Evanescent - By Addison Moore Page 0,37

Whatever this is, I think it’s important we hurdle it together. We can make it through anything, Wes. I know we can.”

I wrap my arms around her and seal my lips over hers.

Laken thinks we can conquer just about anything together.

I hope to God she’s right.

I hope to God that Celestra doesn’t ruin anything between Laken and me just like they’ve managed to screw up the entire universe.

And if they do, all the more reason to wipe the bastards off the face of the earth.

But Laken and I will persevere, and so will the Counts.

5

A Pearl in the Night

Laken

Wes walks me back to Austen House under a landscape of clever winking stars. I complained of feeling dizzy, and he chalked it up to fatigue since it’s well past one in the morning.

I watch from the large bay window in the common room as Wes makes the slow trek back up hill. The shadows swallow him whole as he plods in the direction of Henderson Hall. Wes dissolves in the night as if he never existed. That’s how this nightmare feels—the Wesley I grew up with, the one I loved with every cell in my body has been swallowed by the dark shadows, dissolved completely.

The fireplace dims as my dorm sisters stream their way upstairs.

Outside, a glimmer of light catches my attention from the wall of necrotic evergreens that flatten out over the horizon. I lean into the frozen glass to inspect it.

A breath gets caught in my throat.

Holy shit—I recognize that tall, lanky boy and the girl attached to his side. It’s Flynn and fake Hattie.

I bet she’s going to lure him into the woods and hack his head off for sport before feeding him to the Spectators. Flynn is about to become a delicacy, and he doesn’t even know it.

I pluck my phone from my bra and send a quick text to Coop.

Change of plans. Up for a hot date in Sleepy Hollow?

He texts back a few seconds later. Let’s not and say we did. If you’re in the mood to be chased, I can make other arrangements.

A private smile curves my lips at the thought of Coop chasing me around the furniture. Of course I’d let him catch me—tackle me.

Typical Coop—everything I say is somehow attached to his balls.

I glance up and catch Flynn disappearing deep into the velvet reserve of the forest, the long arm of the demon who’s leading the way, still mercilessly attached to his side.

I’m going without you. Take that, Coop. I’m not some damsel in distress that needs to be saved. Or at least I’d better not be.

The air outside slices over my bare thighs as I bolt from Austen House, still in my cheer uniform.

I run all the way past the ridge and catch a glimpse of the two of them as they make their way into the first layer of the thicket.

“Flynn!” I scream, but the wind cups its hand over my mouth and buffers him from my warning.

“Laken,” a familiar voice booms from behind.

I’d know that voice anywhere—Coop.

I’m relieved to see Cooper as he jogs up beside me. He wraps an arm around my waist as if it belonged there, and a part of me believes it does.

“Let’s get out of here.” He darts a quick glance behind me.

“No.” I pull him along. “We can’t stop.” We dive deeper into the thicket. A narrow seam of moonlight dots a path through the maze of tree trunks. “I’m glad it’s you.” My voice quivers as we speed past branch after branch. “I might have aborted the entire mission if it were Wes—and then Flynn would be in knee-deep with the Fen-emy.”

“What are you talking about?” He interlaces our fingers and gives me a tug, reluctant to keep up with my fervent pace.

“I’m talking about Flynn, alone in this forest with Hattie the lying Fem.”

Cooper slows to a crawl before we get any deeper into the haunted woods.

“I’m not losing sleep to save Masterson’s ass.” He tries to catch his breath.

“Then maybe you’ll lose sleep to save mine,” I say, jogging out a few more feet in a rather stupid show of bravado.

I glance back to see if Coop is falling for it, and he is.

“Laken.” He picks up my hand and reels me in.

Coop washes over me with that magnetizing stare. Those hypnotic grey lenses of his are having their way with me, I can tell. Heat rises from our bodies. I can feel the fire of this special brand of