Page 63 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

Three more days.

I lock the door behind Liam and pour myself a glass of water, contemplating lighting a joint. It might be the only way I sleep tonight.

But I don’t move toward the little box I keep in the coffee table drawer. Instead, I lay out the items I collected tonight—which was just luck that everything fell into place at the same time—and revise my plan. The picture of Sebastian and Ruby is a game changer.

An unexpected gift.

I stand at my kitchen island and stare down at the bottle from the boy, the envelope from the girl, my phone.

It vibrates, an unknown number texting me: It’s done.

I nod to myself and finally release a true smile.

Sebastian is about to get fucked over.

20

Lux

“How was the movie last night?” I ask Ruby.

I try not to stare at her, but she shoots me a glare. She’s still in bed, her arm over her head. The blankets are pulled up to her chin.

“Lovely,” she says. “Thanks for abandoning us.”

I watch her for a beat, then remember I’m supposed to not have seen her in the woods. I wonder how Sebastian felt to be dumped by not one, but two girls that evening.

“I kind of told you I was going to leave,” I say. “I mean, I wasn’t going to sit in a dark theater next to him for a whole movie. Would you?”

She scowls. “No, I wouldn’t. Honestly, Lucy, the movie sucked. We skipped out early and got drinks—that’s why I’m desperate not to get out of bed. He drove me home after, but it all felt sort of forbidden.”

I grunt and tug on my jeans. That’s her first lie—well, the first one I can confirm. He most certainly did not drive her home, unless he magically got another car.

Shoes are next. I’ve got an earlier class than she does, and I need food. And suddenly a desire to get away from my deceptive roommate. I step into the bathroom to brush my teeth and put on makeup, and I freeze.

The bruise from Amelie’s engagement party has long since faded, but there’s a new mark on my throat: a fucking hickey. I pull my shirt away from my skin and gasp. There’s a whole trail of them down my chest. Little red and purple bruises. I touch one, and the dull pain brings back a sharp zap of memory—it travels straight to my core. My face heats.

Quickly, I dab concealer over the visible mark, setting it with powder. I’ll need something else—a scarf, maybe—to ensure it’s not seen.

I leave the bathroom and cross back to my closet. I wind a scarf around my neck and check my lip gloss.

“Oh!” Ruby perks up. “There’s a football game tomorrow. I got us tickets.”

“You just want to see Sebastian kick, huh?” I plant my hands on my hips and ignore my pounding heart. The game would be a good distraction, and I’ve been itching to photograph something more exciting than trees. “He charmed you.”

She sits up, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. “No, he didn’t charm me. I mean, I’ve been charmed. He’s my brother’s best friend—of course I’ve had a crush on him forever. Not that he paid me any sort of special attention over the years. And now this.”

“This being…”

“Acting like an idiot over a girl who doesn’t want him,” she snaps.

Ouch.

I didn’t realize how much this thing with Sebastian—whether unwanted on my side or not—would affect her. We’ve only been roommates for a few weeks. Not much time at all to cement our friendship when for most of it, I’ve been complaining of having to dodge someone she has a crush on.

Someone bangs on our door, and we both jump.

“Who the hell is that?” I ask.

---