Chapter 13

“I’ll leave you here,” Nic intones, dropping his hand from mine the moment the three of us materialize in the room.

“Okay,” I say, turning towards him. “And if I need to go somewhere, what? I just call you and –“

“You don’t need to go anywhere,” he says, flat. And then he disappears.

I scowl at the vacant space he just left.

Anton shifts, his arms folded over his chest, likewise studying the empty spot. “Chatty Herald you got, didn’t you?”

“Do you think they’re all like that?” I turn to look up at him, curious.

He shrugs, looking down at me.

“Hey,” I say, turning to him fully and putting my hands on my waist. “Did you make yourself taller as a ghost?”

“What?” He stares at me again like I’m crazy – something I’m starting to get used to.

“You can make yourself bigger as a wolf,” I say, shrugging, seeing the logic in it even if he doesn’t yet. “So, did you like, exaggerate your height? In your human ghost form?”

Anton’s face bursts into a grin and he reaches out to give me a shove. I oblige him, pretending to stumble back and making him laugh. “No, Juniper, I did not make myself taller. What you see is what you got in real life.”

“Well can you shrink, please?” I say, wrinkling my nose at him. “So I don’t develop a crick in my neck from staring up at you all the time?”

He laughs again, making me smile. “No way, Sinclair,” he says, bending a little to beam down at me. “I like addressing you from this height. Makes it easier to boss you around.”

My face falls as I roll my eyes, turning away from him. “Good luck with that,” I murmur.

Anton laughs again as I head over to the little chest of drawers in the corner of the room and pulling them open, quite gratified when I find several sets of pajamas there. I pull one out and turn to find the ghost boy sprawled out over one side of my bed, quite at home.

“Hey!” I shout.

“What?” he asks, spreading his hands out. “You don’t want me to be comfortable? So inhospitable.”

“Pets sleep at the foot of the bed,” I snap, striding over to him so that he can better see my glare. “Or better yet, on the ground. Outside.”

“Well then make yourself comfortable, little pet Princess,” he says, smirking at me and waving a hand towards the terrace in invitation. “Hope you’re cozy.”

I sigh but give up fighting about it. “Eyes closed, please!”

“Yes ma’am” he murmurs, lifting his hands to cover his face. I smirk, watching him, seeing that his eyelids are indeed shut behind his transparent palms.

Then I quickly strip off my beautiful dress, changing swiftly into the pajamas, my face falling as I think back on the events of the evening. “That was crazy, wasn’t it?”

Anton intuits that I’ve finished changing and drops his hands. “You doing all right with it?” he asks, looking at me quite seriously for a boy who I just ordered to sleep on the floor.

“No,” I say, seriously, carefully folding my pretty black dress. “I…I think he killed her, Anton.”

“I think he did too.” Anton’s voice is soft, serious.

“I didn’t really think it would go that way,” I say, raising my eyes to his as I press the dress close to my body. “It’s all much more real than it was this time yesterday, when I was just running on adrenaline and determination.”

He just listens carefully to me, his eyes not leaving my face.

“I mean,” I whisper. “I could die. And then you…”

“Don’t worry about me,” he interrupts, soft. “Let’s concentrate on keeping you alive first.”

I bite my lip but let him have this one, turning towards the chest of drawers.

“Juniper,” Anton says, uncharacteristically serious.

I pause in the midst of pulling a drawer open, turning towards him.

“You’re going to survive this, all right?” I meet his gaze, which is utterly confident. “Just…let me worry about how and we’ll get you through it. And maybe…maybe don’t actively insult the Prince quite so much. At least not to his face.”

I groan, tucking the dress away and then using my hip to slide the door shut before crossing back to the bed and flopping down on the empty side, staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah,” I sigh. “I really fucked that up, didn’t I?”

“Eh,” Anton says, and I turn my head to see him shrugging and smirking a bit. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“What?” I press myself up to a sitting position, intrigued. “What are you talking about? I was such a jerk to him – it’s a miracle that he didn’t kick me out of the competition – I mean, I ruined his shoes –“

“I know,” Anton says, his face bursting into a smile. “I loved that. I mean, it was stupid as hell, but I loved it.”

I can’t help smiling back at him. “Right, very satisfying, but stupid! So, what are you talking about? What do you mean you’re not so sure about the idea that I really fucked up and am entirely doomed?”

“I’m talking about the fact that…” Anton smirks at me, shaking his head. “Do you seriously not know?”

“Anton!” I groan, snapping out a hand to swat at him. “Obviously I am completely lost here!”

He laughs harder now, grinning and turning towards me. I turn towards him and scootch closer so that our knees would be touching if…you know, he had knees.

“Juniper,” Anton says, leaning forward and grinning at me, clearly enjoying the hell out of this. “You survived tonight because when you were mean as hell to him? Orion was like…deeply into it.”

My eyes go wide first, and then my lips part as my mouth drops open.

Anton leans back, grinning, watching me process this news.

“No way,” I whisper, starting to shake my head.

“Way,” Anton says. “Deep way. When you grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down? He was like, drooling, Juniper – I’m surprised he didn’t bite you right there –“

“Ew!” I gasp, swatting at him, making him roar with laughter. “This isn’t true – you’re just teasing me –“

“He liked it, I swear!” Anton says between laughs, shielding himself from my ineffectual blows – a very mortal reaction. “When you were walking away I turned back – he couldn’t take his eyes off of you.”

“But that’s so weird,” I groan, dropping my useless hands and leaning back against them. “Why would he like that?”

“Lots of reasons,” Anton murmurs, lowering his arms and grinning at me. “It’s not like he’s alone in his preference for mean girls. Not everyone likes their Princesses sweet and docile. Some like ‘em with a little spice.”

“Oh, that’s such bullshit,” I murmur, narrowing my eyes at him. “I’ve seen guys fall all over themselves at my sister Ariel’s feet for years, even if she didn’t realize it.”

I think of my perfect big sister, of whom I’m well aware that I’ve been a little jealous for years. She’s just so…pretty, and smiley, and charming, and happy, and…nice. All things I can’t seem to accomplish that she embodies with effortless ease.

“Your sister is very attractive,” Anton says with a casual shrug. “I’m not trying to say that that kind of girl doesn’t have her charms. It’s just that some people prefer their girls with a mean stream.”

“Like who?” I ask, shaking my head at him, not buying it yet. “Who on earth would be crazy enough to take a jerk like me, pouring wine all over their shoes, over perfect Ariel?”

Anton doesn’t answer, his smile fading a bit as he just holds my gaze for a long moment in silence.

I sit up straight, not understanding. Does he mean that no one would?

“Well, for one,” Anton says, interrupting my panicked thoughts. “Your boy Orion would.”

I scowl. “He’s not my boy.”

“He likes you, June,” Anton says with a grin, leaning forward, teasing. “He likes you snapping back at him, and grabbing him by the shirt all bossy, and shoving him away. Which all works in your favor, by the way. He likes you mean.”

My scowl deepens a little, my lip lifting in a snarl.

“Yup,” Anton says, winking and pointing a single long finger at my face. “Just like that. Do that tomorrow, and he’ll swoon.”