Page 31 of A Fate Everlasting

I clenched my jaw. “Whatsortof cards?”

At that, his lips quirked, just slightly.Interesting.I felt something like a current pulling me toward a shelf in the back of the room. I recognized them immediately, my fingers brushing over the green cards, the diamond-shaped eyes blinking in unison. I gasped, jerking my hand back. For a fraction of a second, I swore the pupils followed me.Dorian’s playing cards.

Dante snatched them before I could hesitate. “Nice one,little thief,”he murmured, slipping them into his pocket. “Now, let's get out of here before the statues start talking.”

My fingers curled tightly at my sides. Dante had taken the deck, but it didn’t feel like a victory. Not yet. The walls of the hall pressed in, watching. I went too hot, then too cold. This felt like a mistake, but I had no rational reason why.

“Wait.” He turned as I reached for his arm. “Dorian had these yesterday. What do you want with his playing cards?”

“They don’t belong to him. Hurry, you don’t want to linger in here longer than necessary. Ether is sticky.”

“Dante.” He hadn’t answered my question. “What do you want with a deck of poker cards? If Dorian had them, I don’t see how they’d get me expelled.”

“The rules bend for darling Dorian,” Dante sneered, stepping closer. “Confess to Verrine tomorrow, first light. Tell her you lost them or sold them, whatever you have to do. If you take ownership, she can’t keep you here.”

I watched the way his fingers moved over the deck, the way they almost seemed to shift beneath his touch, the designs warping and twisting like they were alive, waiting for something. I called out to the Thread, but for the first time, I could not feel it with me.

I swallowed against the tension rising in my chest. “Dante?—”

“You're getting in too deep.” His voice was lower now, like he was giving me one last out, one last chance to turn back. This was his final warning. I should have listened.

But I didn’t. Instead, I scoffed. “That sounds like a threat.”

A quickpingvibrated against my hip. I yanked my slate free, barely breathing as I glanced down.

-07

I figured the number was a death sentence, if it even mattered. Luckily, it didn’t anymore.

Dante stepped closer with slow intention. His fingers lifted, grazing the curve of my jaw, and every muscle in my body locked. “It is.” He paused and his irises flashed silver, inhuman. “Good luck, Arabella.” His breath ghostedover my skin, sending a shiver lancing down my spine. “Once Evermore sinks its teeth into you,” he breathed, the words reaching me more through feeling than sound. “It doesn’t let go.”

A chill swept through the corridors, tickling my shoulders. I had abandoned Dante in the courtyard, but the sensation of being watched hadn’t left me. The sconces lining the walls flickered as I passed, as if responding to my presence, their golden flames guttering in my wake. My slate vibrated.

12:14 AM Dorian: Let me show you something.

12:15 AM - Arabella: Go away, Dorian.

12:15 AM - Dorian: I see you’re awake. Nightmares?

12:16 AM Arabella: You’re my nightmare.

12:16 AM Dorian: Hardly. I’m helping you.

12:17 AM Arabella: Helping me?

12:17 AM Dorian: Evermore has passageways you don’t know about. Lots of them. You shouldn’t be out of bed.

12:18 AM Arabella: If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working.

I turned at the sound of footsteps, breath catching. The candlelight barely reached the far end of the corridor, but the darkness wasn’t empty. A shadow moved, detaching from the archway ahead, materializing like he had been there all along.

Dorian approached, one hand in his pocket, the other still holding his slate, the faint glow of the screen illuminating the tips of his fingers. He didn’t look at it. The longer he studiedme, the more I had the distinct, suffocating sensation that he was seeing straight through me.

“What are you doing up?” His head tilted, eyebrows furrowing. “The school grounds are dangerous at night. I saw you with Darkblood.”

Moonlight spilled through the high windows, washing over his cheekbones and turning his violet irises to liquid indigo. His expression remained neutral, but something lurked beneath it, like he wanted to know if I regretted it, like he wanted to know if I’d do it again.

I forced my spine straighter. “I didn’t realize I had to report my whereabouts to you.” I crossed my arms, not just to match his stance but to keep myself from shaking. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. Inside I was unraveling, my thoughts fragmenting like shards of pointed glass. They drove deep into the fragile parts of me. I hoped I hadn’t made a massive mistake trusting Dante.

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