathy.

“Promise me you won’t breathe a word to anyone else.”

“Fable, I –”

“Promise me!”

I drew back, startled by her intensity. Gentle, sweet Fable meant business.

“Okay! I promise.”

“Good.” She nodded slowly and let out a breath, seeming to gather her thoughts.

“Harlow, the others care about you, and respect you, and they just trusted you with their fealty. But they don’t know you like I do.

And they are also finally finding their feet.

We need morale high going into the games.

We need to feel like a true team. I think this news would be a lot to digest, and we don’t have that kind of time. ”

I swallowed hard. “I hated lying to you guys.”

“I get that. And it doesn’t have to be secret forever. Just a couple more weeks, until after the games. They don’t need the distraction. Alright?”

“Yes. Of course. I don’t want them wasting energy on me when they need to focus.” I bit my lip and reached out to grab her hand, still sort of reeling that she hadn’t just slapped me and walked away. “So ... You don’t hate me?”

“I wish you’d told me sooner, but I understand why you didn’t. And you’re still the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Her eyes were full of tears again, which only made my own well up.

She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. I hugged her back and for just a moment let the world be okay. I had finally laid my darkest secret bare, and Fable loved me anyway.

If that wasn’t family, I didn’t know what was.

“Hey,” Fable said, pulling away to shoot me a look. “You still have that teapot. Maybe we should try it out?”

“Yes,” I laughed through a sob. “Hell yes.”

Which was how we ended up in the House of Phoenix common room, drinking out of the teapot I’d meant to give to Typhon.

But damn, it made a real fine whiskey – a rather strong whiskey with a hint of magic.

I poured out a few more cups for Marina, Ross, Phyllis, Gary, Caterina, and Ellie.

Anyone who wanted a drink on the Feast of Abundance got one.

More than a few slurred. “May abundance find you,” popped out of mouths before taking their shot.

It was close to midnight before everyone was finally in their own beds, the two boys snoring. Everyone out cold with the amount of whiskey we’d imbibed.

I realized with a start that I was running out of time to give Typhon his gift before the day was over. Hugging it to my chest, I left a snoring Bandit on my pillow and slipped out of the room.

I started down the stairs and then headed east to the stairway that led down to the Draconell wing. As I passed their house sitting room, a male voice called out a soft “Hello?” Freezing in place, I tried to pretend I wasn’t there. Maybe if I closed my eyes, whoever it was wouldn’t see me ...

“Harlow?”

I opened one eye and sighed.

Busted. But by who?

I stepped to the open doorway and craned my neck to see into the room. It took a few seconds to catch sight of Liam seated on a massive leather chair bathed in the light of a cheery fire crackling in the hearth.

I let out a long, relieved breath, my heartbeat slowing.

“You’re up late,” I mused, weaving my way into the room unsteadily.

“I am. Lot on my mind, I guess.”

I squinted hard until he came into full focus, and then plopped down on the sofa across from him, clutching the teapot close to my chest. Now that he mentioned it, Liam did look more solemn than I’d seen him in the past. No hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his firm lips. No glint in his eye.

“Is everything okay?”

“That’s the problem, Harlow. I’m not sure.”

This sounded serious. I scuttled back against the cushions and folded my legs to sit criss-cross applesauce.

“Talk to me. I’m a good listener.”

“I imagine you are. And, even better, you’ll likely forget everything we talked about by morning.”

“Don’t let the drunk sorority girl bit fool you. It’s a steel trap up here, buddy.” I tapped my noggin for good measure.

He nodded slowly, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. “Don’t I know it. It’s one of the things I really lo – like about you. But the things I’m thinking right now ... they’re not for sharing.”

Liam eyed me in a way that made me want to look someplace else. I uncrossed my legs, suddenly desperate to get away from the crackling fire that had somehow ramped up inside me to a seventh-level-of-hell inferno.

“Okay, well, it was really good to see you. We have to catch up at some point. Maybe after the holidays! We can have that drink I owe you at the pub.”

In public. With people around so I didn’t feel so suddenly and utterly exposed. On that note, I wheeled around and basically sprinted for the door.

“By the way,” Liam called after me softly, “if you’re looking for Moreno, he’s not in his room. He walked past the door, headed the other way about an hour ago.”

I refused to contemplate how he’d known where I was headed. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on the bond that connected me to Typhon while I still was full of liquid courage. It took a bit, but then, there it was. Calling to me ...

Up and up it took me, all the way to the rooftop of the school. I had to climb several sets of stairs, cursing the burn in my muscles all the way, and finally up a rickety-ass ladder, one-handed no less.

Whatever that weirdness was with Liam, it was surely just a product of too many drinks, not enough sleep, and an unintentional midnight meetup.

He was just a friend. A very cute, funny, warm friend.

It was all so easy with Liam.

As for Typhon, on the other hand, things were never easy. Were we even friends? Who the fruck knew anymore. All I knew was that, in that moment, I needed to see him more than I’d ever needed anything in my whole life.

Surely that was the whiskey.

I pushed the teapot out onto the roof first then climbed out after it, staying on my knees. “I sure hope you appreciate that I made it here before the day was over,” I mumbled under my breath as I grabbed the handle of the teapot and stood.

What I hadn’t counted on was Typhon not being alone.

He and the other person – the woman – stepped back from each other as if I’d interrupted something.

I stood there, staring at him, his shirt opened and flapping in the wind.

At Nikita, her face flush.

Tucking the teapot back under my arm, I turned and went back down the ladder. “Nope, nope, nope.”

I could feel Typhon heading my way.

I made it down the ladder without falling, and down the first two sets of stairs before he caught me by the arm.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he growled. “I –”

“Screw you, Typhon. I’m not a child to be told it’s not what it looks like, when it is exactly what it looks like.”

His eyes darkened. “You don’t understand –”

I glared at him and shoved the teapot in his hands. “Happy Feast of Abundance.”

I spun – sloppily – on my heel and stalked – stomped wobbly – off toward my dorm. I was done, so done with him. I hoped he choked on the whiskey.

Throwing myself into my bed, I lay there as the room spun and all I could feel was Typhon’s emotions.

I’d not been paying attention to his emotions before, so I had no idea what had been going through his head when he’d been with Nikita.

But now? Sorrow, so much sorrow.

I hated that his emotions made me hate him less.

I growled under my breath and Bandit mimicked me.

“Who we growling at?”

“Typhon,” I whispered. “He was hanging out with Nikita. It ... didn’t look good, I’ll just say that.”

“Worm food!” he hissed. “You want me to bite him in the ass?”

I snorted and pulled him tight to me, hanging onto him for comfort. “I just want to sleep and pretend none of it happened.”

Bandit patted my cheek. “Good idea. Tomorrow will be better, chickie!”

But like a lot of days here, tomorrow was, in fact, not better.