Page 60 of Revenge is a Witch

Derek shifts beside me, his arm tightening slightly around my shoulders. “Maybe it’s time to stop playing the long game,” he suggests, his voice low but firm. “Move up the schedule. Force her hand.”

I glance at him, narrowing my eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

Derek leans in slightly, his voice dropping even lower. “You’ve been doing a good job getting under her skin, Z. Aggravate her a little more, push her buttons. Make her think she’s in control. Get her to command Seb in front of everyone. When he refuses, it’ll fluster her. Maybe even expose the fact that she’s been hexing him to play her little submissive puppet.”

I blink, considering the idea. “You’re saying we let her hang herself with her own rope?”

Derek smirks, that devilish glint in his eyes. “Exactly. Kyla’s the type who thrives on control. If we make her lose it, especially in front of an audience, that’ll hurt her way more than any spell.”

The thought sits with me, and the more I think about it, the more brilliant it sounds. Exposing Kyla as a witch who hexed a vampire into being her toy? That kind of scandal would spreadthrough the school faster than Sebastian after midnight curfew. “I like it,” I admit, a slow grin spreading across my face. “Exposing her for what she is, turning her into a laughingstock? I’d pay to see that.”

Derek leans closer, his voice a low, amused whisper. “The best part is, you won’t have to pay anything. Just be your usual aggravating self.”

I chuckle softly, the thought of Kyla trying to control Seb in front of the entire school and failing miserably lighting a fire inside me. “I can do that. I can absolutely do that.”

Sebastian stirs slightly in my lap, his head shifting but his eyes still closed. I gently stroke his hair, thinking about how much I want this all to end. For him. For us. I glance at Derek, and a wicked grin tugs at my lips. “I’m going to tear that witch’s world apart, Derek. She won’t even see it coming.”

Derek returns my grin, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “And I’ll be right there with you. Let’s make her regret ever messing with us.”

My mind races with possibilities. If I can just push Kyla hard enough, she’ll snap. I don’t need a spell to bring her down. Her own ego will do the job for me. But first, I have to plan—carefully, methodically. One wrong move, and it’ll all come crashing down. But if we pull it off, she’ll be the one crumbling, not us.

“Think she’ll crack soon?” Derek asks, his voice dripping with anticipation.

“Oh, definitely,” I reply, feeling the gears in my brain already turning. “She won’t be able to resist. Kyla doesn’t handle losing control very well.”

Derek snickers, then leans down to press a kiss to the top of my head. “I love it when you get all devious.”

“Yeah, well,” I say, glancing down at Sebastian, who’s still peacefully asleep. “Let’s just make sure we win this thing. For him.”

“For all of us,” Derek agrees, his voice soft but filled with determination.

As I sit there, sandwiched between the two boys who mean more to me than I ever expected, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. Kyla’s reign is about to come crashing down, and I’ll be the one to pull the strings.

I just hope she’s ready for what’s coming.

I wake up to the familiar warmth of limbs tangled with mine. It's a mess of arms, legs, and torsos, and I’m perfectly sandwiched between them—both Derek and Sebastian curled around me like I’m some kind of human pillow. Not that I’m complaining, but when I attempt to move, I quickly discover something annoying: I can’t wiggle out.

I sigh, knowing full well they’re both awake, probably enjoying the fact that I’m stuck. "Alright, I know you two are awake," I mutter. “And if you make me late for class or world domination, I’m going to be mad.”

Fake mad, obviously. But still. A girl’s got things to do.

One of them, probably Derek, murmurs sleepily, “You don’t need to attend classes for world domination, you know.”

“Yeah, okay,” I deadpan. “But if I skip today, Professor Grimble will hex my ass for missing her pop quiz on cauldron explosions. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not get on her bad side.”

Sebastian stirs, his grip around my waist tightening slightly. “Wouldn’t dream of it, witch.”

I huff, mostly because I’m half tempted to just give in and stay in bed, but no—no, I have responsibilities. As much as cuddling with two ridiculously hot boys sounds like a better plan, I’ve got a Kyla to destroy.

“Alright, last warning,” I say, a mischievous grin spreading across my face. “The last one touching me, I’ll turn them into a cat. And yes, it’s permanent.” At that, both of them instinctively retract their arms, and I can’t help but chuckle as I finally manage to free myself from the human pretzel situation. “You’re such babies,” I tease, standing up and stretching. “One little kitty threat and you back off.”

Derek grumbles, pulling the blanket over his head. “You’d make a terrible villain, you know that? Threatening your minions before you even have your coffee.”

Sebastian chuckles from the other side of the bed, sitting up lazily, hair still rumpled. “Honestly, I wouldn’t mind being turned into a cat. I could bite ankles all day.”

“Right. Well, remind me of that next time,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at the two of them still lounging in my bed. “Now, both of you need to get up too. You’re not just going to lie there all morning.”

Sebastian gives me that lazy grin of his. “I could.”