Page 38 of Of Blood So Cold

“You’rethe one who wanted to experience fuckingvoyeurismin a room full of disrespectful creatures, and you thinkIhad it coming? That’s just golden, Cigs.Golden.” He’s not mad; he’s just irritated.

“Do you always act like a third-grader when you’re one-upped, or is this a new talent you’ve developed?”

“I’m sure you already know the answer to that, given that you seem to know almost everything these days. Why ask me, then?”

I let go of a frustrated breath as I push open the kitchen’s doors and lead him to a dimly lit corner behind the spiralingstairway. Pressing my back against the wall, I pull him to me and wrap my arms around his neck. “Hi,” I say when our gazes meet.

He sighs. “Hi,” he replies, then swallows. “I’m sorry; I’m an asshole.”

“No, you’re not.” I shift on my bare feet. “So… It’s finally time to do what we came here to do, huh?”

He scans my face. “You scared?”

I shrug. “I think so? I don’t know. It just… It feels toobig.”

“Itisa huge deal.”

“I know.”

He must sense my apprehension because he bends and places his forehead against mine. “We’ll befine,” he says to me. “Mayhem favors the illicit, and you and I, Little Swan – we’ve been cursed with madness from the very beginning. So, trust me when I tell you that we’ve got this, okay?”

“Okay.” I nod. “Yeah, okay.”

“Good. Now tell me you’re ready for this, and only then will we head up to that study.”

My eyes find his. “I’m ready,” I affirm. “Let’s do this.”

He grins. “That’s my girl.”

14.

“Sooooo, are we waiting for it to open itself, or what?” asks Alex.

I bend forward and look sideways at him. “Do you want me to kick it down and barge into the study like Michael Myers? And how do you thinklil ole Jedwill react to it, huh? Offer me a seat next to him? Wrap me in a warm fucking embrace? Shower me with compliments on my door-kicking skills?”

“Well, when you put it likethat…”

Varsha rubs her fingers over her temples. She’s so done with tonight, and frankly, so am I.

There are multiple people talking beyond the door, but it’s hard to make out the words, let alone the voices. From what Icanhear, though, it seems like a proper conversation rather than an argument.

“I think we should just knock,” Cigs offers. “What’s the worst that could happen, y’know?”

I straighten and face her. “I mean, he could call the cops on us, but who cares, right?”

She back-hands me in the chest, to which I grin.

“One more snarky comment from you, Ledge, and I swear I’ll cut off your tongue,” Varsha threatens. “I mean it.”

“I’m just living my life here, alright? Gimme a fucking break, will you?”

She narrows her eyes at me but says nothing.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, so I quickly pull it out, and see Solo’s name flashing on the screen. I look to the other end of the first floor, where he’s leaned against a wall just a couple of rooms away from the one Timothy is currently in.

“Yeah?” I say after receiving the call, and when Cigs nudges me in the foot, I sigh and put the phone on speaker.

“What are youbuffoonsdoing standing outside the study?” Solo asks.