Page 75 of Alchemy of Souls

“Stop!” I demand, and I’m about to tell them they’re acting like Neanderthals, but it’s too late, because Adrien retaliates with his own wind spell. Grayson gets up a shield, but the force of it sends him sliding along the wood floor. Everyone near us backs up, staring like this is the most interesting thing to happen in forever.

They’re not fighting over me, which would be bad enough. They’re fighting because they don’t like each other and they’re just using me as an excuse.

Grayson lifts his hand to cast, but I’m there in a flash, grabbing his wrist, looking him straight in the eyes and saying, “No. You do not get to do this.”

His gaze meets mine. I can see he’s pissed. And for a second, I think he’ll shake me off. But then his shoulders drop an inch and he says, “Okay.”

Adrien, however, isn’t done. “Nice lipstick. That yours, Grayson?” he says, and my stomach twists.

“Screw you, Adrien, you miserable prick,” Grayson says, before he wipes his face with the back of his hand, removing a faint red lipstick mark.

My stomach plummets to the floor, my hurt turning to anger so quickly, I can’t reel it back.

I step between them. “That isenough,” I say, pulling two daggersfrom the floor faster than I ever have. They smack into my palms and my fingers curl around them. “If either of you launches another spell, I’ll wait until the second your shield is down and throw these daggers at your balls. Go ahead,try me.”

They both stare at me and so does the rest of the party. People are gossiping, Naomi included, who’s currently whispering something to Ivy withbloodred lips. Ivy laughs, and all I can imagine is that she’s telling her she just made out with Grayson and they’re laughing at me. I do, however, hear Maggie clapping and cheering my name from the upper balcony.

Seconds pass and no one casts. Finally, Adrien brushes off his shirt and gives Grayson a death glare before walking off. The dance floor fills in as I release my weapons, merging them back into the floor. But I don’t stay. I stalk out of the room to the deck, needing air.

“Claws,” Grayson says, following me, but the nickname only makes me angrier.

“Don’t youdare,” I say, turning when I reach the railing.

He pushes his hair back from this face with an exhale. “Look, I know I—”

“Youembarrassedme,” I say with too much emotion. My pulse hasn’t gotten the memo to slow its frantic pace and the wine is loosening my tongue.

His eyebrows push together. “Adrien—”

“No, this isn’t about Adrien. This is aboutyou. First you tell me you want to kiss me, not because we’re fake dating, just because—I don’t know why. And a second later you’re followingNaomiinto a bedroom and coming out with lipstick on your mouth.”

Regret flashes across his face. “I didn’t kiss her.”

“Like I said, I’m not interested in being lied to,” I say. “I think you should go. It’s Adrien’s house, and you’re clearly not welcome here.Idon’t want you here.”

He closes his eyes for a brief second. “It really isn’t what you think.”

“You just suddenly needed to talk to her in a bedroom?” The words bother me. Because they sound jealous, and I’m not jealous. At least I’m pretty sure I’m not.

“Naomi wanted to talk to me, yes. But it was about me being a crap friend. And yeah, she insinuated that I could stop by her room any night I wanted, but that’s not something I plan on taking her up on. Ever.”

“And then she just fell into your face with her red lipstick?” I say, hating how much I care. No one has ever told me they wanted to kiss me before. While it’s probably no big deal to Grayson, it was important to me—a really big, heart-stopping moment. Before he completely ruined it.

Grayson huffs. “She did kiss me—admittedly way too close to my mouth. Which she wouldn’t have if I wasn’t distracted because she just told me that Adrien set me up. That he told her I was planning on taking revenge on you by breaking your heart.”

I freeze. I can’t tell if he’s lying and I hate that I have to question it. But isn’t that how it’s always going to be with Grayson? Me questioning when and if he’s telling me the truth? I’m about to walk away, but he grabs my wrist.

“Don’t, Claws. Please.” The last word is so quiet I barely register it.

But I’m far too amped on emotion and instead of just yanking my wrist from his grip I spin, spellworking a dagger and bringing it to his neck. “Stop manipulating me.”

He doesn’t back away. “If you think I’m manipulating you, then go ahead and use that,” he says. “You’re right that Naomi kissed me, and even though I didn’t kiss her back, if I was you, I’d be pissed to hell, too. I might be a lot of things, not all of them good, but here, tonight, I meant everything I said to you. I had zero intentions of making you jealous.”

My heart beats double time and I edge the dagger closer to his skin. “I amnotjealous.”

“Well, I was. With Adrien. With that damn aster ring,” he says, and his words hit harder than expected.

“Aster?” I say, and I’m just now realizing Adrien spellworked the flower after his last name. It feels icky, like he was staking a claim on me and I didn’t even know it.