Page 39 of Spellbound
She turned on her heel and ran. I went to go after her, but Craig vomited all over Edmund’s expensive rug. I pinched my nose as the stench of regurgitated alcohol and lunch hit my nostrils.
“What’s wrong?” A voice sounded from the hallway as Naomi hightailed it down the corridor. Footsteps sounded toward the door, then Viktor appeared. He looked from me to Craig to the vomit. “I missed something. Why was she crying?”
I pressed my lips into a hard line. “Because asshat in there ruined everything!”
“Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”
“I am now.” I stared at Craig as he threw up again. “He can’t handle his drink.”
“Should we help him?”
I gritted my teeth. “No. I took care of him anyway.”
I stormed past Viktor and into the hallway. Naomi probably hated me. The look in her eyes made me feel nauseated. I could see it, the look of absolute betrayal. Years of imagining her and Craig shattered in an instant. For it to be with me too... I rubbed my temples.
Viktor cleared his throat. “I think you need to find your friend.”
I nodded slowly. “I think you’re right.”
After twenty minutes of looking, I found Naomi curled up on my bed, crying into a pillow. She pulled my blue comforter around her and rubbed mascara onto my fresh sheets. My room was the last place I thought she’d go. I tapped on my open door. “Nai.” I lulled my voice, softening my tone. “Can I come in?”
“No.”
It was my room, but she was delicate. “I never came onto him, I promise. I don’t like him. I don’t want him.”
She punched my pillow and sat up. “It didn’t look like that. He likes you and wants to be with you.”
“I know you’re hurt.”
“Hurt doesn’t begin to cover it. You looked like you were going to kiss him.”
“I really, really wasn’t. He cornered me, and I should’ve pushed him away first, but I felt bad. He was drunk and not himself, but still.”
“This is all your fault. You always want what you can’t have, and you had to have my Craig.” Venom dripped from her words. Her posture stiffened, and her fingers curled around the corner of my comforter. “You can’t stand me having something of my own.”
“That’s not true. I don’t want what I can’t have.”
She scoffed. “Edmund says the coven can’t have something, but you always push for it, and he gives you whatever you want. That’s just the start of it. You’re a...”
“Go on,” I dared.
She was scathing. “A bitch.”
Tears pushed through the corners of my eyes. “I know you’re hurt right now, so I’ll forgive you tomorrow when you come to your damned senses. I didn’t come onto Craig, who doesn’t deserve you anyway.” I turned on my heel. “You can have my room tonight. Try not to throw up on anything.” I slammed the door behind me and let my tears fall.She didn’t mean it, I told myself over and over as I ambled the hallways. When I reached Edmund’s room, I cursed under my breath. He’d locked it, and I knew Dora always locked hers. I eyed the spare room and found the two magicians, one asleep on the bed and the other on the sofa. Sighing, I walked to the other spare room and found Craig. I didn’t dare wake him.
The rest of the rooms were filled with dark objects or locked. It was nearing midnight. I found the bottle of whiskey and took a few swigs. Everything had gone to crap, and I needed something to take the edge off things. I made my way to the study. Perhaps Maddox was still up. Maybe he’d let me steal his room. Unlikely. He loved his bed as much as I loved mine.
“There’s another spell!” Maddox exclaimed as I all but fell into the study.
Felix leaned over his shoulder, reading the book in front of them. He looked up from his book. “Elle. You’re just in time.” He waved me over. “I found this. They’re doing sacrifices to access darker magic. That’s how the killer is cloaking themselves.”
The alcohol hazed my vision. I did my best to internalize his words, but everything was a little fuzzy. “Great, I’ll tell Edmund.”
The corners of his eyes wrinkled. “By magic quill?”
“Oh, right, Edmund’s not here. Yeah. Magic quill.”
“You’ve been drinking,” he stated.
