Page 20 of Watch Your Back (Devil’s Backbone #2)

I love my mom, I really do. But she doesn’t make it easy.

Especially when she was so fucking concerned for Heath, asking him all about his recovery and showing genuine concern for his well-being.

Meanwhile, all I got was a dismissive sniff.

She’s still pissed that I broke up with Paige, since she’s friends with Paige’s mom.

Tough shit. I should have done it sooner.

I’m glad for Heath, though. He seemed to get a lot out of talking to my mom about everything he was going through. I just wish she’d show even an ounce of the same interest in my life sometimes.

I t took us a few minutes to find Nate, and when we did spot him across the room with an elegant, tall woman with his same toffee-brown hair, he gave us a sharp head shake.

“I guess he doesn’t want company,” I muttered, turning my back on him and focusing on the three boys I’d arrived with. “So, is this just a party or do we have a silly challenge to complete?”

They glanced between one another, then Heath smirked and produced a little silk bag from his pocket and offered it to me. Somehow, I had a feeling I knew what I’d find inside but dipped a hand in to check nonetheless.

“Of course,” I murmured, pinching one of the tiny little resin ducks between my thumb and forefinger. “What do we do with them?”

Heath took the little duck from my fingers and glanced around us.

He spotted a waitress passing by with a tray of what looked like caviar on blinis and subtly deposited the duck directly onto one of the canapés without the waitress noticing.

Then he returned to us, and we watched the little blue duck go for a little ride around the room.

“That’s it?” I asked as the waitress disappeared to replenish her tray.

Heath shrugged. “Pretty much. Ducks that make it back to the kitchen get counted and tallied. If they get picked up by a guest, then they don’t get back to the kitchen and don’t get counted.

The games stay simple at a party like this because the elders council don’t want to get caught in the crossfire. ”

Royce and Carter shared a rueful grin at that.

“Ever since the elephant toothpaste incident at the graduation ball freshman year, he means. Rules changed after we ruined Dame Edith’s vintage Valentino gown,” Carter explained with an eye roll. “Most things can be replaced with enough money. Vintage couture cannot.”

I had no idea what elephant toothpaste was, but it sounded messy.

I eyed the next canapé tray heading our way and noted a tiny white duck riding on what seemed to be a smoked salmon tart.

I had no idea whose duck it was, but if the objective was to get them into the kitchen to be counted, then surely a little sabotage was allowed?

Reaching out, I snagged the tart with the duck on top and grinned as I turned back to Heath and the guys. “Is that permitted?”

Heath barked a laugh. “Shit yes, it is.”

“Had to be that duck, didn’t it?” Royce murmured to Carter, who sent back a knowing smirk.

I quirked a brow at them in question, but Heath looped his arm around my waist to lead me away.

“They’re the competition now, Ashes. You’re on my team tonight.

” He offered me the little bag of blue ducks, so I slipped the white duck into my clutch and ate the tart.

“But if you’re sabotaging, I’d love it if you targeted more of those white ducks. ”

I shrugged, dipping a hand into the bag to grab another blue duck. “Any ducks that aren’t blue are fair game. What’s the prize?”

“Does it matter?” Heath asked the question with genuine curiosity. He was right, though—it really didn’t matter to me what the prize was if I had the glory of winning against Nate. “Carly just arrived, if you want to say hi?”

We made our way across the room casually, and I somehow managed to divest myself of three blue ducks along the way. I was feeling all kinds of pleased with myself as I greeted Carly and met her date—Edmund—until I glanced around and spotted Nate plucking one of my blue ducks off a roaming tray.

I scowled, and he met my gaze across the room with a sly smirk before pocketing my duck.

Dick.

“Hey, what color are Nate’s ducks?” I asked Heath, interrupting whatever Carly was saying. She arched a brow at me with a pointed look, and my cheeks warmed. “Sorry, that was rude. What were you saying?”

My friend rolled her eyes and sighed. “I thought there were no challenges tonight?” She directed the question to my date, who rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

“Upper-tier challenge only,” he murmured, giving me a clear shut-the-fuck-up sort of look. “Sorry, Carls.”

She glanced between me and Heath, and I wrinkled my nose. I was definitely not “upper tier” and was now realizing that I shouldn’t be participating at all. But it seemed harmless enough…right?

Carly nodded slowly, then mimed zipping her lips shut. “I’m going to go schmooze with the elders,” she told us, gesturing for her date who had been chatting with someone else. “Have fun, you two. Don’t get caught, and for god’s sake, Ash, don’t lose.”

I narrowed my gaze at Heath when she walked away. “What does that mean? Don’t lose?”

Sheepish didn’t begin to describe his expression. “Ah, well, this one is less of a prize incentive and more of a…hmm…well, let’s just say the motivation is to not lose rather than just to win. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got this.”

Another tray floated past, held aloft by a straight-faced waiter, and I spotted two little ducks floating in the champagne. One red, one white.

“Sorry, Carter,” I muttered, snagging both glasses and handing one to Heath. “Cheers.”

He tossed his head back with a laugh, then clinked glasses with me before taking a long sip of our duck-spiked champagne.

Amid our duck game, Heath took his time to introduce me to various rich and powerful guests as opportunities arose.

It quickly became obvious that the point of the Devil’s Backbone Society was not just to play silly games to entertain bored rich kids.

It was to make important connections and build alliances that would see the younger generation of DBs rise to the highest seats of world power later in life.

Every now and then, he’d guide me out onto the dance floor, where he proved to be a surprisingly strong lead as he whirled me around the room with that sexy smile on his lips.

Carter seemed to be everywhere, constantly watching us.

Watching me. I didn’t hate it, though… In fact, every time I caught his eye, I found myself desperate to know whether he’d done anything about his mother’s issues.

When Carly grabbed me to chat about her date, Heath excused himself to give us privacy to “girl talk” and my friend rolled her eyes. “Totally code for needing to pee. He’s just too fancy to admit it.”

I snickered, snaking another duck-spiked glass of champagne from a passing waitress. For some reason, the white ducks were in the champagne flutes more than they were on food, and I was starting to get seriously tipsy for it.

“So…what do you think of Edmund?” Carly asked, sipping her own drink as her gaze drifted over to the handsome man in question.

I followed her line of sight and hummed thoughtfully. “Well, having barely exchanged more than a few words with him, I can’t speak to his personality…but he seems nice?”

Carly snorted a laugh. “Okay but hot, right? We’re not here for his conversation, babe, just appearances. And his dick. Oh my god, you should see that thing. It’s—” I choked on the sip of champagne I’d just taken, and she paused to pat me on the back. “You okay?”

“Yep,” I croaked. “Isn’t this your first date?”

She shrugged and smirked. Bloody hell, no wonder she and Royce got along so well.

“Uh-oh, here comes trouble,” she groaned under her breath, her eyes darting past me.

My shoulders stiffened, expectations of Jade or Paige about to tip a drink over me filling my head, so I was shocked speechless when a strong hand gripped my waist.

“There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Nate said in a weird voice, making my spine straighten even further. His fingers squeezed my waist, like a silent plea to play along, and I turned to find myself face-to-face with his bow tie. Fucking tall men were putting a kink in my neck.

“Nathaniel, you can’t be serious,” a woman scoffed, making me realize he wasn’t alone.

Carly’s squeak of surprise beside me put me on edge, and I met the woman’s gaze cautiously.

She was beautiful, elegant, and ice cold.

But at the same time, very familiar. Why did she look so familiar, like we’d met before?

Maybe just because she looked like Nate?

Carly muttered a quick excuse and slipped away like she was made of smoke. Traitor.

A brittle smile tugged up my lips. “You must be Nate’s mom,” I said, offering my hand. “I’m?—”

“My girlfriend,” Nate blurted out, cutting me off before I could say anything more.

“Ashley is my girlfriend and things are very serious, which is why you need to stop suggesting I get back with Paige, Mom.” Another squeeze at my waist, hard enough that it hurt, and I subtly dug my elbow into his ribs in return.

Clearly he needed help getting his mother off his back, but I owed him nothing, so he needed to sweeten the fucking deal if he wanted cooperation.

The woman—Jocelyn, I think Heath said her name was—stared at me like I was a bug to be squashed, not even attempting to cover her irritation.

“Ashley,” she repeated. “What an interesting coincidence. You seem to have recovered well from your little hike in the woods last semester.”

I blinked at her in confusion, then the penny dropped.

That was why she looked familiar. She had picked me up on the side of the road and driven me back to campus after the society left me for dead in the forest. “Professor Reynard?” I said with confusion, recalling her name. “I didn’t realize you were…”