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“Was she sick? Or was it an accident?” Alex’s curiosity always gets the better of her. But that’s one of the things I love about her.
“It happened really suddenly. An accident.” Fortunately, I don’t have to go into any more detail.
“Did you know her well?”
“It was Max,” I admit, and Alex looks shocked.
“Max? The one who pulled that stunt with Ayden?” She looks at him incredulously, then turns her attention to me again. “She was a total bitch, and she was just using you the whole time. Believe me, I wished all kinds of bad things on her. But you never think it’s actually going to come true.”
“Alex, that’s going way too far. You can’t say stuff like that,” Chrissy scolds.
Her friend shrugs. “It’s awful that she’s dead. Nobody should have to die that young. But it doesn’t change the fact that she was a two-faced snake. That’s still true, and just because I’m sorry that she died doesn’t mean I have to pretend she was a saint.” She puts her hand on my shoulder. “You shouldn’t feel bad about the fact that you couldn’t stand her. She did horrible things to you, and you’re allowed to remember that. She wasn’t your friend – she made that really clear. But us – we’ll always be here for you. And when everything looks really dark, we’ll make sure you can see the light because there’s always hope to be found somewhere. We’ll catch you if you fall. Right?” she asks with a broad grin, elbowing Ayden, who jumps back in surprise.
“You’re not normal,” he says with a smile.
Alex shrugs again. “Normal’s boring. But you know what I’m trying to say,” she continues, addressing me again. “I get it if you’re sad, but we’re here for you. So if you need a distraction – for example shopping or dancing in a club …” She gives me a mischievous wink.
“Thanks, it’s really good to hear that. We should definitely do something together soon.”
“Not soon. Now, my dear. Grab the moment by the horns.”
“I think you mean grab the bull by its horns,” Chrissy corrects her with a roll of her eyes.
“Whatever, as long as she grabs something.”
I think of the Fabricis, the dreary atmosphere, all my problems. Actually, some distraction might not be such a bad idea.
“I have a meeting anyway,” says Ayden. “You go.” He bends down and whispers in my ear, “There might be a deployment later. We’re supposed to use our odeon to lure out a few Noctu. But I’ll try to get permission to visit you tonight. These are exceptional circumstances after all.”
My heart beats faster. I really hope I can see him again later. It would do me a world of good.
“I’ll message you either way,” he says, kissing my temple before turning to go. He turns around one last time and waves at me.
“He’s totally hot – even from behind,” Alex remarks. I laugh and shake my head. She puts her arm around me, and we start walking.
Chapter 24
Taking time out with Alex and Chrissy was good for me. At first, it was hard to switch off and step down off my mental carousel. But Alex has a way of gradually drawing you out of your shell so that everything else fades into the background.
I hang my arm over the edge of the bed and ruffle Yoru’s fur. Judging by his deep, slow breaths, he’s asleep. But I find no rest. I keep thinking of Noah, who’s probably up in his room. I could be with him in minutes, and yet, although there are only a few walls separating us, it may as well be a universe.
Should I try later when everyone’s asleep? What would I say to him? I vividly recall our last conversation. I can safely say that it was a catastrophe. How could I handle it better next time? What can I say to talk him out of this craziness?
I sigh and roll over in bed. My eyes wander to my phone, still silent on my nightstand. Ayden hasn’t messaged me. The idea that he’s out there somewhere sending out odeon to entice the Noctu or the fallen makes me uneasy. What if …
Suddenly, I have a flash of inspiration. I sit up in bed and wonder why I didn’t think of it until now. Odeon! Of course!
I hastily jump out of bed, startling Yoru.
“I need to go out,” I say to my fox. “And this time you can come with me.” He quickly stands up and looks puzzled.
We hurry down the corridor and climb through the window. Once outside, I take out my key and summon the door that will take me to the Odyss. Yoru follows me, and we fall through the darkness together. I nimbly break my fall and straighten up. I ignore all the doors and peer into the dark spaces that their light can’t illuminate.
“I just didn’t use enough odeon the first time. And the second time, all I did was call out to her. She was probably too far away and couldn’t sense or hear me,” I say to Yoru, who looks up at me attentively.
I know the danger I’m putting myself in. My odeon won’t just attract Frida. The other fallen will sense it too and be drawn to me. I can only hope that Frida will be faster.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I slowly focus my odeon into a single point. This time, I need to let it out explosively so that it’s powerful and impossible to miss. Yoru tenses up, absorbs some of my power, and transforms. His nine tails fan out, and at that moment, I blast out the odeon. A faint tremor ripples through me, then I summon more odeon for a second wave.
