Page 21 of Shattered Ice
Talia looks up, a wave of surprised relief washing over her face as Zoë hooks an arm through hers, pulling her away. “Sorry boys, she’s with us tonight.”
“Thanks,” Talia murmurs, falling into step with us. “I was about two seconds away from faking a fainting spell.”
“Amateurs,” Zoë scoffs. “Next time, just ‘accidentally’ spill your drink on them. Works every time.”
Talia laughs, a quiet, warm sound. “I’ll keep that in mind. My dad made me come to ‘support the team.’ I think this is more like combat duty.”
“You have my sympathies,” I say. “I’ve seen them in their natural habitat at study hall.”
Talia gives me a look of profound solidarity. “You and me both. We victims of academic enforcement have to stick together.”
The four of us move through the party as a new, more formidable unit. Then I see them: the Titans, holding court on the far side of the room in an island of arrogant ease. Calder, Gio, Rylan. Sprawled like kings. Declan lingers at the edge of their circle, quieter than the rest, watching—a silent observer, but no less dangerous for it.
And Adrian. At the center. His hood is pulled low, but nothing disguises him. His presence is a gravity well.
I freeze, a cold knot tightening low in my stomach. I feel his gaze before I see it. It’s a physical thing, a sudden pressure change in the room. His stare carves through smoke and sweat, a blade that finds my skin. For one raw second, the noise thins, the bass drawn back to a distant heartbeat. His blue eyes pin me. Recognition. A flare of something dark and possessive. Then it’s gone, replaced by a mask of cold indifference. He looks away, the deliberate dismissal a scalpel sliding between my ribs.
Zoë nudges me sharply. “Look at you, already catching the king’s attention.”
I can’t make myself smile. “He looked right through me.”
“Maybe he didn’t like what he saw,” Genny murmurs, her eyes sharp on him. “Or maybe you’re the first thing that’s rattled him all night.”
My cheeks burn with humiliation, but a bitter heat twists under it. I follow the girls toward the kitchen, fighting the urge to look back. We push back into the living room, Zoë spoiling for a fight, leading our group close enough to the Titans’ circle to be noticed.
Calder grins when he spots us. “Look at this—Elm’s chaos gremlin and her ice queen friend.” His gaze lands on me. “Babysitter’s night off?”
Gio tips his chin at my empty hands. “What, too good to drink with the rest of us?”
I meet his gaze, steady. “I don’t take mystery liquids from people I don’t trust.”
Laughter, sharp and hungry. “Hear that, boys? She doesn’t trust us,” Gio says.
And then Adrian finally looks up. The room freezes. His hand twitches once on the arm of his chair; the laughter cuts off, obedience instant. His voice slices through the music. “Maybe she’s worried she can’t keep up.”
The laughter erupts again, vicious now, sanctioned by their king. Something molten and primal ignites in my chest, scorching away the earlier shame until only defiance remains. I lock onto his eyes, refusing to waver.Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare make me small.
“Or maybe I don’t need to drown myself in cheap vodka to prove I belong here.”
The laughter dies instantly. Every head snaps toward Adrian, hungry for blood. His mouth curves with lethal precision, not a smile, but a warning. His thumb drags slowly across the rim of his glass, a promise of sharp edges.
“Careful, Harrington. That kind of mouth makes enemies.”
“Then I guess I’m in the right room,” I hurl back. The silence shatters, jagged edges lodged in my chest.
Adrian’s eyes stay fixed on mine for a beat too long. When he finally turns away, the dismissal feels like a blade cutting me out of existence.
Zoë’s fingers close around my wrist. “We’re leaving.”
I plant my feet for a second, refusing the easy out. Let him see me stand. Then Zoë yanks, and I let them drag me through the crowd.
“We just got here,” I mutter, bitter defiance under my breath.
“No, babe,” she says, breathless. “We made an entrance. Totally different thing.”
Genny and Talia follow, both smooth and unhurried. “You don’t need to stay once they’ve bared their teeth,” Genny says.
The porch air knifes into my lungs, sharp and merciless.
