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What I’ll owe him for his help is still a mystery.
Calista is convinced these medallions are for something sexual. She laughs when she says it, as if turning it into a joke makes it harmless. But I’m not sure what to think. A man who looks like Edwin could ask for anything from any woman and get it.
Would it really be terrible if that’s what he wanted from me?
Heat pools between my legs. I press my thighs together subtly and hope no one notices. I know these thoughts are wrong, but Edwin makes being good feel impossible.
If the Serpent’s Head truly grants a wish, I shouldn’t have to pay for it. Asher never would have demanded anything from me in return. Maybe a symbolic dollar just to make me laugh.
That thought stings, and I dab beneath my eyes before the tears can rise.
The nurse returns and removes the needles with careful hands before reminding us to stay seated and let our bodies recover.
Wayne leans towards Calista. “You want to get a boat and head out to an island?” He grins. “Unless you’re scared.”
“Baby, I’ll go anywhere with you.” She kisses him, then swings her gaze to me. “By the way, you’re not coming with us.”
I nod. As if it were ever a question. “I know.”
“You definitely don’t want to see what we’re going to do.” She bites her lip and nudges him.
I admire her boldness. The way she lives like the world will always bend for her.
“Don’t you get tired of hiding?” I ask. “Why not just tell them?”
She frowns slightly before shrugging one shoulder. “Because my mom’s purity speeches have been shoved down my throat since I was little. I don’t need her watching me even more.” Her hand drifts over Wayne’s chest. “But once I saw this man, there was no stopping me.”
Wayne beams proudly.
Then he glances at me. “What about you, Zaiya? You looking for a boyfriend? I could hook you up.”
My eyes lower as I shake my head. Having a boyfriend was never even an option. Romance didn’t exist beyond the pages of books. Something to dream about while staring at my bedroom walls.
“Of course not,” Calista says with a laugh. “She wouldn’t know what to do with one.”
I look at her, unamused.
“When are you going to leave your parents’ house so you can actually be together?”
Her expression shifts from annoyed to thoughtful. “After college, I guess. One more year at Columbia.” Then she lifts her eyes to mine. “You were still living with your parents, too. Why don’t you just go back there?”
“I can’t.” The words come too easily. “Without my brother, there’s nothing to go back to.”
Her face softens into sympathy. “We’re kind of like sisters now.”
A smile slips free, small but real. It feels good to be seen, to be connected, even a little.
“Yeah. I guess we are.”
She jumps up like the thought just occurred to her. “Which is why you’re gonna cover for me if Mom asks where I am.” She grabs Wayne’s arm and tugs him towards the door.
“What do I tell her?”
“Make something up!” she calls over her shoulder.
And then I’m alone again.
With a long sigh, I rest my hands in my lap, feeling the faint hum of my pulse as my body begins its quiet work of replacing my blood.
