Page 17 of The Hunt

His sardonic smile widened. “See you there,” he said confidently, as if there was no room for argument. With that, he turned and strolled away, his sense of casual dominance lingering in the air long after he’d gone.

“Oh my god.” Sloane was jokingly fanning herself with a napkin, lips cracked in the widest grin I’d ever seen on her pretty face. “I can’t believe we got invited to the bonfire party!”

“Is it a big deal?” I asked, brows rising.

Tessa nodded. “The Wilders always throw awesome parties, but their annual bonfire party is like, the absolutebest.At least from what I’ve heard. I didn’t go last year, because the invite list is pretty exclusive.” She paused and threw up her hands. “But hey, apparently we’re on it this year!”

“We’re totally going, right?” Bree asked.

“Um, obviously!” Tessa said, eyes widening. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured, fidgeting with my hands on my lap. “I already have a ton of assignments to do.”

“Youhaveto come! You’re probably the first brand new transfer student to get invited to a Wilder bonfire party in the history of time. Plus, you were personally invited by Rhett freakin’ Sinclair! No one says no to that.”

My nose wrinkled. “MaybeIdo. Rhett’s an asshole.”

“Yeah, but he’s a sexy-as-fuck asshole.” Bree waggled her eyebrows. “Anyway, you don’t need to hang out with him. Just come with us and have fun.”

“Exactly. It’s a party! That’s what it’sfor—having fun!” Sloane added.

“Did we forget to mention that it’s a costume party?” Tessa said in a wheedling tone. “I seem to remember you telling me how much you love costume parties last week.”

I slowly shook my head, lips stretching with a slow smile. “Okay, fine,” I said, throwing my hands up in mock defeat. “I’ll go.”

3

Everly

The Wilder bonfireparty was even bigger and better than I expected.

By tradition, it was held in the deep woods on the Wilder property, a sprawling estate that felt worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Havenport and the busy college scene at Hollingsworth.

A massive black lake lay in the middle of the woods, and the party stretched out along the edges, where warm, golden light from several small fires flickered against the dark water, casting eerie shadows.

Strings of colorful bulbs hung in loops around the surrounding trees, leading up to the center of the action in a large clearing next to the lake. There, a massive bonfire blazed high into the night, sparks crackling and spiraling into the black sky as party guests drank, laughed, and hooked up all around it.

On the other side of the clearing, a DJ booth had been set up on a raised wooden platform, blasting music that thumped through the trees. Some people were dancing in clusters near the booth, swaying to the beat, while others stood back with drinks in hand, leaning close to talk over the music. The air was thickwith excitement, mingling with the woodsy scent of burning pine and the heady aroma of cigarettes, cologne, and alcohol.

Tessa told me that the party was inspired by an old pagan festival, meant to honor the end of summer and the subsequent descent into the darker, colder months. But really, it was just an excuse for privileged, popular students to get loose and revel in the anonymity of their costumes as they partied like there was no tomorrow.

Many costumes kept the pagan theme, though, with some dressed as forest spirits draped in ivy, others as haunting figures in antlered masks, and a few adorned in shimmering gold, embodying ancient gods and goddesses. Others were dressed in more random costumes—sexy vampires, shadowy specters, and masked figures in cloaks. Some of those wore full masquerade masks, while others opted for elaborate face paint in grotesque patterns like skulls or demons.

As for the girls and me—we’d all chosen to dress as ‘harvest sacrifices’ in long, gauzy white gowns, gold domino masks, and ivy wreaths atop our heads. It seemed in keeping with the theme while also granting us some anonymity, making it easy for us to avoid people we didn’t want to hang out with.

People like Jake.

I’d already spotted him over an hour ago, hanging out with a group of guys—including Rhett—at one of the smaller fires near the lake’s edge. All of them were dressed in black with black and white face paint that transformed the left half of their faces into death masks. It seemed to be the standard Wilder costume, setting them apart from the other guests.

“I need another drink,” Tessa shouted over the music. “Want one?”

I shook my head. “No, I need to pee,” I shouted back, gesturing toward a path that led away from the bonfire. “I’m going up to the house.”

“Oh, do you want me to come? We can get more drinks after.”

“Sure.”

We started pressing our way through the crowd around us. A moment later, a tall guy in a vampire costume gave Tessa the eye and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. She giggled, grabbed my arm, and murmured in my ear. “Mind if I go and dance with him instead?”

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