Page 70 of House of Mages and Raven

The majority of suckers still trained their gazes on the main entrance, expecting me to make an appearance, their tablets at the ready to record my humiliation.

The underdogs were getting a break, though, since Grace needed to use them to alienate me, and I was back to square one, the main dish to be picked on. I’d once thought that I could change the class system. I’d thought I could shake things up, even from the bottom to the top.

You can’t save those who don’t want to be saved,Sy chimed in.And not everyone deserves to be saved.

I brought my food to an empty corner table hidden from the upstairs balcony. I wouldn’t see if Killian was there with his women. Out of sight, out of mind. I dug in to my slider quietly, minding my own business.

Before I had finished a second slider, a sense of alarm tingled between my shoulder blades. Even my throat started to itch. My gaze snapped up as Grace headed toward me, flanked by a horde of her fangirls, including Bellona, Fake Blonde, some demons, and several of my former geek friends. Even Jinx followed my counterpart. The betrayal hurt my teeth.

Surprisingly, America and Dixie, who had been among my worst opponents and had beaten me up in the ring, didn’t join Grace.

I watched the mob march cockily toward me, their jaws set, their eyes on fire, their faces determined.

Shit, this wasn’t going to end well.

Shit,Sy echoed.

I don’t think we’ll get to finish the meal,I said ruefully.You’ll have to work double time tonight to feed us.

I can totally do that!Sy’s face brightened.DM Rowan! I’ll work for free tonight if he doesn’t have any more pink diamonds.

Don’t worry about his pockets, because they’re deep,I said.We have more immediate concerns.

Who should I eat first?Sy smacked her full lips. She hadn’t eaten any sentient beings since we’d come to Mist of Cinder, but the craving didn’t just go away overnight.

The mob was still coming, streaming between the aisles and tables. I was only one person, wasn’t I? What harm could I do? And they had to come with torches and pitchforks?

Grace stopped three feet from me, righteous fire burning in her honeydew green eyes. It was super-ass weird to see someone who looked so much like me—though more refined in every way—staring back.

Bitch had sabotaged my uniqueness, aiming to replace me completely.

She’s failed,Sy chimed in.She doesn’t have me like you do.

While my heartbeat picked up at this run-in that would soon turn into a big fight, I wasn’t going to lose my cool.

As cool as a cucumber.Sy backed me up.

Damnit, she’d picked up too many clichés.

“Hello, hello.” I smirked. “Is this a party? Guess I’m invited after all. However, I’ll have to decline, as you can see that I’m very busy.”

I speared a piece of potato heavily coated with garlic and inserted it into my mouth. These days, I ate a lot of garlic, not just to fend off vampires.

The copycat pointed a finger at me. “You won’t get away with your transgression this time.”

Her goons bobbed their heads in agreement, their faces reddening in fury.

“Transgression?” I asked while chewing garlic. “Woo, that’s a big word. Does it mean sin?”

Sy snickered in excitement. Once again, it was just her and me against the whole world.

“Enough!” Grace said.

A burning stream of mental power coming from Grace pulsed in the air. I caught it, but no one else knew that she was a mental influencer. I had yet to discover what other power she possessed.

“Enough is enough!” her followers chanted.

“We stop her today!” Grace the cheerleader shouted.

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