Page 148 of House of Pain
Maybe it was the masks and the ability to hide for one night.
Or maybe it was the night’s air filled with magic and promise.
Whatever it was, Blaze was alive, his skin prickling with excitement as the warmth from the massive bonfire in the middle of the ruins touched him.
He pinched the blunt between his three fingers and brought it to his lips.
Tonight was all about getting intoxicated, dancing in the grace of the Gods, praying to the ancestors, and hoping for another fruitful year.
Usually, Blaze was great at it.
Get wasted and don’t waste time on fuckery.
Yet, this time, Alecto had done a number on him, and for the past two weeks, Blaze was a brooding bastard.
A hand clasped over his shoulder. Blaze turned to find Andro in his long silver gown and a matching silver mask covering the left side of his face.
Gael, his latest fucktoy, stood by his side, wearing a bright golden suit and a matching gold mask hanging to the side.
Blaze had to bite down a laugh.
Andro was always too invested in his fucktoys. Too much sentiment, too many feelings way too soon, always ended in a tragedy.
“You’re late,” Andro said, stealing the blunt from Blaze’s hand and bringing it to his red-painted lips.
“Not according to my time.”
“I see you’re still a rather big pain in the ass,” Andro commented, returning the blunt.
Blaze didn’t say anything, taking a hit as Andro brought his lips to Gael’s, blowing a stream of smoke into his mouth.
“Oh, by the way,” Andro said. “If you see Jolene tonight, don’t mention her surname or her status or say anything about her family.”
“What’s that about?”
Andro glanced around, looping his arm with Gael’s. “Well, she’s on a date. And that date doesn’t know she’s a Frone, and shecan’tknow that Jolene is a Frone.”
What a weird thing.
But whatever. Blaze wasn’t planning on seeing Jolene tonight anyway.
The whole faculty was gathered around in the old ruins, some already dancing around the massive bonfire, while the others simply mingled around.
A few of the Rats were gathering under the large pine tree with low-hanging branches, memory orbs hanging from them.
Each orb carried a memory of someone Venefica had lost in the years, the ancestors who were invited each Samhain to join the living as they celebrated the one night when the line between all realms was barely there.
Some of the Tigers, Gabe and Matias included, sat around on the opposite side from the Rats, using overgrown pumpkins as their seating.
Next to them, a few witches accidentally knocked off black pillar candles, and Blaze had to bite down on a laugh when Gabe pointedly stiffened at the sight of the flame devouring dried pine needles on the floor of the forest.
Lined up against one of the remaining walls was a group of girls from Venefica, who didn’t seem to belong to any of the Houses, or at least they were new enough that Blaze didn’t know which House they belonged to yet.
They noticed Blaze looking at them, so they exchanged words between each other and giggled.
Potential prey.
Despite himself, he knew who particularly he was looking to find in the crowd.
