Page 105 of The Prince of Demons

Ouch. Unease spread within me, worry weighing on my spirit like a jinx.

“I see,” was all I could get out.

Should I give up on Vamp House, then? Did all Houses have a similar rule?

“You have the potential to be a great vampire if you ditch the imaginary friend,” she continued, throwing her stuff into a scarlet portal. Within it, I could see the Vamp House foyer.

“That’s house promising,”Gaksi mentioned.“The houses aren’t supposed to tell you that you belong there before offering the official bid.”

Could I do it? Could I give up Gaksi to belong? I’d gained exquisite control of my shadows, so I needed him much less than I used to. Would it be so much to give up my childhood best friend, too? Maybe Joseph or Jason would like a companion…

My necklace bounced off my chest.

“I can feel your guilt and indecision from here, moonbeam.”

Tears swelled. I almost cried, hearing my childhood nickname. I wasn’t losing Gaksi.

“Nice to study with you,” I told Vivienne.

“I won’t ever be doing so again.”

* * *

Since the masquerade,I woke up to the smell of freshly brewed tea on my nightstand. Warm and earthy, I sipped it gratefully. I reached out with my mind to Gaksi, but he was never nearby.

Thank you, Gaksi, I wrote on a piece of paper instead. It faded without a trace.

I got into a routine of texting Flora tidbits of info at a time. Not all at once, because I realized that when I did that, she would pester me for more. So I fed her bits and pieces, and when the next round of cuts dropped, I knew she was upholding her end of the deal.

The final round comprised us visiting only three houses, even if more wanted us. So, Flora had asked me which were my top three.

It was a painstaking decision. Wolf and Rose, I wanted to avoid because of their bottom-tier nature. Siren House traumatized me at their most recent rager. Fae House reminded me too much of my mother, Vamp House wanted me to get rid of Gaksi, and Angel House felt so quintessentially antithetical to my shadows that I didn’t see myself there at all.

Fae, Angel, and Siren, I ultimately told her. Two top and one mid-tier. If I was going to stay here, I was going big.

Fae, Angel, and Rose House appeared on my invite card today.

“What the hell, Flora?” I asked over the phone.

“Rose House has you at the top of their bid list, Luna,” Flora said. “And no, you’re not supposed to know that. It would look incredibly suspicious on my end for them not to have you this round, given how highly they ranked you.”

After that, I was a little flattered. Rose House was my favorite House to learn about before I got caught up in the fanfare of it all. It was sweet to know they thought well of me.

Cordelia’s melancholy on her selections preoccupied my thoughts after I finished my conversation with Flora.

“Wolf House has very strong pack bonds,” I encouraged. “You would have such a strong relationship with everyone in that House.”

“What if they decide they don’t like me anymore?” Cordelia despaired. “Then I might end up in Rose! With nothing but a gardening shovel to bury and kill myself with.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” I insisted. “Reaper would have to be the one to bail you out.”

“Well, in that case…” Her tears dried up a little. Sometimes, it was nice to know her boy crazy thoughts won out over much else.

“I don’t even know if this process is worth it anymore,” Cordelia admitted. “It seems like I’m just putting on a show, not being the real me.”

I bristled with the accuracy of the statement. I felt it, too, especially when strategizing how to keep myself interesting. We both moved like disco balls, constantly spinning, doing everything to keep the party going despite the crowd being empty.

“Whatever you do, I’ll support you,” I said. “Do what feels most right for you.”

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