Page 98 of Reign By Wrath

“Yeah. That too.” Katie looked around. “No one’s looking this way. I’ll go in first, then you guys wait five minutes and follow. Forget the sophomore class, it looks like the entire university came out.”

We saw for ourselves after Katie left and we climbed out.

The Starling mansion had nothing on the Burkhardt or Wilson mansions, but that wasn’t saying much. Three stories of sloped roofs, white brick, and tall windows dominated the view. As for the grounds, it was impossible to tell because every inch of driveway, grass, and flower garden was taken up by cars.

Staying low, Saylor and I quickly shed our jackets and put on our Korean face masks. The masks were my idea. They covered our faces and worked with the sleepover theme. When I told Saylor, she said, “So you’re not a complete idiot.” Her version of saying great idea.

Together we melded into the crowd of people streaming inside.

Everleigh promised her party would pants Katie’s and make it cry on the playground. I hated that she delivered.

Katie had a buffet of sleepover treats. Everleigh had waiters and waitresses in the skimpiest, sexiest sleepwear, strolling through the party carrying cotton candy popcorn balls and s’mores cocktails on a tray. Where Katie built a giant fort in her living room, Everleigh set out dozens of mini-glamping tents decked out in fairy lights around the room. The sleeping bags inside made them perfect for hooking up, and that’s exactly what people were doing.

Music pumped from the speakers set up in every room. Dancing, shouting, drinking, kissing, grinding—students were getting wild without a care for how morbid it all was, or a care for basic decency.

A guy knocked into his friend, who fell on a stand and tipped over the vase. He was already walking away with his drink as it crashed to the floor.

“The place is getting trashed,” I shouted over the music. “That guy over there is straight writing on the walls.”

“Everleigh lets all the guests know that anything goes. Her folks don’t even get mad anymore when they come back to a landfill. They know what they’ve done.”

I wasn’t going to feel sorry for Everleigh, and I didn’t. Lots of people had crappy childhoods and the shitty parents that went with them. But none of those people killed my father and sister.

“Where is she?”

“How the fuck would I know?” Saylor barked. “I’ve been standing next to you the whole time.”

“You are the crankiest person I’ve ever met, hellbeast.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Will you two get a grip!”

Jerking, I twisted on Katie’s angry face. Dean stood over her shoulder, one arm slung around her waist. He winked at me.

I stupidly blushed.This is dangerous. He does not use his dark powers for good.

“I heard you both bitching the whole ride over in the trunk. You’ve got more important things to do tonight than slag each other off.”

“Trust me”—Saylor snatched someone’s drink and tipped it on my head—“I can do both.”

“You—!”

Dean and Katie physically wrestled me back. I slashed the air, trying to get at her retreating back as she flounced off.

“Why is she so evil?!”

“Forget about Saylor,” Katie said. “It’s almost time.”

Breaking free of them, I furiously wiped vodka and chocolate liqueur out of my eyes. “How will I know?”

“You’ll know,” Dean said before picking a squealing Katie up and carrying her into one of the tents.

I had to avert my eyes quick. I’d never seen anyone get someone out of their panties that fast.

Ducking my head, I weaved through the party—catching a crafty bump or grind as I made for the living room. Well, living room was too small a phrase for the glitzy amphitheater I stepped into. The whole place was turned into a dance floor/viewing area. Projecting on the walls was Everleigh’s idea of a sleepover movie: porn.

There were too many people crushed in for me to worry about her noticing one crasher in a face mask. Also, too many for me to find her.

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