Page 21 of The Never List
I bite back a snarl, a deep, primal instinct to roar at my best friend. He barely spoke two words to Rylee, and he thinks he knows her? She had the gall to lie to my face, her sharp tongue contrasting with her pretty smiles and fluttering eyelashes. If Kal knew her, he’d know she’s not a timid creature.
What the fuck?Just because I spent a few minutes with her, all of a sudden I’m acting likeIknow her? LikeIhavesome claim on her?
Kal tilts his head, noticing my shift in demeanor. I shake it off, pouring myself another drink.
Pierce swirls his bourbon, eyes calculating. “Perhaps we should let her choose who she wants first.”
Axl grins. “I’m for that game,” he says.
Kal rubs his palms together. “I love the idea of letting her choose,” he says. “In the end, that’s what we’ll need her to do anyway. Choose us.”
“And survive,” I say, my muscles tensing. We shared a dance, some flirting; what if she chooses me first?
I don’t want her to.
I absolutely want her to.
But it would be the end of her as a potential if she did. If it comes to that, I’ll alter her emotions to ensure she doesn’t select me first—though, with the way she looked at me through the crowd when I said her number, I highly doubt she has any warm feelings toward me.
I saw it in her eyes. The sense of betrayal at not telling her who I was—especially after I told her I hated liars. And her smart retort about the wealthy being the biggest ones of all. She’s not wrong, but she clearly isn’t a fan of ours. I might’ve picked the one woman in Lumathyst who hates us all.
Butpanichad radiated right after the betrayal. She’d hid it well as the enforcer brought her to the dais, but I’d felt it.
Another intrigue. What kind of potential panics when they’re selected?
Likely the kind who has no interest in being selected, and that baffles me most of all.
Kal’s knee bounces where he sits. “Hate this part,” he says.
We each nod, and I can’t help reaching for one of my knives, releasing it from its sheath to flip it end over end. Can’t help imagining dragging the sharp edge across my father’s throat. If he touches her, I’ll do it slowly, carve him into tiny pieces over the course of a week.
Ten minutes go by.
“Isn’t there usually screaming by now?” Kal asks.
“Yes, something is off,” Axl says, hands in fists as he bounds toward the doors, Kal barely stopping him before he gets there.
“We can’t,” Kal says, shoving him back. “You know we can’t.”
I have two knives out now, one in each hand. When did that happen?
“Impressive,” Pierce says, eyes sparking. “Perhaps this potential has no fear?”
I flip the knives in my hands and pace the room. “How many more minutes, Pierce?” I ask, knowing he’ll have it calculated to the second.
“Eighteen,” he answers.
I nod and count down the seconds with the turn of my blades.
9
Rylee
It’s only a few moments before the elevator doors slide open again, and I have to swallow my surprise at the appearance of the kings. I stumble back a step, unsteady on my feet at being approached by them.
“Did we scare you, little bug?” Baydel Lavine asks, slipping off his mask.
Heat washes over me at the degrading nickname.
