Page 20 of The Evernight Court

A hand around my arm. It squeezed tightly and pulled me up to my feet.

Oh, come on!the sirens said.

It’s just a joke!

You should learn how to take a joke.

It was supposed to make you laugh, not cry!

Ha-ha-ha-ha…

“Move, Sunshine.”

That word.

I blinked and the tears spilled out of me all at once. A charge of energy shot throughout me, making every hair on my body stand at attention. I turned to see that Valentine was beside me, his hand around my arm, and he was walking with me toward the next table—to the witches.

My feet were glued to the floor, and by God, I would not move with that man by my side for another fucking step.

“Don’ttouchme,” I whispered so low he might have missed it if he wasn’t a vampire.

It must have been the shock because Valentine let go of me instantly.

He looked at me like he was in pain again. He looked at me like he was miserable. Like he was sorry.

But had he forgotten that I’d seen all there was to see on him? Had he forgotten that I knew who he was behind his lies and that pretty face?

“Fall, I?—”

“You can’t kill me here,” I whispered. “Not in front of everyone.” At least I hoped so. “Leave me alone.”

I moved.

Somehow my legs supported me, and I moved away from him while Valentine lowered his head, still looking miserable, like he was as uncomfortable in his skin as I was in mine. Like he really felt bad for how the sirens mocked me or felt sorry about the positionhe’dput me in.

He was the reason Grey was gone, banished. Not just because he’d challenged him to a duel but because he’d tried to fucking kill me—twice—and had forced Grey to stop him. Had forced Storm to try to kill Shadow after the duel was over.

Now, I wished he’d succeeded. Now I wished that little dragon I’d once grown to care about was dead.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Autumn Hayes.”

I blinked and the last of the tears that had gathered in my eyes spilled out of me. I was already standing in front of the witches, and all seven of them were on their feet, looking at me. I’d made it to their table without realizing it, and without falling on my face.

“Please, have a seat. Join us for a moment.”

The one who’d spoken sat at the left, and she had a small smile on her face. Agenuinesmile, my instincts said, except my instincts were shit so I didn’t trust them anymore. They’d said that Mama Si and Valentine—and even fuckingBrandon—were safe to be around and look at me now.

Unfortunately for me, Ihadto endure all of this before I could leave, and my legs were about to give up on me any second, so I sat near the woman, and all the others sat with me.

The witches. That’s what I needed to focus on—the witches and my surroundings, just to give myself a moment to breathe. Just to give myself a moment to forget the sirens and their gift, that dead grey fish floating in thebowl.

God, they were cruel. So fucking cruel they’d broken me all over again within seconds.

What did you expect? They eat people for a living!said a voice in my head, and it was right. They were sirens. I shouldn’t expect better from them, not at all.

But it still cut right through me to see that dead fish in the bowl.

“The sirens have a…strangesense of humor,” said the witch sitting to my left.

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