Page 59 of Theirs to Ruin

Bianca snorted. “Let’s just say he’s out of contention.”

That surprised me. “Really? How come?”

“We fucked and he’s a lousy lay.”

That shocked me even more. “Really? He looks… like he’d know what he’s doing. Plus there’s all the talk about his sexual experience and how good he is in bed…”

“I know, right? Proof positive you can’t trust rumors. Remember that. Don’t commit to anyone without finding out what kind of lover he is. Speaking of lovers, have you by chance…”

“No. Still a virgin. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to fail Seduction 102.”

Bianca smiled. “Well, I’m sure Dante would be up for helping you study. Maybe even Kage once he accepts you had nothing to do with Ava’s death. Heck, maybe they’ll both be down to practice with you. How sexy would that be?”

It would be even sexier if Ty was added to the mix.

The Ty I once knew, I meant, not the dead-eyed Ty I thought I’d seen at the river.

“Hey, did Yasmine ever figure out the name of the new student? The one with the scars?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll ask her. Now food… You sure you don’t want anything?”

I shook my head. What I wanted more than anything right now was to head over to the chateaus and search for Ty, but just the idea of it exhausted me. I slumped back against the couch, hoping I had enough strength to make it to my bed.

“I’m sure. You go,” I urged her. “I’ll just be going to sleep anyway. I want to attend all my classes tomorrow.”

Bianca hesitated then said, “Tomorrow’s classes are cancelled.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“Ava’s funeral. It’s at one.”

Pain immediately spiked through me. Ava’s body was going to be buried tomorrow. My first instinct was to ask Bianca if she’d go with me, but I tamped it down.

Kage’s family thought I killed Ava. They wouldn’t want me there, and I certainly didn’t want Ava’s memorial to devolve into chaos by pushing the matter. I hated that I couldn’t say goodbye to Ava properly, that my last image of her would be her lying dead by the river, but that was my reality.

“Are you going?” I asked Bianca.

“No. I’m not a hypocrite. I hated Ava for how she treated you.”

“Right,” I whispered.

“You want me to stay after all? Because I really don’t mind.”

I shook my head and forced myself to smile. “I’ll be okay. Thanks.”

“Okay, but keep your phone with you,” she ordered.

“I will. You too.” We both knew that if Kage’s family believed I killed Ava, Bianca could be in danger, too. They’d punish her to punish me. Then again, most people would know better than to face off with Bianca, that's how scary she was.

“Will do.” Bianca pulled me into a tight embrace.

After she left, locking the door behind her, I turned off the TV. On shaky legs, I headed to bed. Grasping the edge of the blanket, I pulled it back, wanting to crawl under it and sleep for days.

I screamed at the gut-wrenching sight in front of me: a drowned rat. Its limp body lay in a wet spot on the sheets.

A note was tied around the rat's neck:What goes around comes around.

Chapter 26

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