“And—?” he snaps, clearly in no mood for games.

“And…I just really wanted to see you.Needed to see you, I guess you could say.”

“Youguess ?”

His eyes rake over me, leaving me feeling raw, exposed, and weirdly traitorous toward Damen. Still, I need something from him. I’m all out of options. I mean, I can’t find the shirt, the Great Hall refuses to help me, the wish I made on my night star has yet to come true, and so far there’ve been no omens or signs of any kind—all of which has led me right here, left with only one way I can think of to get to the bottom of it.

A way that’s only been attempted but never actually completed.

A way that just might steer me toward the right one.

“Jude,” I start, my voice sounding raw, unused. “Jude, I—”

I move closer, thinking:This is ridiculous—this whole thing is ridiculous .

I mean, he loves me, and I know I once loved him, or, even if it wasn’t exactlylove , I know for a fact I feltsomething for him. And maybe a kiss is all it’ll take to reveal it to me. Just like when I first kissed Damen, how we felt so connected, so bonded, before all the other cruel realities moved in.

I move around the counter and reach for his hand, moving so quickly barely a moment passes before my fingers are pressed against his and a soothing rush of his cool, calm energy streams through my limbs.

Quieting my mind—causing my body to soften and yield—watching as his face veers closer, gaze probing, burning, as my fingers curl around the lean tautness of his arm.

My entire being flushed with anticipation as I pull him right to me, waiting for the swell of his lips against mine, needing to experience this once and for all, needing to know just what it is we’ve been missing throughout all of these centuries.

At first shocked by the feel of it, the unexpected coolness, the pillowy firmness of his kiss—so opposite Damen’s perfect blend of tingle and heat. Aware of the low groan escaping his throat as he cups the back of my head and presses me to him. His mouth parting softly, his tongue seeking mine, as the door swings wide open, crashes hard against the wall, and sends the bell ringing and scattering across the floor.

We turn.

Jolted apart in surprise.

Only to find Haven, looking dark, sinister, cruelly shadowed by the light at her back, blocking the doorway and glaring at us.

Her lip curled, eyes narrowed, a hand perched on each hip as she says, “Wow. Would you look at that?

This must be my lucky day. Two birds, one stone, and neither one of you standing a chance.”

Chapter 24

I turn to Jude, urging him to run, hide, to do whatever it takes to get away from her. Knowing we have only a second, two at the most, before she’s on us—before it’s too late for him to go anywhere else.

But even though I’m not at all joking, even though I shoot him a look that tells him I’m one hundred percent serious—he stays right where he is. Planted behind the counter, planted right behind me.

Mistakenly thinking our brief, barely-there kiss somehow obliges him to stick around and protect me.

And I’m just about to repeat my request, when she’s already crossed the room, already standing before us wild-eyed, crazed, wearing an out-of-control look on her face.

I move to cover Jude, seeing the way she smiles, slowly running the tip of her tongue around the rim of her lips as she peers over my shoulder and says, “Do yourself a favor and don’t listen to Ever. You’re much better off staying right where you are. You can never outrun me, no matter how hard you try.

Besides, you’re definitely gonna need that energy for later.”

She takes a quick step to the right, as though she’s planning to reach right around me and snatch him away, but I’m quick to block her, my eyes narrowed on hers, reminded of our unfortunate encounter in the school bathroom—when she controlled me—pinned me up against the wall—against my will—and knowing that if I’m barely a match for her, then Jude will never survive it.

“Sorry to interrupt your little make-out session.” She laughs, her red-rimmed eyes darting between us. “I had no idea you two had decided to take it inthat direction.” She reaches toward me, pricking my shoulder with the sharp edge of her long, blue-painted nail before pulling away. The cold, bitter chill of her energy stinging, lingering, though there’s no mistaking the effort it took to keep the hand trembling to a minimum.

She cocks her head to the side, grabs a chunk of hair that spills over her shoulder, and twirls it around and around her raised index finger. Her gaze focused solely on Jude when she says, “Before you get too overly excited about having made it to first base, you should probably know that the only reason Ever’s allowed you to even get that far is because Damen’s abandoned her for Stacia.Again .” She shakes her head and purses her lips, eyes darting between him and me. “And, well, I guess she’s just looking for someone to fall back on. You know, so to speak.”

I steal a quick glance at Jude, hoping he’s not really listening to this, not taking her seriously, but his gaze is so clouded, so conflicted, it’s nearly impossible to read.

“Don’t you ever get tired of it?” She abandons the hair twirling in order to admire the stacks of rings she wears on each finger. “You know, of Ever’s constantly using you as a shoulder to cry on, using you to do her dirty work for her? I mean, seriously, when you think about it, a kiss is like, well, pretty much theleast she can do when she’s the number one reason why your life is destined to come to such a tragic, untimely end.”