Page 16 of Virgin Sacrifice

Plus, people were less likely to let you down if you kept your expectations low.

We stood in silence for a moment, watching the party unfold around us. We were almost surrounded by the masses of writhing dancers moving to the music, and part of me couldn’t help but admire the way they let themselves go with such abandon, bodies grinding up against bodies, all their inhibitions muted by the alcohol and drugs, mixed with the rush of freedom that came with being at college.

“I can’t decide if you are brilliant or suicidal,” Autumn finally said with a shake of her head.

“Definitely brilliant,” piped up a tall, slim guy as he approached the two of us with a warm smile.

“Aaron,” he said, extending a hand to me. “Aaron Croft.”

I took it with a wince, glancing over at Autumn, who looked just as lost as I was as to who this guy was.

With light brown hair that was slightly overgrown and curling a bit at the ends, matching warm brown eyes, and skin tanned from the sun, Aaron Croft was the spitting image of the boy next door.

“Luz,” I said, not bothering with my last name as I withdrew my hand. “And this is Autumn.”

“Autumn Morgan,” she said, her beatific smile firmly back in place.

“Sorry,” Aaron said sheepishly. “Ah, I know you don’t know me”—he ran his fingers through his hair—“but I figured anyone who could make a fool out of those two was worth meeting.”

“Pretty sure they made fools of themselves,” I said, “but in that case, it’s nice to meet you, Aaron.”

“Freshmen?” he asked, reaching around Autumn to grab a bottle of beer.

“What gave us away?”

“Nothing in particular, but it’s my third year here. You get a sense of who’s new on campus after a while.” He shrugged, tilting the bottle back to meet his lips.

“What are you studying, Aaron?” Autumn asked politely.

“Chemistry.” He beamed with pride. “I’m hoping to get into medical school after I graduate, and Hollow Oak has one of the best undergraduate programs around.”

“That’s cool.” Autumn bobbed her head. “Luz is studying econ and global languages; I’m still figuring out what I want to do with my life.”

“You can’t be doing that badly if you got in here,” he joked, making Autumn glow while I scrunched my nose. “So, is this your first official Hollow Oak party?”

Autumn shook her head. “It’s Luz’s first party,” she said, not unkindly, “but I went to Holland Prep, so I’ve visited the campus a couple of times before.”

“Oh,” Aaron’s face brightened with interest, “do you know Charlie Davenport?”

“Oh, my goodness . . .” Autumn’s reply was lost on me as I zoned out of the conversation. I almost certainly didn’t know anyone they were talking about, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about Aaron coming over and interjecting himself into the situation.

I didn’t exactly get bad vibes from him and should probably give him a chance, but the harpy sisters had put me on edge again, and I knew I wouldn’t be letting my guard down anytime soon.

Friends, enemies, who cared? Until now, I had never considered getting close enough to anyone to know the difference. I just hoped that I wasn’t making a mistake with Autumn. For some reason, I didn’t want her to be another bridge I had to burn.

Chapter eight

Luz

Aaron and Autumn spent another thirty minutes exchanging gossip and reveling in shared social connections while I idly observed the party unfolding around us. They were also drinking at a much faster pace than I was, both on their third round while I nursed a barely touched warm beer.

“Oh dear, Luz, I’m sorry.” Autumn hiccupped with the rosy glow of a happy drunk. “Here we are just chatting away and being terrible friends.”

I ignored the temptation to inform her that Aaron was absolutely not my friend and, instead, offered a placating smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been enjoying people watching.”

“Why don’t we hit the dance floor and let loose?” suggested Aaron. As if he could read the protest forming in my mind, he rolled his eyes. “I’m not trying to get in your pants, Luz. I promise, scout’s honor.” He offered a three-fingered salute.

I crossed my arms, utterly unconvinced and doing nothing to hide it.

---