Page 126 of Stone Seduction
“Whenthere’s more?” I added.
He sat back, folding his arms. A little smile tugged his lips. “I like him. He’s a nice guy. I’ll say that much.”
Pardon me while I melt from the sweetness. “We can tell.”
Tom summoned cupcakes to move us on. “We’re done. Eat these.”
Maren’s came with cute, sugary fish-shaped sprinkles. Mine was a repeat of the strawberry cream masterpiece of yesterday.
After loading up on sugar, we played someMario Kart, the time for training almost upon me. My belly flipped every time I thought about, well, everything.
Me? Defender of gargoyles. It seemed so impossible, super ridiculous. Yet why would Anita throw it out there if it meant nothing?
“I remain king.” A triumphant Tom flexed his skinny arms, leaving me in the dust.
I scowled, my stomach rolling for a different reason. “Dammit. So close.”
“Yet no cigar.”
Ugh. Stupid King Tom. “Coffee time.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He performed a royal wave.
Maren found this hilarious.
“I’m going for another round against the game,” Tom declared. “For fun.”
“Careful of the cocky rise,” I said. “The fall is hard.”
He blew me a kiss and got racing.
I made a beeline for the kettle. “I deserve another cupcake.”
“For losing? You should be baking me a three-tier cake and cracking a bottle of bubbly.”
“For winning again? Yawn.”
He cackled. “Shite! She overtook me!”
“Go for it, Princess Peach!”
Maren joined me in the kitchen. “Have you heard about the candlelight vigil tonight?”
“Yes. Are you going?”
“Absolutely.”
“Me too,” Tom chimed in from the sofa.
The sooner I trained up, the better. I wanted to be at the top of my game when I snuffed her out. My ingrained hatred for her never let up, her charcoal body on a constant flash behind my eyes.
Where was she? What was her next move? She’d been quiet since her pathetic attack on my mind, the ring not heating up once.
Her silence certainly didn’t mean she’d given up. Not her.
I have enough…
“Yes! Hand me another crown!” Tom’s victory broke me back into the fun.
