Page 36 of The Amber Sunburst

He says it like it’s a line he rehearsed. She wouldn’t be surprised if it is.

She sets her drink down onto the table, slowly so as not to spill any. Then she pulls her arm forward. She doesn’t even feel bad. She did warn him after all.

She slams her elbow back to hit him directly in his gut and hears a groan as he staggers back from her.

She could just leave it at that. Walk away and find her girls. Maybe call it a night early. But it’s not quite enough, is it? For touching her like that? She needs to get to him in the way that will hurt the most. His libido first. Then she’ll attack his pride.

She holds his collar and relishes the sting on her palm when she slaps him in the face. Hard. She hopes her handprint stays there for hours. It’ll scare the girls away, at least for tonight.

When she stomps away, he doesn’t follow her. He settles instead for yelling derogatory names after her that even make his lackeys wince. But why would she care? She’s been called worse by the Mothers on her best days.

And besides, she is a woman on a mission. The handprint will keep girls away but now it’s time for phase two: fueling his overwhelming inferiority complex. She scans the crowd until her eyes settle on dusky skin, pulled back hair, and wide caramel eyes all wrapped up in an Auxiliary uniform. She saunters right up to him, no hesitation. Kleitos’ glare is fire on her back.

She taps the boy on his shoulder, and he turns quickly, like he’s very eager to escape the conversation he’s in. Leaning against the wall next to him is a pretty girl with golden-brown skin.

And, look. She is a girl’s girl to a fault, really, she is. She would never step on another girl’s toes. But, now? Now she’s after vengeance. And vengeance takes precedence over girl code.

“Sorry,” she says, hand on the girl’s forearm. “Do you mind if I have a word with him?”

The girl looks her up and down, then shrugs. “Sure. Come find me later, Eudoxos,” she says. Then she touches Ophelia’s arm with a wink. “You can find me too, if you like.”

Ophelia head-to-toe blushes as the girl walks away.

“Bye, Theokleia,” the boy says with a wave. Theokleia finds her way onto the dance floor.

“She is so cool,” Ophelia says, both because she is cool and because Ophelia might as well talk her up in front of the boy she just stole from her.

“Very,” he says curtly.

Then she remembers Kleitos and her brilliant vengeance plan with this boy—Eudoxos, Kleitos called him. “You’re the one Kleitos was yelling at earlier, right?” she asks with no preamble.

Eudoxos’ eyes widen. “Yeah, I am. I usually try to stay out of his way.” He mutters the excuse quickly, like he thinks Ophelia is coming to confront him on Kleitos’ behalf.

“Wise. But today it seems like you wounded his pride a bit.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because to fix it he came right up to me and pushed me against the wine table.”

“Forms, are you serious?”

“Oh, yeah.” She smiles, sharp. “But don’t worry. I slapped him out of the way. He’s looking at us right now, if you peek across the room.”

Eudoxos does, and his brows fly up when he sees a fuming Kleitos watching their interaction.

“So, I have a proposition,” she continues.

Eudoxos’ brows stitch together. “Go on.”

“He hates you and he wants me. So how do you think he’ll feel if I only have eyes for you? He may just perish.”

Eudoxos hums, not quite at ease but definitely intrigued. “I like how you think.”

She offers him a friendly wink.

“So what’s your name then?” Eudoxos asks. Then he pauses to consider and adds, “You look beautiful, by the way. I noticed you right when you walked in.”

He doesn’t tell her she looks hot or sexy or cute. He compliments her with the sincerity of someone who has absolutely no sexual interest in her.