Page 106 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

And this time, when I claim her in my mind, there’s no hesitation.

30

Lux

I saunter onto the LBU West campus like I own it. Like I belong.

The fact that I’m a complete outsider sits heavy on my chest, but I ignore it. You can enter almost any building like you’re supposed to be there, and no one will stop you. It’s gotten me past security, past waitstaff, past receptionists. No one wants to question someone on a mission.

I’m here for one reason.

Okay, two reasons.

The first is my old roommate, Ruby Devereux. A girl who knew a lot more than she was letting on, probably thanks in part to her brother. I don’t know what happened to Sebastian, just that Ruby had been going to see him in the hospital. I don’t know what happened to Hale, either, except for the fact that him and Sebastian would’ve graduated last year.

The campus looks the same, but it feels foreboding.

It knows I don’t belong better than anyone.

Ruby would be a senior this year. They have their own residence hall close to the library, and I think its proximity is supposed to encourage more studying and less partying. This early in the day, on a Sunday, no less, everything is quiet. Just a few early birds out, but they keep their heads down.

Still new, maybe.

It snowed last night. The sidewalks are clear, but it’s piled high on either side. The quad is an untouched blanket of white.

I didn’t last long enough to see it snow two years ago, but winter’s hit Boston early.

I smile and wave at the girl manning the front desk of the senior building. “Forgot my ID,” I say. “Can you buzz me in?”

She nods, and the doors click open. Once I’m in, it takes me longer to find Ruby’s room. There are only five or six suites on each floor. The girls’ names are written on the little whiteboards beside their doors, and it becomes a matter of searching for the right one.

Her room is on the fourth floor. I’m slightly winded, but I clutch my bag tight and examine the lock.

LBU West hasn’t changed its ways.

Real keys to get into the rooms. All it took was a bump key—in essence, an illegal master key—and a bit of luck. I ease in and twist it, enjoying the smooth motion of the deadbolt sliding back.

The door opens up into a small living room. There is a hallway that leads to, from what I can tell, a bathroom and two bedrooms. One door is open, sunlight streaming in.

An early riser, then.

The other is shut. If it isn’t Ruby’s, this is going to get awkward. But from our interactions at the beginning of her sophomore year, she liked to sleep in on the weekends. I doubt that’s changed, not with the cold weather and Thanksgiving break approaching.

Sure enough, it’s easy to spot her dark hair peeking out from a familiar comforter. I drag her chair closer to the bed and lower myself into it. I put my feet up on the horizontal wooden support beam running a few inches below her mattress and unzip my camera case. She doesn’t even stir.

I busy myself flipping through photos I took in the past few weeks.

I wasn’t going to return to Rose Hill, but then Theo’s flashy yellow car zoomed past me on the street. I was minding my own business after the trial, deciding if it was worth it to say goodbye. To give any answers.

Honestly, my decision was swaying toward cut and run.

But then I saw Theo’s car. He’s the only one who would drive a freaking bright-yellow sports car. Liam drove it. Skylar, a girl I knew through my sister, sat in the passenger seat.

And I was intrigued.

So I followed them. They didn’t leave, and I walked away. But something held me back. Maybe it was the car, or the thought of seeing Theo again. I don’t know what my deciding factor was, but one minute I was telling myself to leave it be, and the next I was dropping into the driver’s seat.

It felt familiar, even though it was a new vehicle.

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