CHAPTER SEVEN

Part of me wanted to go after Adrian, but I knew I had to get to the stupid knucklebones game before anyone—especially my mom—noticed I wasn’t already there. Luckily, one of the elevator buttons was labeled SOCIAL ROOM, so I managed to find my way to the correct floor even without my guide—or my map.

As I stepped off the elevator, the feeling of being watched rushed over me. I caught the Royal surfer boy, Damian, as his eyes ran critically up and down my body. His behavior was nothing like yesterday when he had acted like I didn’t exist. My gut told me he was one of the guys Adrian had been talking about, thirsty to sleep with as many girls as he could before he found his soul mate. Imagine clicking with him? I shuddered at the thought. Would his behavior even stop once he had a click? I shot him my best don’t-even-think-about-it look and strode toward the social room.

Vlad was standing outside the door, looking more serious than the Court Guards, in a black suit, white shirt, and dark-green striped tie that was almost the same color as his eyes—moss in the depths of a forest. Despite the suit, he looked a little scruffy, not his usual clean-shaven self. Like he’d had a rough night too. What was he still doing here?

My stomach knotted, butterflies twisting inside. “Vlad. You’re here,” I said softly, as if afraid he might disappear if I spoke too loudly.

“I am.” His voice sounded as hesitant as mine. He paused before he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a black cell phone, which I instantly recognized. “Here.”

“My phone! Thank you! Where did you find it?”

“In my coat pocket.” Noticing my confused look, he elaborated, “I lent you my coat last night? You must’ve put it in there before you—well, before you passed out.”

“Did you”—I paused and cleared my throat to hide my nervousness—“Did you carry me back to my unit?”

“I even cleaned you up and tucked you into bed.”

“You what?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot what happened last night?” When I didn’t respond, he said, “That’s okay. As long as you don’t forget to pay for the cleaners.”

“What?”

“You puked on my favorite shoes.”

“I wasn’t even drunk,” I whispered to myself. “I’m mortified. How much do I owe you?”

One corner of his lips turned upward, forming a breathtaking smile. One that he had never given me. “Nothing. I’m just kidding. You don’t need to pay for anything. I’m just happy that we’re not yelling at each other.”

“Are you going to stay?” I asked, hopeful.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Surely my words last night were not the reason for his sudden change of heart.

“I was able to sort out a deal with my job after all. I’ll be working from Court most of the time. But I still need to go in for the trial.” He paused before admitting, “You were right. I should be here for Kristen.” He caught my eyes. “And for you.”

Vlad had just said that I was right. That had never happened before, even when it was true. And second, he wanted to stay here for me. My phone presented an avenue for escape, and luckily there were tons of texts from Kris, but also three missed calls and a voice mail from Carlo. “I suppose we should probably head in there, then, and get this over with.”

Vlad held the door for me. My eyes habitually scanned the crowded room for Kris. People on one side of the room were sitting on the floor, tossing all five knucklebones pieces into the air and trying to catch them on the backs of their hands. In the middle of the room, others were trying to throw the pieces into the opening of a small vessel. I had played both of these versions of astragaloi as a kid, but this was something else entirely. Vlad noticed my confusion. “They have to throw the dice onto the table thirty-five times. Each side of the die has a different value, but unlike the modern game of dice, it’s not the side of the astragaloi faced up that counts, but the side that lands on the surface.”

“Geez, Zeus, how do you know so much about this game? Do you remember all this from your first Gathering?”

He pointed at the table. “This one is my favorite version of astragaloi. I love counting those numbers.”

This was surprising. I had thought that for him games were a waste of time. I was about to make a joke about how his first Gathering must have gone if he was so keen on counting numbers instead of courting women, when I heard a laugh I would recognize anywhere. I swiftly turned and saw Kris standing near the corner of the room, her face full of joy and her arms wrapped around someone I’d been dying to see: Carlo.

Emotion crashed over me. Pain, confusion, anger. I curled my hands into fists at the sides of my body, clenching so tightly that my palms started to burn. My nails dug in deep as I fought back tears.

“Hey, are you okay?” Vlad put his hand on my arm, but there was nothing that could ease the internal pain I was feeling. Without replying, I stalked across the room to Carlo. Adrian had been right: Kris did need protection … from this two-timing liar.

“Avery!” Kris beamed at me. Carlo put his hand out as if we were meeting for the first time. I didn’t know how to react—damn, was he good. For the last year he’d been texting me, telling me all sorts of bullshit, and then suddenly here he was, wrapped around Kris. What a player.

“Ave, this is Domenico.” Her green eyes sparkled.

Domenico? Did he think he could get away with not telling her his real name? Or maybe he had given me a fake name. Whichever it was, he had lied and that was far from okay.

Swallowing hard, I filled my lungs with a gulp of air, then exhaled as I plastered a sarcastically gracious smile on my face. “Hi, again,” I said as casually as I could. “Sorry I haven’t returned your calls. But I see you’ve found my best friend.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh come on.”

Carlo—or Domenico—looked at Kris, who shared the same look of confusion. My anger bubbled like hot lava as he continued his ruse. “You’re really going to pretend that you don’t remember me?”

“What’s there to remember?”

That was it. I couldn’t contain my fire any longer. I swung my arm back and hit him right across his stupid, pretty face. The sound cracked and he stumbled backward to land on his behind. The buzz of excitement around me died down—nothing but dead silence now. Kris looked at me then down at Carlo. Her expression morphed from confusion to shock. She apparently decided that Carlo needed more help, and crouched down on the floor next to him, staunching the blood pouring from his nose.

A hand came down on my shoulder and I turned, expecting it to be Vlad. Instead, I came face to face with a Court Guard.

“By order of the Court Guards, you are hereby in custody for an act of violence on Court Grounds.” His voice was deep, and he didn’t wait for me to respond before he pinned my arm behind my back.

I was about to yelp in protest when Vlad cut in. “Commander Hudson, I believe? I am Lord Ambrosia.”

The guard bowed and nodded. No introduction needed. Everyone knew who Vlad was.

“I am Ms. Montgomery’s legal representation. There’s no need for handcuffs. I will escort her with you to holding.”

Hudson gave him a nod and then let go of my arm.

“Are you okay, Avy?” Vlad whispered to me, putting one hand on my shoulder.

“Of course.” I unclenched my fist then curled my fingers again. It didn’t ache as much as I would’ve thought.

As I was ushered out of the social room, I heard Kris calling my name and I turned to catch a glimpse of her. She had to tell me something—I could see the urgency in her eyes. But I was yanked away before she could say another word.