her panic forced me to get a grip on myself. We couldn’t both freak out.
“We wait and hope to God that thing doesn’t get in.”
The two of us sat on the other bed, cuddled up next to each other. We stayed like that, very still, listening for the creature. “In case we die,” I said, swallowing. “You should know I’m sorry about stabbing you with those scissors.”
Riley raised a brow, glancing at me. “Really?”
I nodded. I’d never felt guiltier about anything in my whole life.
She chuckled. Out of every possible reaction, I wasn’t expecting that. “What?”
“Nothing.” Her lips curved into a half-grin. “I was just thinking of how much I hated kissing Connor. His breath always smelled like Cheetos.”
I punched her in the arm.
“Ow.” She rubbed the spot where I punched her. “Nice one, sis. Apologize for stabbing me. Then punch me two seconds later.”
This time we both laughed, which abruptly stopped at the sound of skittering on the roof. “You think he’s looking for another way inside?” she said, casting a wary glance at the ceiling.
“He won’t find one up there, not unless he can fit through the oven pipe.”
She squeezed a pillow close to her chest, her knuckles turning white. “I’m going to murder Grey next time I see him.”
“To be fair, he did warn us about there being bad creatures in the area.”
She blinked, remembering. “He said they feed off young mages. What if this one gets some of his cannibal friends to help him break in?”
“Let’s hope he doesn’t.”
“If he does, they can eat you first. That way I can experience a few blissful moments of life without being cursed.”
“Well, I was born first,” I said with a half-shrug. “So, I guess it’s only fair.”
Her eyes twinkled, and she choked back a laugh. “Yeah, I found out about that, too.” She shook her head as if she hardly believed it. “You’re the eldest. Go figure.”
The next few minutes passed like hours, each second ticking by with a painful slowness. We heard the creature along the walls and at the door, relentless in his attempt to find a way inside.
“I’m sorry about Connor,” Riley said, her voice so low I strained to hear her. “But he didn’t deserve you.”
I looked at her, forgetting the creature. “What makes you say that?”
“He cheated too easily,” she said, hesitant. “Now, Xander on the other hand, is made of stone. That one only has eyes for you.”
My brows shot up. “What makes you say that?”
She shrugged. “I may have tried to do the same with him—”
“Riley!”
“What?” she said, all innocence. “I thought this was confession hour.”
I slit my eyes, returning my attention to the door. “You need a confession week to get through all of your sins,” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Oh, let it go.” She chuckled. “Hey, the noises stopped. I think he might be gone.”
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. “Girls?” said a throaty voice. “Are you okay?”
It sounded like Toad.
Together, we pushed the bed away from the door and left the bedroom.
“Toad, is that you?” Riley said, her tone full of distrust.
“It is,” he said. “No need to open up. Just wanted to let you know the creature that was bothering you won’t anymore. He’s been eliminated.”
Eliminated?
Riley and I exchanged a wide-eyed look. “Where’s Grey?” she said.
“He’s ah, indisposed at the moment.”
“What happened to him?”
“No need to worry. He’ll return soon enough,” Toad said, dodging the question. “I’m heading back to my post on the street. Night.”
Before we could ask more questions, we heard his boots thumping down the steps. I should probably be upset about Toad’s lack of explanations—we both should. But my relief overshadowed everything else.
28
Grey never would say where he went that night, which annoyed Riley to no end. She kept insisting he was hiding something from us. It bothered her that I was so unbothered by the secrecy, but I couldn’t help it. Deception was something I’d grown to expect from people, including her.
After the incident, things got better. We spent the next several days practicing caution. If we looked out the window, it was by peeking through the curtains and only for short periods. Mostly, we just hung out and talked, which was something Riley and I hadn’t done in a long time.
The following week Grey surprised us with our first outing. It happened first thing at dawn, when most people were still asleep. He took us to a cluster of woods in a remote part of the