Page 30 of Made in Malice

Instead of turning tail and sitting out in my car, I force myself to take a spot at one of the small seating areas in the Union. The grumble of my stomach is what pulls me from the assigned reading pages about thirty minutes later.

I debate ignoring it, but I know I’ll regret it later when I can’t focus in my next class because I feel like crap. I hate that I have to decide between eating and possibly drawing unwanted attention to myself or going without to keep the status quo.

With one quick glance around, I leave my laptop and bag at my table and head over to the coffee shop to get a bagel and drink.

My steps falter when I pivot to return to my seat. It’s no longer empty. Morningstar looks quite comfortable with his tattooed arms splayed wide along the arms of the chair, taking up way more room than should be possible with just his presence alone. There’s a small part of me that gets pissed at how gorgeous he is. It doesn’t seem fair that he can be so attractive and such a jerk. I mean, being that pretty should make him nice, but he bumped along the mean tree at some point.

Alden’s words are in my head again, telling me that I antagonize him, and I know it to be true, but I don’t know any other way to behave.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me, Charity?”

Dang it, I was staring. I should pick up my computer and walk away, but I don’t have anywhere else to go. At least there are witnesses here. “Just wondering what I’ve done to earn the honor of your presence, Morningstar, and how to avoid doing it in the future,” I deadpan.

I’m not imagining the curl of his lip, but I don’t know him well enough to read the meaning. It could be humor, but he could also be imagining strangling me.

“Such a mouth you have. Did you pick that up off the streets like everything else?”

“Yup, cultivated right out of the gutter. You should run along, my kind of slum could be contagious.”

I lower myself into the seat across from him. I’m not dumb enough to get within striking distance. I watch his eyes go to the slathered cream cheese everything bagel cradled in a napkin in my palm before his eyes meet mine.

Unsaid words in a familiar manta filter though my thoughts. Do you really need that? Boy, you must be hungry. Are you going to eat all that? Purely out of spite, I bring it up to my mouth and take a bite. I may as well give him a reason to say something.

I barely taste the food because I’m too busy waiting for him to say or do something, but he just watches me, turning my awkward game around on me.

“So what do you need today?” I ask between bites. “If you wanted to be the first person to tell me how trashy I am” —I make a check mark with my finger— “someone already beat you to it.”

“Did they now?” he questions while I take another bite.

“You’d be so proud.”

“Care to tell me who I should thank?”

“I’ve already forgotten her. The delivery was amateur at best.” I lift my eyebrows, hoping he catches the hint and realizes I’m talking about him too.

“Well, when you’ve been around the block as many times as you have, it’s hard to come up with something original,” he defends smoothly.

“Touché,” I agree, even though it’s the furthest thing from the truth. Spending months of your senior year of high school in the hospital and mourning your parents’ deaths puts a damper on your social life, at least it did mine. I’d go so far as to say I’m downright sheltered. I’ve been worrying I would end up as one of those twenty-four-year-old virgins you hear about. Now, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. “On that note. I have a proposition for you.”

Morningstar moves his tongue behind his lips, licking his teeth, and it’s predatory. It almost makes me back down, but I’m already committed.

“Why don’t you enlighten me as to why you abhor my existence, and after, I will promise to stay as far away from you as possible?”

“Big words for a girl who barely made it out of remedial English.”

That one stings. Not only is it proof that someone showed him my test scores, but he’s calling me stupid. I didn’t even know I did that badly, which means his comment could be fitting.

I look up when I realize my eyes are on my lap. Fuel is the last thing I need to give him, and showing him he hurt me would do just that.

“It’s a good thing I’ve been offered this superior education.” My teeth remain mostly clenched, but at least I didn’t let him stun me into silence.

“Why are you here, other than the obvious, that is?” Morningstar asks.

“First, I need to know what you assume ‘the obvious’ is to answer your question.” I might as well bleed him for any information since it seems to be so elusive here.

“The Umbras’ estate isn’t up to par with ours, but I’m sure it’s much more comfortable than what you’re accustomed to.”

“Ah, so I’m here for the big house and comfy bed,” I surmise.

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