Page 69 of Ella's Masquerade
“Then why are you standing over there?” she asked, her brow inching upward. “To tease me?”
“No, to keep from touching you.” We needed to let the blood work its way through our system before we played again. Another trip to the dark source would lay me out on my ass right now, and I’d prefer to avoid the embarrassment. “We should talk about our next steps.”
She frowned. “What do you mean? I thought we were mated already.”
“Oh, we are,” I assured her, smiling at the relief in her features. “We belong to each other completely. I was talking about the evil bitchlets and their merry gang of idiots.”
Ella snorted a laugh. “Merry gang of idiots.”
“If the shoe fits,” I drawled, splaying my hands out before me in an innocent gesture.
“Oh, it fits,” she agreed. “As for next steps, I think I just initiated phase one today.”
“I think you did, too.” Which was why I wanted to discuss our plan of action.
“I don’t want to go back there, Tray.”
“Then don’t.” I waved to the hallway that led to two living rooms and the grand staircase. “I have plenty of space here. And you’re welcome in my bed anytime.”
Her lips twisted to the side and she sighed. “Then Clarissa will stop paying for my tuition.”
“Also not an issue. I’ll just pick up the payments.” I shrugged. “What’s mine is yours now anyway. Isn’t that the human saying?”
She wasn’t thrilled by the idea. “You’re not paying my tuition to Darlington Academy.”
“I’d rather do that than have you suffer in that house anymore. Besides, we can use it to our advantage. If Ryan asks, I can tell her I promised to pay your winter semester tuition, something I’ll say is all part of my master plan—playing the part of savior in your life to win you over. It’ll add to the bomb I’m supposed to drop on you when I tell you it was all a game. I’ll just say I plan to remove your tuition as well, leaving you homeless and without a school to attend. She’ll love it.”
My heart hurt just thinking about the idea, but I soothed myself in knowing it would never happen.
Ella was mine.
I would protect her until my dying breath.
“You’re right. She’ll love that.” Ella sounded rather irritated by the prospect, a dark gleam entering her gaze. “Teaching her a lesson isn’t going to be enough, is it?”
“Given her penchant for tormenting you, no, I don’t think it is.”
“We need to take them all down first—except her. It’ll isolate her so when we impose the grand finale, she’ll have nowhere to run and no one to lean on for help. Make her feel as alone and helpless as she’s made me all these years.”
I nodded, liking this direction. “Keep going.”
“Let’s add Clarissa to the list. Hell, let’s add the entire damn academy. They’ve all sat back and watched me suffer without doing a thing to help me. Clarissa has gone as far as to applaud and encourage the behavior.” Ella hopped off the counter to begin pacing, ideas churning in her mind and leaving her mouth at the same time. I observed while she worked, only adding my opinion when asked, and by the end, we had a solid plan of action.
“Tomorrow we start by taking the school,” she said, finishing our discussion, excitement pouring off her in waves. “And I know just how we’ll kick-start the takedown.”
Chapter Twenty
Tray
Ella’s plan toshow up at the academy the following morning in Ryan’s car was brilliant.
Everyone stood gaping.
And not just because of the brand-new fitted uniform Ella sported as we walked hand in hand toward the entrance.
It was her entire attitude that captured their attention. And obviously Ryan’s sporty little car with the jagged scratch down the side.
Ella’s bracelet touched my wrist, sending a zap up my arm. I’d gifted her the silver cuff this morning, the magic-laced metal meant to help temper her abilities. Just so she didn’t accidentally burn the school down.
