Page 73 of The Blood Witch

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

There were twenty or so of them gathered on the roof tonight. A few more in the building below that served as their clubhouse. Vee could feel every single one of them through the tangled webs of their heartbeats. She’d never tried to hold them all at once. She sometimes wondered if she could.

Tom froze from where he was sitting, his back against the short brick lip that lined the rooftop. His hand, which had been stroking Kayla’s leg where she sat next to him, stopped immediately.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

He’s scared, Vee noted, smiling.

Good.

Tom took his time. He stood up slowly, dusting debris from his pants and straightening his clothes. A power play, taking longer than necessary to answer her summons.

Vee’s smile only grew.

He crossed the roof with slow, deliberate steps, and Vee waitedpatiently. Only when he came to a stop, standing just by her head, did she sit up.

She loved the stars, loved staring up at the night sky. But Goddess, it did hurt her neck to lie like that for so long. Vee groaned, rolling her head on her shoulders and stretching her arms.

“I hear you have something to say about me and the princess,” Vee said, rubbing a knot from her shoulder. She turned her head, angling it to look up at where Tom stood over her.

Another power move. And such an obviously male one. As though looming over her like that was power. Like size meant anything to someone like her. It was funny.

Everyone was the same size when you could make them crawl.

Tom’s amber eyes snapped over to Jayce and he bared his teeth in a challenge of dominance. Jayce only shrugged, unfazed and unapologetic. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Jayce told her everything. Only an idiot would think otherwise. He was loyal to her. The way they all should be.

“If you have something to say,” Vee prompted, “you can say it to me. Now.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with her,” Tom said. “Some of us are worried?—”

“Not some of us, Tommy,” Vee interrupted. He clenched his teeth together, visibly annoyed. Tom hated being called Tommy. “I’m asking you ifyouhave something to say.”

Tom swallowed. “You’re spending a lot of time with her.”

Vee waited. When Tom didn’t continue, she prompted him.

“And?” Vee asked.

“And… and what’s the plan?” Tom asked, frustrated. “A few weeks ago, we were talking about how that whole family had to go, and now it’s like… it’s like you’re friends with her or something.”

Boys. They were all so, so stupid. Vee tucked her feet underneath herself and stood.

She felt a little vindication in the way Tom immediately took a step back away from her, putting a little distance between them.

“Do you know what being friends with the princess gets us?” she asked.

Everyone was watching them, hanging on her every word. Excitement and fear and dread pulsed in their blood.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

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