Page 15 of Revenant

Her face twists with understanding. With all the adrenaline, I almost forgot that my clothes are, for all intents and purposes…ruined. “I guess this means I better call it a night.” I gesture down my front.

“Absolutely not,” she demands. “If you leave, then she’s the real winner.”

“I can’t just walk around here smelling like cheap beer, Mo.”

She puts her hand on her chest as if I offended her. “First off, that beer isn’t cheap.” We both laugh, but cheap or not, beer still smells like beer. “Secondly, nobody is going to notice. We’re in the woods, and there’s hardly any light out here. Besides, once we get a few more drinks in you, you won’t notice either!”

I look around at my peers, anticipating everyone staring like they normally do. A cluster of girls near the fire shriek with laughter, two guys argue over music, and to my surprise, no one seems to notice—or maybe they’re all too drunk to bother.

“Besides, if you go home, who’s going to keep me company?” Moriah whines, her whole body going slack against me like she can physically anchor me to the spot with her dramatics. “I spent forty-five minutes on this eyeliner, and I won’t have it wasted on an early night. You’re staying. So, BRB. I’m going to grab us something stronger. Time to switch it up.” I smile despite myself; her optimism is infectious.

Moriah returns, her eyes catching the bonfire’s glow, so the mischief in them looks almost devilish. She tips back her Solo cup, drains it in one go, the firelight flickering over her throat, and hands me mine with a wink. “Everyone, I have an announcement!” Moriah yells over the music. “I think it’s about time we started a new Veilcrest tradition!”

Collective cheers and agreements sound around us. “I think this is the perfect year to put that creek to some use!” Oh no. No, no, no. I can only imagine where this is going. I tug on her arm, trying to pull her attention away, to tell her to call this whole thing off. But something I’m quickly beginning to realize about her is, once she’s decided, there’s no changing her mind. “I hereby declare that all first-year attendees, and anyone else that wants to participate, must skinny dip in the creek! Veilcrest initiation!”

Excitement erupts from the crowd, students already undressing and sprinting into the trees. I knock back what I assume is vodka, wincing at the taste, and laugh under my breath. “This is not what I had in mind.”

“Live a little, Calder. Something tells me this isn’t what the ‘old Alicent’ would do either,” she says, blinking at me slowly, as if waiting for my brain to catch up. God damn it, she’s right. Old Alicent would be face down in bed by now, mistaking hiding out for an early night. She gives me a victorious look while unbuttoning her vest. “Besides, this is going to be the closest to Koen I’ve been without clothes on!”

I move after her, a reluctant smile cracking through. But my stride falters as the firelight dwindles at my back. Pryce warned me to stay close—there had to be a reason. I pivot, scanning the clearing, but neither him nor Koen are anywhere to be seen. They must have slipped off with the others. Shaking it off, I spot Moriah waving wildly from the treeline, urging me to hurry.

The creek waits ahead, moonlight skating across the surface like a dare. My stomach flips—half the booze, half the fact that I’m about to do something completely out of character.

Pulling on the bow tied at my back, I slip my corset off and toss it aside. The chill hits instantly, goosebumps scattering across my chest and down my spine, but it’s not enough to stop me. My jeans are next, and getting out of them is its own ordeal—the denim clings, taking my panties down with them before I catch them, and then I’m just…bare. It feels reckless, but freeing in the same breath.

Moriah’s already in the water, shrieking as she splashes around like it’s the best night of her life. I hover at the edge, toes curling against the dirt, heart hammering while I do my best to cover up with both hands. My reflection stares back at me—one full of exhilaration fractured by ripples of moonlight. Suddenly the image shifts, altering in the way it did when I stumbled upon the mirror during my nightmare. I shake my head and it’s gone just as fast as it came.

And then I jump in.

The water is freezing, shocking me sober, but it’s impossible not to laugh when I surface. My hair’s plastered to my face, skin tingling, and for once I don’t care who’s watching. I float on my back for a moment, staring up at the canopy of trees. It looks like it’s raining—silver threads falling through moonlight—but the drops never seem to break through the branches. They shimmer above me as if suspended, and the illusion makes me feel cocooned, safe, as if the outside world doesn’t exist here.

The water laps against my shoulder as I let the current rock me until movement in the treeline captures my attention.

Bastian has Naomi backed into a tree, his body caging hers against the rough bark, one hand fisted in her hair, tipping her bare throat to his mouth. It looks wrong, but in the dark it could pass for passion. She’s arching into him as if she’s in heaven, so I convince myself the pit in my stomach is secondhand embarrassment and go back to floating before the lie that I’m not jealous can fall apart.

Suddenly, I’m pulled under. Instincts kick in, and I thrash, trying to gain purchase either against my assailant or the creek floor. Both would be preferable. Hands keep a firm grip on my shoulders as I reach back, digging my nails into their flesh. Just as the buzz is becoming a little too comfortable, I’m free. Bursting through the surface, I gasp for air and practically cough up a damn lung. Whipping around, I half expect to see Moriah, thinking she was being funny. But I find two of Naomi’s lackeys instead. Lacey and Sloane.

“What the hell?!” I sputter, shoving wet hair out of my face. “What was that for?!”

I squint, expecting to see Naomi behind them, but then I remember she was getting her pets from Bastian.

“Oops.” The taller one doesn’t look remotely sorry. “The current must have caught you.”

“There’s no current. It’s a creek.”

“Huh.” She shares a smirk with the blonde, who I assume is Lacey, who is rubbing the area on her arm. I must’ve made contact. “Weird.”

“You’ve got some nerve showing up here.”

I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, and I’m too cold now to pretend I do. “Sorry. Is there a problem, or do you two just need a hobby?”

“Watch yourself.” Sloane attempts to circle me. “You don’t want to make the wrong enemies during your first week.”

“Noted.” I tread water, holding her gaze. “Now, shouldn’t you be off somewhere following your leader around? What was her name? Natalie? Pretty sure she dropped her leash by the treeline.”

“Naomi’s not our leader.”

“No? Then whoever’s actually in charge has a real eye for talent, recruiting you two.”