Page 9 of Shadow Caster
“Are you sick?” Minnie asked. “You didn’t take any blood yesterday either. You’re going to get weak if you don’t drink, and you need to be on the ball for the exam.”
She was right, of course, but bagged blood tasted shit. “Fine.” I gave the server a tight smile. “Two bags it is.”
The woman ambled off to get the blood. She returned a minute later and plonked the bags on our trays.
The smell made my stomach clench with need, but the taste would be slightly too metallic and off. Still, it was all we’d be getting here, and it was all I deserved.
We broke away from the queue and headed toward our usual table.
“Min!” A blonde, curly-haired bombshell intercepted us. “You didn’t show to the pamper evening last night.” She pouted. “We missed you.”
Harper Bourne, feyblood legacy family, spoilt princess, and in any other environment would have been the mean girl. But in adherence to the rules of the Academy, she’d toned it down. The girls she hung with would have been called her clique, but here, they were merely herfriends. They wore matching bubblegum lipstick and flicky eyeliner.
Fucking clones.
Made me wonder how they’d deal with the outside world when they were forced to roll around in the mud wrestling a demon dog.
Harper kept her attention on Minnie, not even bothering to acknowledge me. Nothing new there. If not for Minnie, I’d probably be invisible in this place. Trust me. I’d tried.
“We did face masks and nails.” Harper wiggled her crimson-tipped fingers at Minnie. “It wasn’t the same without you.”
Minnie arched a brow. “Yeah, well, I decided to watch Lunar Creek with Indie instead.”
The Supernatural Television Network broadcasted the show on a closed network only accessible by supernaturals, and the show was a fan favorite. Set in a coastal town with mermaids and sirens, moonkissed and nightbloods, it was a soap opera not many would miss.
“Oh, God. Klayton is sooo dreamy,” one of the bubblegum posse swooned.
Harper ignored her, keeping her attention on Minnie. “Oh, you could have done that with us.”
“I know.” Minnie smiled stiffly. “So could Indie. If you’d bothered inviting her.”
Oh, man. The urge to face-palm was almost too much.
Harper’s eyes widened, and no, she still didn’t look at me. “Oh, we just thought it could be us girls, you know.”
“And what’s Indie? Chopped liver?” Minnie shook her head. “Forget it, Harper. You haven’t even said hello to her, and she’s standing right here. I don’t have time for bitchiness.”
My friend strode off, and I made to follow.
“You’re bringing her down, you know,” Harper said.
It took a moment to register that she was talking to me, and another split second to register what she was implying.
I should have walked away. It would have been the smart thing to do. But my temper overrode my common sense.
I turned slowly to face her. “You have a problem with me, then say it. Let’s get it out in the open.”
Her chest rose and fell, and her minions clustered around her like pink fluffy bats.
“You’re a criminal,” she snapped.
“So is the amount of makeup you’re wearing.”
She opened and closed her mouth, and then her eyes narrowed. “Problem with Minnie is her heart’s too big. She’s always taking in strays and nursing sick animals back to health. You’re just another project to her, Justice. She doesn’t realize how toxic you are. But I know about your stint in the slums, the pit fights, and the drinking.”
My pulse beat faster. Did she know what my crime was? That was closed case information.
“I’ll find out what you did, and once I do—”
