Page 130 of Kings & Chaos

He tried to shrug it off, but I knew what it meant, thought about the image inked on his chest, the fact that he’d included the unicorn choker.

That he’d remembered.

“Maybe it will bring you luck, or… whatever,” he said.

I don’t need luck, I have you. All of you.

The words wound through my mind. They were silly and romantic.

Ridiculous.

But right then they felt true.

I stood and held out the bracelet. “Will you put it on?”

He hesitated, then took it from me, his fingers brushing mine with a jolt of heat that went all the way through my body.

He fumbled a little, his big hands trying to work the tiny clasp, then looped it around my wrist and fastened it.

When he was done, he adjusted it a little and met my eyes.

“Thank you.” I stood on my toes to reach his mouth and kissed him before I could think too hard about it. It’s what I wanted to do, and right then, I didn’t care whether he’d reject me or make fun of me.

He didn’t. Instead, his hands came up to my face, stroking my cheek while I kissed him, his tongue sliding into my mouth. The kiss was slow and full of meaning I couldn’t decipher, so I just enjoyed the feel of his hands on my face, his lips on mine.

When he finally broke away, he looked down at me with glittering eyes. “Merry Christmas, Jezebel.”

And this time, he sounded like he meant it.

Chapter50

Willa

Iwent down to the beach with Oscar after a gluttonous Christmas breakfast that included an overnight French toast bake, a spicy skillet hash, more cinnamon rolls, and tons of perfectly cooked bacon.

I couldn’t even think about another meal, but Rock had moved happily into pre-dinner mode, rejecting my offers of help, and Neo had disappeared into the woods alone.

Oscar held my hand as we picked our way over the rocks, waiting for me to pick a comfortable one to sit on before retreating down the beach where he could give me some privacy while keeping his eyes on me.

I took a deep breath and looked out over the ocean. It had stopped snowing, but it was still cloudy and cold, the water dark under a steely sky. My lighthouse beckoned from across the water like a cheery beacon.

I sighed and checked my phone, made sure there was a signal, then dialed.

My mom picked up on the second ring. “Willa?”

“Merry Christmas, Mom.” Maybe it was dumb to want to talk to my mom on Christmas. Our relationship — if you could call it that — wasn’t exactly great.

But what could I say? She was my mom, and the only family I had left.

“Merry Christmas,” she said. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve been super busy.”

It was a lie obviously, unless you counted daily sex with two perfect menbusy, but I had to say something.

“Well, Roberto called Theresa Marino to make sure you and Neo were being taken care of with Dean Giordana gone, and she said you left campus before the break?”

“Who’s Theresa Marino?” I asked.

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