Evermore Academy (Evermore Academy #3) - Audrey Grey Page 0,63
psycho fiancé lets Inara off her leash, that’s exactly what she’ll do in front of the entire class.
The a-hole smirks, enjoying his position of power over my fate.
I expect something theatrical, like a thumbs-up or down the way Roman emperors used to do in the gladiatorial arenas, but Hellebore simply closes his eyes and goes back to not caring.
Inara growls as she whips around to face me. “One of these days he will grow tired of toying with you.”
“So everyone keeps saying.” I smile, idiotically taunting her when I should just keep silent. “Maybe I’m growing on him. I am pretty likeable.” Don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it— “Just ask your fiancé.”
Ruby cackles in my hand, completely oblivious to the new level of danger. “Ooh, burn.”
The taunt lands exactly as one would expect—like a bomb.
Raw hatred crumples Inara’s face until she looks more monster than Fae. Every member of the Six except Basil stare at me with pure wrath, their intense loathing seeping into the air until it’s almost palpable.
It’s weird and strangely exhilarating being surrounded by powerful predators intent on doing terrible, violent things to me. Kind of like those brave idiots who dive in cages with sharks.
Except my cage is invisible and made up of the mercurial moods of my ass clown fiancé. One bad day or wrong word on my part and that cage melts into oblivion.
Something passes over Inara’s face. The furrows tracking over her forehead soften, and she sits back in her chair, a pleased look eclipsing her fury. “My birthday party is next month. It’s always the event of the season, but my entertainment canceled last minute. Maybe I’ll tell Hell to bring you instead.”
My stomach plummets. Hellebore might not be ready to let Inara go full-bore murderous psycho yet, but my public humiliation and torture?
Those are like his two favorite pastimes. Especially if Valerian is attending, which of course he’s coming. Inara doesn’t seem like the kind of girl who would let her fiancé miss her birthday party, even if he is bound to her against his will.
Perhaps my fiancé will take a photo to slap on his basement wall like the serial killer he is.
Inwardly sighing, I turn my back on Inara and try to focus on the lesson. But my mind is spinning with ideas.
If Inara forces me to attend her birthday party and I end up humiliating her, that would make her look weak. It’s probably not the smartest idea considering she looks one taunt away from turning me into a popsicle, but I’m out of options.
I have to show the school that the Ice Queen is not untouchable.
25
“Holy crap,” Mack mumbles as I descend the stairs. My gold Manolo Blahnik satin heels navigate the warped wood with an ease that has magic written all over it. So does the gown pasted to my body. Its magic seeps from the pomegranate red silk and dances over my bare skin—and there’s a lot of that. Two strips of red rise on either side of my navel and cling to the girls. Delicate spun gold fringes the strips and curls over the top like flames.
Thank the Shimmer for the magic that keeps the fabric in place. I don’t know what else the magic does, but it better make me fly or shoot fireballs from my eyeballs considering the price of this dress.
I stop at the bottom step and shoo away one of the brownies trying to fix my hair.
Normally I’d let them do whatever to my hair and be thankful. But the moment I looked in the mirror and saw the way my hair tumbled down my shoulders, all wavy and tousled and wild, I knew it was perfect. Mack’s makeup job finishes off the look.
Dark kohl eyeliner and gold eyeshadow make my hazel eyes look both smoky and too-big. Bold red matte lipstick finishes the dramatic look.
The whole ensemble is daring, provocative, and like nothing I’ve ever worn before—and I’m here for it.
Eclipsa appraises me over the rim of her champagne flute. The Lunar Court assassin looks so different than I’m used to that I do a double take. She wears a long slinky gown that V’s down the middle, showing off her flat abs and belly button ring. A thousand tiny metallic jewels shimmer with her every movement, rippling in waves over the black satin beneath to create the illusion of stars. A belt of crystals shaped into crescents cinches her waist.