Page 11 of The Evernight Court

I would not give Romin the right to walk through those doors. I would not allow him to get into this tower and drag me to his bedroom. Even if I had to show up to apartyto keep him away, I would. The party would be full of other people. Emil and Tristian wouldn’t attack me in front of everyone. I’d be safe—just to make a quick appearance.

Then I could be back here and start to actually work on my plan. To test my magic and train until I was strong enough to keep all three of them off me if they so much as came close enough to touch me again.

A knock on the door.

I sat on Grey’s desk as soon as I woke up that morning, trying to understand the symbols in his books, trying to figure out if I could get some kind of help for my magic. A starting point. Any tips at all—how do I get it to work?

An hour in came that knock and it shocked me when I paid attention, and I actuallyfeltthe energy behind the door, divided into two.

When I opened it, I found Vinny and Aster with two large suitcases in front of them and fake smiles on their faces.

“Pardon to interrupt, Miss Hayes, but Master Valentine sent you your clothes. Everything you had in the closet at his tower,” Aster said, her voice ice-cold, completely transformed as she pushed the suitcases toward me.

My stomach did a flip at the mentioning of that name.

Valentine was awake and well enough to put my things in suitcases and send them over to me.

“Thank you,” I muttered, pulling them to the side so I could close the door fast. Just the way the both of them were looking at me made me feel like I was sitting on needles.

They hadn’t looked at melike thisbefore, had they? I would have remembered.

“Also, Master Romin sent you this dress for the party tonight. I was asked to do your hair and makeup if you tell me what time to be here. The guests arrive at seven,” Aster continued, and it was like she was pulling her own words out of her throat with difficulty. Vinny, too—he seemed to be sweating as he offered me a hanger with a black cover over whatever outfit hung on it, that he’d been holding in his hand and I hadn’t even noticed.

Ice in my veins. I took the dress anyway. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll do my own hair and makeup.”

“I’m afraid it’s non-negotiable, Miss Hayes. MasterRomin’s orders,” Aster said, her cheeks a bit flushed as she forced herself to smile still.

God, she hated me. They both did. They despised me—and I couldn’t find it in me to care.

“Fine. Be here at six.” I stepped back and swung the door shut before I had to endure another second of their presence.

Tears pricked the back of my eyes as I put the stupid hanger on the bed, then took the cover off to reveal a long red dress with a dipped neckline and glitter on the flared bottom half. My poor tongue was bleeding from how hard I was biting it to contain myself.

A red dress.

I would rather be caught dead than wear this.

I grabbed it and threw it at a corner, then turned to the suitcases. If my memory served me right, I had a dark grey satin dress in the closet of my room in the fifth tower. I could wearthatinstead, just to spite Romin. Just to remind him that I wasn’t his. Even if Grey wasn’t here, even if the coward had fucking banished him, I still didn’t belong to him no matter how many parties he forced me to attend. I was Grey’s, and I’d keep reminding him of it because I had this strange feeling that I always would be. That I would miss him forever.

That I’d probably die alone.

And I was perfectly okay with that.

The closet was on the other side of the bed, and I wheeled the suitcases toward it and opened the door, walked in and turned up the switch as if I was expecting to find it empty. It wasn’t.

Grey was all over those shelves.

My breath caught in my throat and my body froze in the doorway. His closet was a bit smaller than mine had been, only half full of clothes, black and dark grey, and a couple of items in white. It smelled like him in here. It smelled like Grey—spicy and dark.

This time, when the tears came, I wasn’t strong enough to stop them. They spilled out of me all at once like they were in a damn race, and I stayed there leaning against the door frame, holding onto the suitcases, for quite a long time.

I just hadn’t expected it to be socrowdedin there. I hadn’t expected every scent and every fabric and every color to remind me of Grey.

Eventually, I wheeled in the suitcases, and I took them to the very end of the room, to the empty shelves and racks and drawers. I would not be touching Grey’s clothes here. I would not be taking anything away. I’d keep all of it to remind me of him. To give me strength and maybe help me break down more so that I could shed my old skin faster.

Only when I opened the suitcases and began to put everything on the shelves did I stop crying. And when I found what I’d been looking for—a simple grey satin, one-shoulder dress that fell to my ankles—I went to hang it with Grey’s clothes because half of the hangers were empty.

But before I put it in place, I noticed something in the back, hidden away by black dress shirts. I could barely make out the corner of the silver frame and my heart skipped a beat.

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