Page 20 of Devil on the Lake

Lowell and Ryder both stiffen beside me at her sultry tone. She shoots them a glance and steps into me, putting a manicured hand on my chest beneath my coat.

“I was in the woods.”

She pouts. It accentuates her plush lips and the fake blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. “You missed my big win. I got voted best costume.”

“People just like looking at your legs in your cheer uniform,” Lowell says. “Undead vampy cheerleader isn’t the best costume here tonight.”

Eliana glares at him. A beat later, her features relax into a smug, bitchy expression.

“Look all you want.” She holds his gaze, then flicks her attention to include Ryder and Easton. It’s not clear whether she’s talking to one of them or all three of them. “You’ll never know what they feel like wrapped around your waist.”

A muscle jumps in Lowell’s jaw when he clenches it and balls his fists.

I take her in with a sweeping look. All she did was powder her face and use makeup to pull off the vampire cheerleader look. It’s not original. Willow’s sexy velvet bodice beats this out hands down, even if her outfit is shredded from chasing her through the woods.

Annoyance surges through me. I need to stop thinking about my goth girl.

“It’s classic,” I lie, almost believing that I care.

“See. Thank you.” Eliana fluffs her hair.

“He doesn’t want you, El. None of us do. Stop being so fucking desperate all the time. You keep throwing yourself at us, but we’re not biting.” Her eyes shine at Lowell’s caustic tone. His scowl remains locked on her, but he addresses me. “How was the freak show?”

My shoulders tense at the nickname I started. A pit burns in my stomach. It takes effort to keep my feet planted on the ground.

They know about the prank I set up, but they don’t know how far I deviated from the plan.

“A real scream queen,” I mutter. “When the roaches scattered from the box, it scared her real good. Her shrieks echoed off the treetops. Hitchcock would be proud.”

Lowell chuckles, keeping his unwavering attention on Eliana for her reaction. “No, I mean when you fucked her.”

The chatter of the party dies around us. The stares of everyone are heavy.

“We walked by the cabin you were in earlier and heard her.” Lowell gives Eliana a savage grin. “I like a screamer, maybe I’ll fuck her next.”

She flashes him a hurt look.

I move before I’m aware of what I’m doing. With a growl, my fist smashes into Lowell’s face. All the pent up frustration pours out of me as I deck him again.

Shouts and tugs on my shoulders barely register.

“Jesus! Enough!” Phoenix catches my arm before I throw another punch and locks it behind me. “You good?”

Panting, I swing a glare around. Ryder stands between us with a complicated expression. Eliana and Easton are on either side of Lowell, holding him back. For all she was bitching at him before, she cups his face, touching the split lip I gave him. He jerks his head to get her off and grumbles something to her that makes her hunch in on herself and stride away.

Gritting my teeth, I nod. “I’m good.”

“What is up with you lately?” Phoenix asks.

“Nothing.”

The red haze fades away when he lets me go. I scrub my face, my knuckles stinging. I examine them with a grimace. The skin isn’t cracked, but they’re red. Probably will be bruised by morning. Great.

Lifting my head, I find Willow watching, her brows pinched. A squirming feeling moves through my chest, and my heart gives a faint tug when she follows Luna to the other side of the bonfire.

“Here.” Phoenix hands me another skewer with a fresh jumbo marshmallow. After a few minutes of me brooding, he sighs. “All that talk about making this the most epic weekend ever, and you’re sulking? Come on, man, you’ve been looking forward to this party for months. You know what my dad would say.”

I hold up a hand. “Don’t, dude. Don’t psychoanalyze me by proxy. I tried therapy. Didn’t help.” I tap my temple with sharp jabs. “Couldn’t unscramble this mess.”

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