“I’ll sit in your lap,” she purred.
Isobel peeked at him from beneath her lashes. He did a good job of looking adoring and at ease, but his sweet scent had soured, and his discomfort was reaching out to her, hammering away on her chest and asking for acknowledgment.
She was just about to open her mouth and say something stupid when Reed appeared, wrapping his arm around Theodore’s shoulders and leaning down to stage-whisper to Wallis.
“How much do you really want to piss off Theo’s adoring fans, hm? They’ve waited years to have an hours-long live session of his disgustingly handsome face at close range, and you want to block their view?” He shook his head, whistling a tone of warning. “Way to get yourself cancelled, Wally.”
“It’s Wallis,” she said, appearing shocked that Reed was talking to her, and even sort of knew her name.
“Right. Enjoy your night.” He dragged Theodore off, and Isobel quickly stepped away, just in case Wallis decided to latch onto her instead.
She looped around, keeping an eye out for Kilian or Niko before stopping before the candy booth again and filling up her paper cone with more chocolate caramels.
“Um … Carter?” the woman behind the candy stall asked nervously.
Isobel quickly focussed her attention on the woman. “I’m allowed to eat these, right? Shit, I didn’t even ask. Sorr—”
“No, no! It’s all free!” The woman was waving her hands like mad, red colouring her cheeks. “I was just going to suggest these, since you like the caramels so much.” She held out another paper cone, already filled, looking nervous as hell. “I’m a huge fan, by the way. I know we’re not really supposed to talk to the students, but …” She trailed off as the man in the booth beside her cleared his throat, shooting her a quick warning look. “Big fan,” she repeated in a whisper as Isobel took the second cone.
“Me too,” a familiar voice spoke behind her, making the woman’s eyes go wide with shock.
Isobel also froze, her skin prickling.
What the fuck?
What the absolute fucking fuck?
She turned slowly, both cones dropping out of her grip, chocolates scattering over the ground.
Eve Indie was thinner, with dark circles under her eyes, but she was there. Dressed in loose, high-waisted jeans and a tight tank, a row of gold necklaces dangling brightly around her neck.
“Good to see you again, Iz—”
“Get away from me.” Isobel stumbled back, her hip butting against one of the plastic candy containers.
“It wasn’t me.” Eve’s lower lip was wobbling, her hand reaching out for Isobel. “That guy—Aron. It was all him, he forced me, threatened me … He has this power that drugs people …” She took another step closer, and Isobel shot to the side, backing rapidly away. “You really think they’d let me back in here if I was guilty? He demonstrated it in front of all the officials!” Eve called after her, the shout drawing the attention of the students around them. “I’m just an Omega with no abilities!”
Isobel’s head was spinning, her vision growing blurry, panic clawing up the back of her neck and filling her vision with an unsteady haze. She stumbled toward the dorm, unsure where else to go.
Maybe she could barricade herself in Theodore’s room or—
A strong hand wrapped around her bicep before she could get far, and she swayed toward the familiar scent of crushed petals and spilling sap. Even Moses was a beacon in her current state of panic.
“Come with me,” he muttered. “Keep breathing, Carter.”
Breathing.
Right. She was supposed to be breathing.
She pulled in shaky breath after shaky breath.
“Not so fast,” Moses gritted out as he manoeuvred her through the crowd of people. “Take them slowly.”
She focussed on doing what he told her until she found her voice again. “Eve—”
“I know.” His voice was a growl. “Kalen just texted us. They cleared her of all charges and delayed the news until now so the fucking surprise wouldn’t be ruined.”
“What?” she cried, an echoing bolt of pain shooting up her arms. She looked down, but there were no new wounds, only the long, puckered pink scars.
He stopped walking suddenly, causing her to collide with his back. They had reached the stage with the eight chairs, the cameras only a few steps ahead. He turned, fixing her with a dark look before ducking to whisper in her ear, his words barely audible.
“You’re an actor to them, Carter. And they want to make you the victim over and over again because they think you’re good at it. You don’t want to play out the script they just handed you? Then don’t. Don’t react. Don’t give them the satisfaction.”
She choked back whatever she might have replied as he lifted away, grabbing her hand and dragging her onto the platform. The seat with his name on it was in the middle, Theodore’s name tag beside it. He released her hand just before the line of cameras and dropped into his spot, arching a heavy brow at her. She sucked in a deep, unsteady breath, her mind turning over and over in shock and disbelief.
Eve had tortured her. Almost killed her. And they let her back into the academy for … a surprise episode?
For views?
For a plot twist?
Moses was right.
There was no way she was going to play along with this script. She stepped onto the platform and sank into Theodore’s seat, crossing her arms and legs. She let her head fall back, her body slumping slightly like she didn’t have a care in the world before she tilted her chin up to Moses, trying to thank him without words.
His lips tilted up at the side, then fell back into place again. “Dammit,” he muttered. “I forgot snacks.”
“There’s no way in hell I’m getting them for you,” she grumbled. She wasn’t that grateful. “I stand no chance of wrestling Theo out of this chair if I leave it unattended.” And she was pretty sure her legs weren’t working.
Moses dug into his pocket, pulling out his phone, and as his fingers flew across the screen, Isobel’s own phone began to vibrate. She extracted it from her small cross-body bag, tapping on the group chat.
Moses: I’ve got Carter.
Moses: Someone bring us snacks.
Theodore: What’s the damage?
Elijah: Who has eyes on Eve?
Mikel （admin）： I do. She’s with her friends, trying to find a spot near the stage. I don’t think she’s going to try anything. The story they’re pushing now is that Eve was forced by Aron. They’re saying he’s the one with the illegal drugging power. Apparently, it slipped out of him when the officials were questioning him, but Eve was also in the room.
Isobel: It’s not true. I felt her power while I was here in the academy. She’s used it on me before.
Mikel （admin）： We know.
Kalen （admin）： We won’t take our eyes off her until the movie night is over. Keep acting unaffected. You’re doing perfectly.
Isobel: Okay.
Theodore: What snacks do you want?
Moses: Whatever you’re getting.
Moses suddenly looked up. “What were those chocolates you were inhaling?”
“Something with caramel. I don’t know.”