Page 47 of Wicked Dove
“Maybe next time, Miss Willow,” he states before moving along to the blue section.
Everyone from Institute Two scurries around the device, and I divert my gaze. “I don’t think I want to know what happens when it opens.”
Ocean scoffs. “Don’t worry, they always start at section one and end with us, which means we won’t get a chance to trybefore someone else finds the solution,” she explains, leaving me torn over whether I like that fact or not.
“I almost miss your cuts, Petal,” Rion states, snapping my gaze to his. It takes a second for me to understand what he means, but then he brushes the side of his finger over my cheek and I quickly whack him away.
“You’re ridiculous,” I grumble, and he pouts.
“We could have been matching,” he insists, drawing my eyes to his throat again.
“I can’t say that I’m not glad we’re not,” I mutter, but there’s something about the way he grins, like he’s proud of his mark, that stirs something inside of me.
Another wink and he turns to watch the blue section argue over what to do, but I notice the slight bop to his head, like he’s got a melody no one else can hear.
“What are you bopping your head to?” I blurt, immediately regretting it when he turns that megawatt smile back to me. Only this time, he tilts his head further around to tap at his ear where there’s a wireless earbud.
“That’s the most real-world thing I’ve seen since I got here,” I admit, blinking in disbelief. Sure, there are other everyday things here that resemble home, but that’s almost relatable.
“Do you have them?” he asks, and I scoff.
“I could never afford them,” I state, hating the fact that I don’t like the taste of the truth on my tongue as I recall my wired Dollar Tree earbuds that I would connect to Walker’s old MP3 player.
Everyone at school would connect theirs to their cell phones, but that would require owning one that had the capability to connect to the Internet or download apps.
“Want to listen?” Rion asks, offering me the other earbud, and I shake my head.
“I’m good.”
“I have good taste in music,” he insists, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m sure you do, but I’m—” Before I can finish my sentence, he brings the earbud close enough to my ear for me to hear a familiar tune.
“Wait, is that…” I lean in closer, my eyelids falling closed as the song takes hold of me. I can’t speak as the chorus thrums through me, but when it leads into the next verse, I blink at him in surprise.
“You listen to country music.”
“Good, huh,” he states, wagging his eyebrows, and I bite back a smile.
“This guy is actually my favorite,” I admit, and his eyes widen a fraction in surprise.
“You have excellent taste.”
I press my lips into a thin line, but he knows he has me hooked as he places the earbud correctly in my ear. I don’t say a word. I don’t dare. Instead, I focus on each group as they get their hands on the device, only to fail when their time is up.
One track leads into another, and another, until Professor Grimm is carrying the Emberlock to the purple section.
“Holy crap, we actually get to try,” Ocean breathes as I take the earbud out and offer it to Rion. Another wink and he pockets them, turning his full attention to the device that is placed on the desk in front of me.
“I’m sure Thorne can do it,” Ocean states, glancing behind us, and I almost follow her line of sight before I remember myself.
“I’ve never seen one before,” he admits, and I fail to hide my surprise.
Instead of focusing on the rest of Thirteen, I focus on the Emberlock, scared enough to trigger an overwhelming level of intrigue. Running my hand over the top, outlining the goldenengraving, my gaze casts across the room, where Willow glares at me.
The moment our eyes clash, I recall her lashing out this morning. That same anger and rage that coiled inside me in that moment overwhelms me once more, ricocheting through my limbs with a ferocity I can’t seem to simmer until a click rings through the air, pulling my attention back to the box in front of me.
“That’s it,” Professor Grimm exclaims as the latch opens and the lid flips forcefully.
