Page 138 of House of Lilith

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It’s already dark out but it’s not until midnight that I have the rendezvous. So I decide to stop moping around my room and leave for the Common Room with a book in my hand.

Lost in thoughts, I start walking down the stairs, but I only reach one of the first landings when I hear a familiar voice call, “Nyx.”

My head snaps to my right and I see Ricky walking out of my brother’s room, seemingly a little tipsy.

“Hi, Ricky,” I say, I make myself throw him the warmest smile I can and I turn to walk away, not really in the mood for socializing.

But before I can do it, he catches my eye once again and asks, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I reply, but I don’t start walking again. I come to a full stop and I frown instead. “He told you about our fight, didn’t he?”

Ricky runs his hand through his hair. “Nothing too specific,” he replies with a nervous laugh, “if there’s some secret you’re worried about.”

“Wow,” I snap, “he should wear that as a badge of honor.”

And I turn on my heel, but almost as soon as I do, Ricky comes to block my way.

“Look, Nyx,” he tells me with fire in his eyes, “he’s a good guy and you’re a good girl. You go to this amazing Academy, you come from such a powerful family, and you have your whole lives ahead of you.” He pauses a little, his passion making my eyebrows shoot up. “I knowfor a factthat your brother and yourself will get exactly what you want in the end and only grow closer along the way.”

I take the smallest step back, my eyebrows pulling down.

Ricky seems to catch that. “Oh,” he says awkwardly, “I see that I’m overstepping. I apologize for that.” He laughs nervously. “I’m not used to alcohol, you see. In fact, until a year ago, I’d never had a single drop.”

“You’re kidding me,” I blurt out, a smile now tugging at my lips.

“No no, I reallywasthat lame.”

This time, we both laugh. I move to keep walking, but make it clear I’m open to him walking with me. He does.

“And you weren’t overstepping,” I say as we start going down the stairs together, “just so you know. That was just me being… me, I guess. I’m actually grateful to you for asking if I’m okay.”

“Well,” he starts, a little hesitantly, “if you ever want to thank me…”

I turn to raise my eyebrows at him.

He gives me a little smile and says, “Shoot me a text when you have some free time. I’ve a question I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

I let out a laugh. “Well, you’ve got my attentionnow.”

And it’s at that exact moment that we land in the nearly empty Common Room and I motion at one of the nearby tables.

He throws me a grin and we go to take a seat. I lift a finger to ask for patience, and I pour us each a drink from the bottle on the shelf below the table.

And all the while, my mind is buzzing with the questionsIcould be askinghim. But I make myself stop thinking about it. It just wouldn’t be right.

“Go,” I say as soon as we clink glasses and take a sip.

“Okay,” he starts, already getting excited, “so, I already asked your brother this exact same question, but I’d like to hear from you as well.”

“Come on, out with it.”

“Yes,” he says with a nod and a laugh. “So…” And he leans forward a little. “Do you feel any…specialconnection with the Romanov whose name you’ve been given? Or any connection at all?”

Now, that makes me frown. “Um, Anastasya Nikolayevna?” I let out a laugh. “I’d have more luck establishing a connection with Rasputin himself.”

He frowns.

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