Page 140 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

He wavers. “True. He told Maddy, though.”

“He hasn’t told her everything.” The mention of Maddy has my heart speeding up, even with the sedative in my veins. “And I don’t think he purposefully got her involved in this. But I don’t know all of the details because she told me to talk to Noah and ask for myself because she didn’t want to tell his secrets.”

A trace of a smile tugs at his lips. “That sounds like something she’d say.” His smile fades as moves to duck out of the car. “Speaking of Maddy, we should go make sure her and Lily are okay.” He closes the door.

I push my door open and carefully climb out. I have to move slowly or the wound starts to throb. I shut the door and round the front of the car. Thankfully, it’s early enough that hardly anyone is awake. That way, no one should see me like this. It’s going to set me back a handful of days with my training, which sucks, but I’ll be okay. Maddy will blame herself, of course, when she finds out.

I’m not thrilled at the idea of keeping secrets from her, but I’m not keen on telling about this either.

In my head, I go over ideas on the best way to tell her while Finn and I walk up the stairs and into the academy. Our footsteps echo against the domed ceilings of the empty hallway. Not all of the lights are turned on, so the alcoves are shadowed over. Finn is uncharacteristically quiet, his expression set in deep thought. I let him be, figuring it’s probably a combination of exhaustion and worry.

As he reaches up to sweep his hair out of his eyes, I realize another problem—the dried blood on his hands. And, while the jacket conceals most of the blood on me, a few drops are on my hands, too.

“Lily will flip if she sees blood on us,” I say before we get to our dorm room. “We need to make sure she doesn’t. And I don’t want Maddy seeing it either.”

“I have a feeling Maddy doesn’t have a problem with blood,” Finn informs me but slows to a stop in the middle of the hallway. “But you’re right. Lily will have a panic attack if she sees us like this … We can shower in the locker room and change into some workout clothes.”

“Good idea.”

We turn around and start making our way toward the locker room.

Fortunately, it’s empty, and five minutes later, I’m scrubbing the blood off my flesh.

The doctor instructed me not to get the wound wet, so I have to keep one side of my body out from the spray of the showerhead. It’s a pain in the ass, but I manage.

I’m a lot slower than Finn, and I’m not done when he calls out, “I’m done. Do you need help? Or can I head back to the dorm and check on things?”

He’s worried. So am I.

While the society said I’d completed the task to get in, which was them taking Maddy and leaving her in the woods, I don’t believe they’ll simply leave her alone now. Not when she was already on their radar. Plus, she may be connected to a once hunted bloodline that became extinct. Although, if Maddy is an Everford, then the bloodline isn’t extinct, which puts her in danger.

“Go check on them,” I call out over the water hitting the tiled floor.

“Are you sure?” he checks.

I think he might be worried about me.

I’m fine, though.

I am.

I always am.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I assure him.

A few moments later, I hear a door click shut.

I’m alone with nothing but the steam of the shower and the throbbing of my wound for company. My chest feels tight, and I lower my head against the wall and breathe in and out.

I try to fight it, try to get my body to give in to the numbness of the pain medication. But in the end, my anxiety overwhelms me. I gasp for air, clawing at the wall. The water is humid and complicates breathing, so I hurriedly shut it off. I still can’t get air into my lungs, and I’m on the verge of passing out when I hear voices coming from inside the locker room.

“Do they know if it’s her?” a guy says, his voice laced with familiarity.

“I think Eli is almost positive she is, but I don’t know … He’s got some sort of vendetta against this chick, anyway, so can we really trust him?” another guy replies over the sound of a locker shutting.

“Maybe he just wants to fuck her,” the first guy replies. “She’s hot. I bet she’s a lot of fun, too.”

“Yeah, but she’s northside,” the other says. “God knows what diseases she’s carrying between her legs.”

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