Page 94 of Revere

I hitch an eyebrow. “I lost my virginity to the devil, and you want to celebrate me getting laid?”

“Sex is a good way to learn more about yourself.”

“Sex isn’t everything,” I argue.

“Hear that?” Mila sits straighter. “Patience saidsex,and God didn’t smite her for it. I consider that progress.”

“Very funny.” I shake my head. “I would have been better off falling for one of those boring guys in the back of class than having fun this summer.”

Violet’s nose scrunches. “They were too boring, even for you.”

“Thanks?”

“You know what I mean.” She waves me off. “You would have been over them so fast.”

“Especially growing up with the House,” Teal cuts in. “Remember, I grew up with them running my life too. As much as we want to hate them, it’s hard to just walk away from it. And there’s so much that most other people wouldn’t understand.”

I think about Jacob’s reaction to my scars. How he didn’t so much as flinch.

Or how he stood and listened to what my father had done to Mila. He understood. Because he comes from this world like I do.

“Just because I grew up with it doesn’t mean that’s how I want to spend the rest of my life,” I decide.

Teal nods, leaving it at that as the door opens, and my brother steps into the room.

“Can I have a second?” he asks.

As angry as I am with my brother right now, I can’t help that his voice is reassuring.

“Of course.” Violet smiles, sliding off the bed.

Teal squeezes my hand. “I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Thanks.”

Teal and Violet leave the room, but Mila stays put as Alex stops at her side of the bed. The second she looks up, his expression softens.

“You need to go lie down.” He leans down to kiss her forehead.

“I feel fine. I’m not even tired,” Mila argues.

“No one said you had to go to sleep, just that you need to lie down. Go. I’ll meet you in there.” He smirks, and they have a silent conversation that doesn’t take words for me to understand when Mila’s cheeks turn red.

“Gross. You can both go now.” I throw a pillow at Alex, but he dodges it.

Mila giggles, standing up. “No, I’m leaving. You, talk to your sister.”

He hums, kissing her quickly before she disappears. Once the door closes behind her, he drops onto her spot on the bed.

“Need a towel?” His eyebrow hitches at where my clothes have soaked through the blanket.

“Don’t worry about me.” I roll my eyes. “And stop talking to me like everything is fine. Explain yourself. You knew Jacob was Sigma Sin when I told you about the internship, didn’t you? You knew that even though I was in LA, I was still surrounded by the House.”

He nods.

“How could you let that happen? How could you let me apply to the program, not knowing who I was dealing with? He almost killed you.”

“Our father almost killed me.”