Page 123 of Blood & Betrayals

“I missed you!” she shrieks, nuzzling against me. I groan, trying to shift off the large stone, digging painfully into my back.

“Hi, Alice.” I smile. She disentangles from me and stands up, pulling me with her. There is pure joy on her face, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her look so elated. It seems the supposedly murderous, loner vampire missed her psychotic, broken best friend.

“I missed you, too,” I say with a sincere smile, hugging her tight.

“You owe me. This place is painfully boring without you,” Alice whines, her voice conveying her utter despair at having toendure Avalon without her partner in crime. Oh, man, I hope she didn’t actually commit any crimes…

“If you want, we can watch that trashy show you love so much tonight?” I suggest.

Alice immediately brightens, but her face pulls into a look of reproach. “Thattrashyshow has won not only the hearts of over forty million viewers, and it has an array of awards!”

I quirk a brow, glancing at her as we walk back to our dorm. “Alice, the last episode we watched together revolved around a female mortal trying to become a vampire. So she signed a contract with the Emperor, who promised to turn her if she signed her soul over to him for eternity.”

“Okay, woah. Do not diminish Demetrius’s and Carolina’s love like that. It’s called an arranged marriage trope. Look it up.” Alice crosses her arms over her chest, pouting.

“Oh, my apologies,” I say, unconvincingly.

Alice glares at me. “How was it anyway?”

I sigh, my lips tugging up at the corners. “It was good, actually.”

“Good?” Alice asks.

I nod. “His parents are kind of incredible.”

“And did you and Connor work things out?”

“We did. It turns out what nine-year-old Connor and what thirty-year-old Connor wants are two completely different things.”

Alice laughs. “Who knew?” She nudges me. “So… did you reach the Heaven High Club?”

I blink, glancing at her. “What?”

“Did you and Connor…” She pauses for a moment, looking around in a show of secrecy, but I can tell it’s simply dramatics. “Sex in a stratus? Cunnilingus in a cumulus? Cock in a cirrus? Anal in?—”

“Alice!” I interrupt.

Alice nudges me again. “Well?”

I give her a look and then sigh heavily. “Yes, we had sex in Eden. Okay? Happy?”

“Ew, no, that would be weird. Did his parents walk in on you?”

“What an odd question,” I say, wrinkling my nose.

“Well, I know his brothers already caught you on the couch.”

I gaped. “How did you know about that?”

Alice shrugs. “Zane.”

“I’m going to staple that boy’s mouth shut.”

Alice snorts. “He’d learn sign language just to spite you.”

“I need to find out about this secret girl Zach is seeing. If I blackmail dumb, the dumber will also fall into line.”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Alice snorts. “He’s fucking Ashley.”

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