Page 16 of The Evernight Court

I gripped the edge of the table with all my strength and begged myself to not speak, to not make a single sound, when all I wanted to do was get up and scream at him—liar! Murderer! You’re a goddamn murderer, Valentine!

But what good would it do me to lose control, especially in front of all these people?

None. I’d just bemoretalked about, and that’s exactly what I didn’t want. No, what I wanted was to be forgotten. To be so ordinary, so boring that everyone forgot I was here,hiding in the third tower. Everyone—including Romin and the brothers. Definitely Valentine.

He didn’t smile or frown or even narrow his brows at me as he came. He simply walked, his features carved out of rock, never moving a single inch, but I knew the inside of his mind was exploding with thoughts and words, same as mine. I knew there was a lot he wanted to tell me, too, and even remind me that I was defenseless without Grey. Nobody here was going to protect me from him, and the next time Shadow came for me, Storm wouldn’t be here to save my life.

“Glad you could join us, little brother,” Romin said when Valentine was close enough. “Go. Have a seat. Have a drink. Relax.”

You make me sick,I told him with my eyes.I hate you, Valentine.

As if he could hear the words in my head, he finally flinched.

“Thank you for your generosity, brother. How nice of you to offer me a seat and a drink in my own home,” he said, his voice dry, emotionless, bored as ever. But I knew him enough to read the hatred in his eyes. Whether it was for me or for Romin or both—it didn’t really matter.

“Always the little brat,” said Romin, shaking his head and smiling, like he found Valentine just adorable—and that pissed off the little brother even more. I suspected Romin knew it would, and he spoke like that to him on purpose.

“How’s your hatchling? Has he woken up yet?” Tristian asked when Valentine went around the table, around the brides who were moving over a seat to make room for Valentine to sit by Emil.

My stomach twisted and turned.Shadow.The little dragon I’d named myself. Who’d saved my life once. Had beenmy friend—or so I thought. Right until he tried to fucking kill me.

“Not yet, but he will,” Valentine said. His voice made goose bumps rise on my forearms.

“How do you know?” Emil said. “He’s not responding. He might as well be dead already.”

“Hewillwake up,” Valentine insisted after a long and loaded pause.

“How do you—” Emil tried again, but I cut him off.

“Because he’s not done with me yet. I’m still alive,” I spit with all the hatred I could find within me.

Valentine had the audacity to flinch again as he brought his wine to his lips and took a sip. He had the audacity to look regretful or sorry or hurt—maybe even a combination of those things.

“Shadow would never hurt you, Fall. You named him,” Tristian was saying from my other side, and it took all I had not to slam my elbow right in his face. Instead, I just kept my eyes on Valentine because it wasn’t worth the hassle.

“How dare you sit here, drinking fucking wine, when you killed him,” I whispered, and my eyes were already full of tears, but by God, I would not let them spill. Not in front of him.

Valentine looked devastated.

For a moment, I thought he might startcrying, too, and beg for forgiveness.

For a moment, I thought he really, truly regretted what had happened.

But then I remembered the look in his eyes that morning, and the way Shadow had come for me…

And in the second it took me to remember that, Valentine composed himself, arched a brow at me and said, “He killed himself by breaking the rules.”

I gripped the glass of water in my hand so tightly the glass cracked.

Before I knew it, Romin was taking it out of my hand and putting it on the table. “Behave, Fall. Behave—both of you.No more of this nonsense. People are watching,” he said as he put a napkin in my hand to clean what I thought would be blood, but it was just water. The glass hadn’t cut me—not that I’d have cared.

There was no point in trying to argue. No point in causing a scene in front of these people. They already hated my guts. They already saw me as the devil, even though Valentine had been about to kill me with his dragon, and Romin was the one who banished Grey for saving my life. It wasthemwho’d taken Grey away from me, yet these people would never even dream of blaming them—of course not. It was so much easier to just blame me. To point their fingers at my face and curse my name and be disgusted by the sight of me. So much easier.

And not worth a second of my thoughts.

So, I turned away and I took the glass of wine Tristian had filled for me, and this time I did take a good sip hoping it would take the edge off just a little bit. Just so I could focus on breathing until this nightmare was over, until I could hide in the tower and never have to see any of them again.

The tears dried eventually, and I let the music carry me away from the party. A guitar, a cello, and three drums in front of a faerie with deep indigo wings and hair. No piano, and I was thankful for it. I didn’t want to even think about playing it right now. I couldn’t bring myself to miss the sound of it or the feel of the keys underneath my fingers.

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