Page 42 of Dirty Little Saint

My heart races as I wait for a response. No typing bubbles. No response. Great. I’ve only been back a few hours, and already the cryptic weird shit is happening again. What the fuck is with this school?

It’s probably just one of the guys messing with me. They get off on their twisted little games of torment. But I can’t help feeling like something’s off. There’s a prickling on the back of my neck and a sinking feeling in my belly.

I shiver and try to shake it off. My stomach grumbles as I look at my phone to see it’s past noon. I shoot off another text to Villette, asking to meet up earlier to grab a bite to eat.

Thankfully, she says yes and is already heading downstairs to wait for me in the main lobby of our building.

I wash my hands, touch up my lipstick, and fix the eyeliner that smudged on my cheeks. Hopefully, she won’t be able to tell that I spent the last hour finger fucking myself into a feral stupor.

But knowing her, she’s too polite to say anything. Libra, on the other hand, would shout it from the rooftops. I’m so fucking glad she didn’t come home during that. Lately, these urges are getting more and more frequent. And more demanding.

I need to talk to the guys about this tomorrow night.

I didn’t think it was possible for Villette to look more gorgeous than she already did. Yet here she is, leaning across the wall from the elevator, her skin glowing brighter than ever. Her dark strands are swept up in a ponytail, all glossy and shiny.

“Wow, winter looks good on you, girl.” I throw my arms around her and languish in the warm hug she gives me. An embrace I didn’t even realize I needed until now.

She laughs throatily into my neck. “I have my brother, Bones, to thank for that. We went to the hot springs almost every day.”

I pull back to get a better look at her. “Well, damn. You’ll have to send me the link to whatever spa you were at.”

“No spa, just home. Ever Graves. We have a lot of land there. There’s something about the water in that place.” She loops her arm through mine as we head out the main doors.

It’s hard not to notice the stares as we cross the parking lot and head for the path through the woods. I can’t imagine what people are thinking about me after the ball.

“Ignore them,” Villette coos. “They’ve got nothing better to do.”

I nod. “Already forgotten. So, how was Ever Graves? Any tea that should be spilled upon me?” I make a grand dramatic gesture with my hand.

She giggles. “Oh, just the usual stuff. The townies are nuts, the cliffs are haunted, and my brother’s little group of heathens is still terrorizing everyone. Oh, and of course, your grandmother is still trying to convince my father I need to quit school and get married before I become an unbreedable old maid.”

I gasp, stopping her in her tracks. I spin around so fast I almost trip on a thick patch of overgrown brush. “What the fuck? Seriously?”

Villette collapses into laughter. “The look on your face… I forget that you didn’t grow up the way we did. It’s fine, Maur. It’s not gonna happen. No offense, but my father thinks your grandmother is off her rocker.”

“Sounds like she fucking is. Unbelievable.” I let her resume our walkabout toward the center of campus, all the while still shaking my head. “Did she say anything about me?”

Villette sighs. “A little. It’s mostly nonsensical. I think she’s getting a bit senile.”

A knot twists in my stomach. “Tell me.”

A sharp wind blows between us, chilling my bones. I half-expect to see Jessamine pop up out of nowhere before I remember that Professor Erebus has her sequestered. Another fucking thing I need to check in with the guys about.

Villette sighs again as if the very mention of Penny Blackwell makes it harder to breathe. “She rambled about curses and deals with the devil. But she also mentioned her regrets and how it’s her fault you’re damaged.”

I wince. Fucking hell. “Damaged? All because my dad was poor, and they were unmarried? Ouch.”

“I don’t know, Maur… Ever Graves is a dark place. And I don’t just mean because of the fog and stone. Since I was a little girl, I have always felt scared to be alone. Like something would reach out in the night and snatch me away.”

I shiver. That was one privilege I had over her; Wickford Hollow wasn’t like that. “I guess maybe I should feel lucky I wasn’t born there.”

Villette reaches out to open the door of the campus café and holds it for me. I grab the first window table that’s empty, and we both plop down across from each other in the black vinyl booth.

“Oh, I wasn’t born there. My parents were on vacation here in Raven’s Gate when my mom went into labor. We stayed here for a few months until it was safe for them to travel back with me.”

That’s odd. Who goes on vacation when they’re close to giving birth?

I smile as the young blonde server places menus down in front of us. I arch my brow as I look them over. “Too early for a cocktail?”

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