Kind of you. It’s the right thing to do. So don’t worry about me, you just continue to protect her, and I’ll…” I search the hall, watching it empty as everyone races to beat the tardy bell. “And I’ll do what I can to keep it from getting any worse—to keep Haven under control.”

“Andus ? Is there any hope for us?” he asks.

But I leave the words behind.

His thoughts drifting from behind me, around me, curling up inside me, as I turn and make my way down the hall.

Reminding me that he’s here.

Will always be here.

All I have to do is let him in.

Chapter 21

I figured she’d try to avoid me ’til lunch.

Figured she’d want to hold off on any sort of confrontation until she had her groupies all gathered around her and she could show me the full brunt of the big, bad thing she’s achieved.

Figured she mistook my weeklong absence, my wanting to get my head straight about Damen, for fear.

Fear of her and all she’s accomplished.

Which is exactly why I made sure to run into her well before that.

Appearing by her side without warning, I slide up alongside her, tap her on the shoulder, and stare straight into her heavily made-up, slightly startled eyes, saying, “Hey, Haven.” I keep my expression benign, if not outright friendly. Wanting her to know that I’m back, that it’s time for her to rein it in, but not wanting to challenge her directly, since nothing good will come of that. “Just thought you should know that your car has been moved. I needed the space.”

She looks at me, mouth curling up at one side, obviously far more amused than mad, ridiculously delighted to know the game is still on.

“But then again, that shouldn’t really surprise you, since you know that’s not your space. It belongs to Damen and me. Has for almost a year now.”

She laughs, a short burst of sound that ends almost as soon as it begins. Slipping out of her shorts and T-shirt, she tosses them into her locker in exchange for the navy-blue dress she starts to yank over her head. “Yeah, well, you weren’t here and Damen didn’t seem to mind all that much. But then again, from what I’ve seen, he’s been a littlepreoccupied lately.”

She pulls the dress down, her eyes meeting mine as her face emerges from the swath of fabric, then she shimmies from side to side, getting herself all situated. Taking a moment to eyeball me, her derisive gaze raking from my head to my toes before venturing back up again, searching for a reaction that just doesn’t come.

Her comment glides past me, doesn’t affect me in the least. Damen and I have come to an understanding, andthis confrontation with her, well, it’s everything I’ve trained myself for.

“I thought you hated P.E.” I drop onto the scarred wood bench, cross my legs, and clasp my hands on my knee. Gazing around the girls’ locker room, a place she’s made a point to avoid after a particularly brutal hazing incident she was forced to suffer at the beginning of freshman year.

“Well, it’s true that I used to.” She shrugs, readjusting the jumble of necklaces she now favors in place of the amulet I gave her. Her eyes blazing, face radiant when she looks at me and says, “But then, as you well know, things change, Ever. Or, more specifically,I’ve changed. And because of it, I’ve finally come to realize something I could’ve only guessed at before.” She pauses for a moment to slip on her shoes, wrapping the ties around her ankles, once, twice, before tying them in a knot that reaches halfway up her tiny, well-muscled calves. “Once you’ve made it to the top of the pyramid, once you’re beautiful, powerful,and graced with both strength and speed, well, there’s really no reason to dislikeanything .

Except for maybe those pathetically jealous losers who are determined to bring you down. But, seriously, other than that, it’sall good . You can’t even imagine what it feels like to be me right now.” She fluffs her hair, smoothing her hands over the front and sides of her dress, gazing at herself admiringly in the mirror across the way, as she makes sure everything is perfectly in place.

Stealing a moment away from her reflection to reflect upon me, sighing deeply, loudly, her gaze full of pity when she says, “I meant thatliterally by the way. You seriously cannot imagine what it’s like to be me. What it’s like to be on top of the world—at the top of your game.” She smirks, reaching into her locker, toward the top shelf, where she’s stashed all her rings. “I mean, let’s face it, not to be cruel or anything, but you’ve pretty much been a big loser your whole, entire life, and even now, when, technically speaking anyway, you can have anything or anyone you choose—you still choose to be a big dork.” She shakes her head and stacks her rings on her fingers, a task that takes longer than you’d think due to the sheer number of them. “I mean, if it wasn’t so funny, it would be sad. But still, I have to admit, there’s still a small part of me that pities you.”

“And the other part?” I look at her, watching as she arranges her hair, getting it settled and smoothed around her shoulders and face.

She laughs. Satisfied with her hair, she pilfers through her bag for some lip gloss before casting a quick glance my way. “Why, the other part is going to kill you. But then, you already knew that.”

I nod, so casually you’d think she’d just made some harmless, throwaway comment rather than an actual threat on my life.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, originally I’d planned to kill Jude first, you know, hurt him real bad while making you watch—that sort of thing. But then, once I really thought about it, I realized it would be so much more fun to switch it around and do away with you first. You know, leave him totally defenseless and alone, with no oneable , much lesswilling to save him. I mean, surely Damen won’t be volunteering for that. And not just because he’s so busy protecting Stacia, but because, well, let’s face it, as good and noble as he likes to think he is, I doubt even he’ll be all that sad to see him go, considering everything that’s gone down recently.” She shrugs, running the wand over her lips, once, twice, before rubbing them together, making a kissing face at the mirror, then grinning as she drops the gloss back into her bag. “I don’t know, just an idea. What do you think?”