sympathy. “Relax! I got them to compromise.”
“What?” she managed.
“You didn’t think we were going to pull out?” Madeline smiled reassuringly.
“What else was I supposed to think?” Kristen said through gritted teeth.
Madeline’s eyes sparkled nearly as brightly as her earrings. “Someone had the rather brilliant idea of asking you to make it a masked ball. That way, everyone’s anonymous. My Siders will be satisfied, and I’m sure Vaughn’s group wouldn’t be opposed to concealing their identities.” She dug a heel into the graveled walk. “Thoughts?”
Kristen tried to keep her relief from showing. “Masks? That’s it?” Madeline nodded. “Well,” she said carefully. “Can you pass along word to Vaughn? I’ll tell Erin.”
For just a split second, Madeline glanced away.
“Is there something else?” Kristen asked.
“Kristen, I talked to . . .” She pressed her mouth into a hard line, then gave her head a shake as if talking herself out of whatever she’d been about to say. “Vaughn and Erin are covered. What about Eden?”
“No,” Kristen said instantly, and started back toward the entrance of the cemetery. “Absolutely not.”
“Can you please for once not act like a child?” Madeline said, throwing her hands into the air. “Look, Eden didn’t exactly beg Gabe to kill her. She didn’t ask for this any more than we did.”
Kristen kept her voice low, a quiet threat. “Listen to me very carefully. Without that girl, Gabe never would have Fallen in the first place. The Bound wouldn’t be after us. And I—” would never have gone to Luke, she thought, part of her wondering if it would have been better that way, another not wanting to know. “I won’t have Eden and her pathetic minion dragging us down. That’s final.”
Madeline sighed. “Without us, she’s on her own. And she’s already lost Az, Kristen. We could use her—”
“What about what I lost?” Kristen shouted. A flock of blackbirds flapped out of a nearby tree, cawing their displeasure.
Madeline’s gaze followed the birds as they flew over a frozen pond and settled again on the peaked roof of a small mausoleum.
“Let it go.” Kristen’s voice was flat. “She ruins everything she touches.”
“We all do,” Madeline said quietly. “Kristen, she called me. Just before I got here. She’s sick, and on the run.” Madeline tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat. “Her apartment wasn’t safe. She needs Touch to survive, and now she has no way to find Siders.”
“If she’s that weak, she’s a liability anyway.” Kristen felt her dress snag on the rough edge of a gravestone.
Madeline grabbed her shoulder. “Would you stop punishing the girl just because you’re not Gabriel’s special little princess anymore! Get. Over. It.”
“So I’m supposed to what?” Kristen spat, her cheeks burning. “Have her kill Sebastian so she feels better? Or maybe you can offer up Jackson?”
At the mention of her own Second, Madeline’s glare grew cold.
“And when she needs another Sider in a day? And then another? We’re searching out everyone we can to fight the Bound, and all the while Eden’s killing them off one by one. That makes her an enemy.” Kristen softened her voice, leaning against the stone crypt. “It’s not that I hate her, Madeline; I just don’t want her close again. Because eventually?” she said. “Something unpleasant is going to have to be done about Eden.”
CHAPTER 7
W hen Eden licked her lips, she tasted ash. The outburst with Gabe earlier had cost her, and she’d already burned through the little Touch Jarrod had passed her. Each inhale of cold air only made her lungs worse.
“This is stupid,” Jarrod mumbled, but it was halfhearted. They’d been out of the apartment since just after Gabriel bolted, unwilling to risk the Bound showing up. When they’d left, there’d been no Siders on the stairs, no time to wait. She, Jarrod, and Sullivan had kept
“What?” she managed.
“You didn’t think we were going to pull out?” Madeline smiled reassuringly.
“What else was I supposed to think?” Kristen said through gritted teeth.
Madeline’s eyes sparkled nearly as brightly as her earrings. “Someone had the rather brilliant idea of asking you to make it a masked ball. That way, everyone’s anonymous. My Siders will be satisfied, and I’m sure Vaughn’s group wouldn’t be opposed to concealing their identities.” She dug a heel into the graveled walk. “Thoughts?”
Kristen tried to keep her relief from showing. “Masks? That’s it?” Madeline nodded. “Well,” she said carefully. “Can you pass along word to Vaughn? I’ll tell Erin.”
For just a split second, Madeline glanced away.
“Is there something else?” Kristen asked.
“Kristen, I talked to . . .” She pressed her mouth into a hard line, then gave her head a shake as if talking herself out of whatever she’d been about to say. “Vaughn and Erin are covered. What about Eden?”
“No,” Kristen said instantly, and started back toward the entrance of the cemetery. “Absolutely not.”
“Can you please for once not act like a child?” Madeline said, throwing her hands into the air. “Look, Eden didn’t exactly beg Gabe to kill her. She didn’t ask for this any more than we did.”
Kristen kept her voice low, a quiet threat. “Listen to me very carefully. Without that girl, Gabe never would have Fallen in the first place. The Bound wouldn’t be after us. And I—” would never have gone to Luke, she thought, part of her wondering if it would have been better that way, another not wanting to know. “I won’t have Eden and her pathetic minion dragging us down. That’s final.”
Madeline sighed. “Without us, she’s on her own. And she’s already lost Az, Kristen. We could use her—”
“What about what I lost?” Kristen shouted. A flock of blackbirds flapped out of a nearby tree, cawing their displeasure.
Madeline’s gaze followed the birds as they flew over a frozen pond and settled again on the peaked roof of a small mausoleum.
“Let it go.” Kristen’s voice was flat. “She ruins everything she touches.”
“We all do,” Madeline said quietly. “Kristen, she called me. Just before I got here. She’s sick, and on the run.” Madeline tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat. “Her apartment wasn’t safe. She needs Touch to survive, and now she has no way to find Siders.”
“If she’s that weak, she’s a liability anyway.” Kristen felt her dress snag on the rough edge of a gravestone.
Madeline grabbed her shoulder. “Would you stop punishing the girl just because you’re not Gabriel’s special little princess anymore! Get. Over. It.”
“So I’m supposed to what?” Kristen spat, her cheeks burning. “Have her kill Sebastian so she feels better? Or maybe you can offer up Jackson?”
At the mention of her own Second, Madeline’s glare grew cold.
“And when she needs another Sider in a day? And then another? We’re searching out everyone we can to fight the Bound, and all the while Eden’s killing them off one by one. That makes her an enemy.” Kristen softened her voice, leaning against the stone crypt. “It’s not that I hate her, Madeline; I just don’t want her close again. Because eventually?” she said. “Something unpleasant is going to have to be done about Eden.”
CHAPTER 7
W hen Eden licked her lips, she tasted ash. The outburst with Gabe earlier had cost her, and she’d already burned through the little Touch Jarrod had passed her. Each inhale of cold air only made her lungs worse.
“This is stupid,” Jarrod mumbled, but it was halfhearted. They’d been out of the apartment since just after Gabriel bolted, unwilling to risk the Bound showing up. When they’d left, there’d been no Siders on the stairs, no time to wait. She, Jarrod, and Sullivan had kept
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