Page 83 of Tell Me Why
I’m scanning the crowd when I see Lucas standing at the edge of the circle, watching me. What the fuck is he doing here? He said he wasn’t coming tonight. Yet there he is, watching me with that annoying brotherly disapproval.
Maybe Cash called him? Or Jackson, after my failed attempt to initiate Eve?
Doesn’t matter.
Whatever Lucas and Cash are worried about, it’s going to have to wait. Because when Eve wakes up, she’ll be pissed—and that terrifies me more than anything Lucas or Cash could possibly bring up.
I have to be here when she wakes up, because I know with cold certainty that when she comes to and realizes what happened, she’s going to run.
And there’s no way I can let her do that.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Eve
My mind comesawake before my body does, so I’m completely aware of my surroundings when the drug finally wears off and my fingertips begin to tingle.
I’m lying on the beach in the middle of a Burning Crown event. Small mounds of uneven sand pressed against my back, cold wind stinging my cheeks. The sound of deep, rhythmic drums thumps through the air and wraps around me like a calming pulse.
Tensing my stomach muscles, I use all my strength to pull myself up into a sitting position. Chaos surrounds me. Cloaked figures move around the bonfire, dancing in circles, drinking, kissing, fucking…
Blinking rapidly, I struggle to bring it all into focus. From what I can already see, it looks like I’ve woken up in the middle of a Pagan orgy.
With a groan, I stretch my sore muscles and pull my cloak tighter around my body, shivering against the sharp, cutting wind. My gaze wanders over the masked faces, searching for a familiar pair of pale blue eyes.
He’s here somewhere. I know he is. I canfeelhim lingering nearby.
The hair on the back of my neck prickles as I continue to scan the mass of people, finally landing on someone sitting on a weathered log a short distance away, head lowered, arms resting on his thighs, those haunting eyes fixed on me.
Christian.
Just seeing his beautiful face sends a thread of electric energy snaking through my body. Even as the vague memories of what just happened come trickling back—Christian bringing me down here, the chalice, the pain lashing across my thighs. Even now, they feel bruised. But that’s all I can remember.
What happened after I passed out? Do I even want to know?
I’m trying to process that little mind-fuck, when Christian rises to his feet and moves toward me.Ugh,fuck. I’m not ready to confront him. My mind isn’t awake enough…
“Oh, hey, you’re awake.” Skye fills my vision. She’s crouching next to me, her mask pulled up to reveal her face. “How are you feeling?”
I sit up a little. “What happened?”
She makes a face. “Christian tried to initiate you into the society, but Jackson stepped in and stopped him.”
He tried to initiate me? Why?
“What…the fuck?” I choke out, more of a groan than an outburst.
Five seconds ago, Christian was walking over here, but he hasn’t popped up yet. I glance over Skye’s shoulder, and it looks like he was stopped by Lucas. They’re deep in conversation.
“Yeah, it was really crazy.” Then Skye leans in, lowering her voice. “So, is the plan still on for tonight? Do you have the keys?”
Oh, fuck, the plan!
My hand shoots to my thigh, and thank God, I can still feel the hard edge of both keys through the fabric of my dress. I push out a sigh of relief. “I still have them.”
She glances over her shoulder at Christian, then back at me. “Okay, so how are you going to do this?”
“Hold on,” I say, holding my head. “Let me think.” My mind quickly runs through all the possible options, but only one seems even remotely doable. “What if I make a run for the path we came down?” I say. “The one that leads back up to Rush House. From there, I can cross the lawn and sneak onto campus.”
