Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
LAUREL
“What’s up, losers?” Jade called, dropping down from a beam above me and slinging an arm around my shoulders.
I gave a shriek, wrapping my arms around her for a big hug.
“Okay, okay,” she grumbled, shoving me off with a smile. She glanced around, and I smirked as her face fell slightly when she saw I was alone.
“He still hasn’t shown up?” she said, dropping into a beat-up chair. We were in our hangout—a long-forgotten space we’d found in the ceiling over the Blood Well. It was part of the network of passages, vents, tunnels, and half-completed rooms that sprawled throughout the Crimson Palace.
This one was a tall, hollow wall that surrounded the Blood Well with support beams, providing an effortless way to climb up and down.
We’d nailed down a bunch of plywood and boards to make a floor at the very top, kind of like a very dusty indoor treehouse.
It was pretty easy to get to from the main floor of the casino and from the Blood Well’s VIP suite.
The fights had started for the night, and I could hear the muffled roar of the crowd and announcer beneath us.
It was dark, but we’d strung up lights and brought chairs and beanbags so we could be comfy.
We’d walled off our section by nailing up curtains, and you could almost pretend we were in an innocuous attic somewhere, instead of above a fight pit.
“I have no idea where he is,” I said. “He said he was ‘sick,’ but when I broke into his room, he wasn’t there.”
Jade wrinkled her nose. “You went into his bedroom? Ew, I bet it’s super gross in there.”
“You like to spend time thinking about being in my bedroom, Jade?” Jule’s smug voice floated up to us before he climbed up between two beams.
“You wish, asshole.” Jade chucked a piece of crumpled-up paper at him, and it bounced off his shoulder as he stood up.
“I’ll let that slide,” he said, pointing a finger at Jade before sinking into a beanbag with a sigh that lacked his usual dramatic flair. “Not in the mood.”
“Where the heck have you been?” I asked him. “You were gone for like, three days! I had to get Prince to cover for you, and he would only do it if I went to the Spring Social with him.”
Prince had nice hair, but he was super gross. He’d chased me down with a booger last week, which was really immature for a fifteen-year-old.
“I wasn’t feeling great,” he said again, and I frowned at him, a little hurt.
We didn’t keep secrets from each other. But a lot had changed since he’d presented as an alpha this year. He’d been so much more distant, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was losing him.
“Lucky I bounce back fast,” he added. “Not everyone could pull off three-day-bedhead like me.”
I snorted. He had clearly showered and even put on some makeup before coming here.
“You’re full of yourself,” Jade added. “Such an attractive personality trait.”
“Who needs a personality when you look like this?” Jule leaned back in his beanbag chair and winked at Jade.
“I don’t know how you tolerate him,” Jade said.
“See, we’re related, so there’s a bit of my genes in her,” Jule said. “I think you’ll find me more tolerable if you have a bit of me in you, too.”
“Ew, NO!” I shouted as Jule burst into laughter. “Uh, that’s so gross.”
“I’m gonna throw up,” said Jade.
“God, you guys make it so easy,” he said. “Besides, Laurel is loyal to me forever. Who’s the best, Laurel?”
I glanced between them. Jade was pointing at herself, and Jule just had an eyebrow raised.
“Jule,” I replied, my mouth twitching in a smile, even as my heart ached.