Page 130 of How to Entice a Fiend

“I feel like I should be concerned by that. One of Abel’s people spit at me today. Literally spit at me. Will you Soup her?”

“Maybe not but… you never know, I guess. Come on now. When Rylee comes busting in here, just tell her.”

“Nah.”

The door creaks open and Rylee loudly shuffles in.

“Perfect timing.”

“Did you hear me?” she asks in disbelief like she’s shocked Mads noticed her.

“You’re asking if we heard you drop something, crash into the door, yell, ‘Fluffybottom, don’t eat my hairband!’ then scuttle over here? Nah… heard none of that,” I assure her.

Rylee scrutinizes me for a moment. “I was stealthy.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

She leaps up and flops down onto me. “And now I’m hungry.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you make me something to eat?”

“Do you want French toast?” Mads asks.

“You’ll make me food?” she asks, looking far more delighted than when I volunteer to.

“I take it his food is much better than mine,” I tease.

Rylee hesitates even though it’s apparent she’d like to say yes. “He just… I mean… I love you!”

“Don’t try to distract me with words of love,” I say as I grab her and toss her to Mads, who catches her. “Here, she’s yours now.”

“Ooh, all mine?” Mads asks as he starts tickling her. She lets out a high-pitched squeal which no one should be subjected to in the morning. The look on Mads’s face tells me that it’s caused instant regret.

I smirk. “It’s her main defense.”

“It hurts my ears,” Mads complains as Rylee leaps on him. “You better not bust my ears or I won’t be able to make you food and you’ll have to eat Ender’s food.”

“Nooooo,” she says, looking horrified.

I grab her. “You once told me you loved my food!”

“Yeah, that was before I knew what Mads’s food tasted like!”

“Funny,” I say as I haul her off with her tucked under my arm. She hangs there like a limp noodle. “Let’s go get dressed and Mads can make you breakfast.” I set her outside our door and give her hair a ruffle.

So off she goes as Mads grabs me and draws me in for a kiss.

“I want to eat you for breakfast,” he mutters.

“We’ll toss her off to Orin at some point and do just that,” I assure him.

According to Finn, after the council hall was cleared out, they began questioning everyone involved, but of course most remained silent, refusing to give up any information. Those who were still alive came together for a council meeting where Orin was elected the head of the US council. Leona, who was clearly on Abel’s side, had been killed, as were a few innocents such as Callum and Harris. But for the most part, we were able to keep the death toll on our side to a minimum. The hardest part will be sending the council members back with this knowledge and hoping that each one is able to figure out who’d been on Abel’s side. Of course, no one is going to volunteer the information, and only time will tell if they regain some control.

But until then, I will keep Mads safe and be here if they need me.

I head into Rylee’s room to make sure she’s getting ready for the day and not choosing to dress like Claude. Once I’ve confirmed that she at least semi matches and a hairbrush has at leasttouchedher hair, I walk out to find Mads working on the French toast.

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