“What can I say … it’s going down well!” He took another lazy drink, earning a giggle from Amelie and an eye roll from Kait.
Like a wolf with a newborn calf in its jaws, Mortimer yanked the topic back to task. “So then, where should we attack first?” The word attack sparked a new flurry of debate, full of shouts and vehement objections. Back to chaos. I sighed, silently wishing I could sneak off and hide in my room. With Caden …
Bishop caught my eye then. He smiled and winked, holding the bottle in front of him in an offering gesture. “Wash away your worries with me.”
I stood frozen to the ground, unsure of what to do, unwilling to leave Caden’s side but afraid to continue rejecting Bishop’s efforts. When raw pain flashed across Bishop’s face, I realized I had waited too long. My waffling was tearing him apart. I felt a gentle nudge on the small of my back—Caden’s hand prodding me forward—and I knew I had no choice. Forcing a smile onto my face, I stiffly walked over to Bishop.
“Looks like you’re not going to kill me just yet,” he whispered softly, holding his arm out.
“I’m not.” I hooked my arm within his, assuming that’s what I was supposed to do. It felt strange. It felt awkward. It felt all kinds of wrong, all the more so with Caden standing behind me. Casually tossing my hair over my shoulder, I stole a peek at Caden. Nothing but stone on that beautiful face of his. Nothing to give away his thoughts. I needed to be strong like that. For Bishop, for Caden, for me. With a deep inhale, I turned back with a giant smile for Bishop’s benefit.
“Let’s blow this popsicle stand!” he joked, towing me out of the glass room and into calmer territory. I knew that with each step forward, I was moving deeper into the charade, deeper into the deception, deeper into the world that I was not made for and yet was being molded to. Lies, treachery, false relationships. I wasn’t a victim of it anymore. I was now a contributor, a key contributor, some may argue. I didn’t think it possible and yet I could feel my intestines tighten into stronger knots.
Suddenly, the sight of that bottle in Bishop’s hand, the urge to drown my worries, overpowered me. I yanked it from his grasp.
“Whoa, there, little one,” Bishop laughed. I answered by bringing the bottle to my lips and tilting it back. Sickly sweet syrup poured down my throat, its flavor so potent that I cringed. I forced it down and took another long draw for good measure, impatiently waiting for the numbness to take hold.
“No one’s going to let you step foot off this property but we can at least go for a walk around here, okay?” Bishop asked. With a tiny noise of approval, I checked behind me and started with relief when I saw both Max and Caden shadowing us. I thanked them with a smile. In my peripheral vision, I saw Julian and Amelie trailing behind, arm in arm. My smile grew bigger. They were my friends. They wouldn’t make me go through this alone. We would face this together.
The six of us sauntered down the empty halls. “You’re still acting weird, Evie,” Bishop whispered, worry dampening the joy in his eyes. Unsure of how to deny it, I said nothing, biding my time with another long gulp of port. Bishop seemed more concerned about me falling out of love with him than about me turning into a yellow-eyed demon that would kill him. It just went to show how important it was to keep up pretenses.
“Don’t worry, Evie … I’ll give you your space, like you asked.” Bishop stared ahead but when I turned to peer at him, I caught the trademark grin. “That is, unless you come on to me.”
Burgundy liquid shot out of my mouth and nose as I choked, splashing the pristine white walls. My cheeks skipped hot and went straight to “on fire.” I instantly knew what he was referring to. That first night with Caden, after he had professed his true feelings for me, he had teased me, saying that I had attacked him. Damn those Fates for plucking the most intimate of personal moments and perverting them.
Bishop buckled over, laughing. “Nice art, Evie. Sofie’s gonna love that.” With the quickest peck on my cheek, he took off ahead of us, grabbing a mask off a suit of armor and placing it on his head. He raced down the hall, filling the air with maniacal laughter.
“Was he always this crazy?” Amelie giggled as I wiped some of the port off my chin.
Crazy. That’s a good word, Max echoed. I said nothing, hugging the bottle to my chest, its warm burn now trickling through my body, reaching out like tentacles to dissolve my worries. I could get used to this feeling. Then I could add alcoholism to my list of issues. Fantastic …
Caden sidled up behind me—not too close—and ushered me on with a gentle squeeze of my hip, sending lightning bolts of yearning through me. I so desperately wanted to turn and throw myself into his chest but I couldn’t. It was too risky to this whole twisted illusion. I couldn’t let Bishop know who really owned my heart. So I simply soaked up his eyes. Pure torture …