Page 72 of Rubies and Revenge

To save myself.

I grab the phone out of Pat’s hand and type out an answer:It’s an option.

Sunday

[Tamayo 14:22] Eat dinner with me

[Princess 16:03] can’t, busy

[Tamayo 16:21] Doing what, exactly?

[Princess 17:44] planning

Wednesday

[Tamayo 21:18] You haven’t come out of your room in two days

[Princess 21:22] are you keeping tabs on me?

[Tamayo 21:22] More or less

[Princess 21:26] cute

Monday

[Princess 08:43] did you knock on my door before sunrise?

[Tamayo 09:01] It was 7 am

[Tamayo 09:01] I had breakfast for you

[Princess 09:03] i don’t eat breakfast, let alone at the ass crack of dawn

Thursday

[Tamayo 11:49] If you don’t eat lunch with me, you don’t eat

[Princess 11:52] lol okayprince adam

[Tamayo 11:53] I’m serious

[Tamayo 11:58] Who’s Prince Adam?

[Princess 12:01]

[Tamayo 12:33] …Prince Adam made several points.

TAMAYO

Whoever came up with the idea of fucking someone out of your system was a fool.

The more I get of Zarina, the more I struggle to hold myself back. Her taste is on my tongue, her smell on my fingers, her moans in my ear. I can’t get the sight of her kneeling before me, ready and yearning, out of my head. And I haven’t touched her since the Den. I need a fucking mouth guard with all the teeth grinding.

The lack of Zarina in my daily life since last weekend isn’t the only reason my jaw aches. The list is too long to recount, but at this exact moment, each note from the quartet she hired for this party sets me further on edge. It’s like she asked them to play only discordant horror scores. I readjust the ridiculous cape she picked out for my costume and force myself to relax.

“At least you don’t look like a clown.” Darius pulls his cuffs down again, his all-white suit meant to emulate the white rabbit. A pocket watch chain hangs from his waistcoat, and a monocle—real and usable—sits pinned to his breast pocket, its chain stretching to his lapels.

The door to our parlor opens, and Pat peeks around the frame.

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