Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

FIREWORKS

M y mouth opens and shuts. I have no idea what to do. Then calm descends. I am Raven, just like she says. What could she possibly do? Tell my parents? It won't change the fact that I am who I am, and she is who she is.

Then I'm ashamed of myself.

All this runs through my mind in the few seconds it takes for the girl to cross the room to the sinks. She washes her hands, running her damp fingers through her hair. I'm still stunned. Then adrenaline kicks in. What the hell are you doing, Emelia? Get out of here! I reach for the door, but before my fingers make contact with the grubby paintwork the girl speaks.

‘I wouldn't.'

‘What?'

‘Go out there.'

‘ What? '

‘ What? ' she mimics me, making a face in the mirror, her reflected gaze holding me in place as though she's a snake and I'm the mouse. She turns, leaning against the sinks, picking at her nails.

I swallow. ‘What's your problem?' I mean it to come out tough-sounding, like girls I've seen in films. But it's more of a mouse squeak.

‘You are,' she says, pushing herself off the sinks and strolling towards me. ‘This is my territory. And I don't really like your kind.'

‘My kind?'

‘Ravens.' She draws out the ‘s', like a hiss.

My fists clench. ‘I can't help who I am.'

‘Kyle wasn't very smart, really, bringing you here.'

Kyle?

I reach for the door again. The girl puts her arm on the wall, stopping me.

I snarl at her.

Her eyes widen and she steps back, hands up. ‘Your choice.' There's a faint tremor in her voice now. ‘But, if I know who you are, how do you know I haven't told everyone else?'

‘So what if you have?' I don't know where the snarl came from. It felt natural, though.

‘There aren't many in here who are fans of Raven. It could be quite bad for you.'

‘Have you? Told them?' Despite my bravado, I'm aware of being very, very alone.

She laughs. ‘No. Not yet, anyway. I'm giving you a pass tonight.'

‘A pass?'

‘Yeah.' She narrows her eyes. ‘A pass tonight and then—' she leans in close to me ‘—I don't see you here again.'

Screw her. ‘Like I'd come back here anyway. Not really my scene.' I cast a derisive eye over the cracked sinks, the broken mirror. ‘But if I want to, you can't stop me. I can have the whole fucking place burned down if I wanted to.' I know I sound like an entitled asshole, but it might be the only thing that gets me out of here in one piece. I draw myself up to my full height, looking down my nose at her, trying to channel my mother. The girl flinches. Actually fucking flinches. But my brief moment of elation passes when she grabs my shoulder, her fingers digging in as she pushes me up against the wall.

‘Bitch! Take your stupid boyfriend and get out of here before I do something you'll regret.'

Her breath is hot on my face, her body uncomfortably close. No one has ever touched me like this in my life. The bathroom door flies open. It's Kyle, his nostrils flared, fangs dropped.

‘Move away from her.'

The scarred dancer lifts her hands, stepping back from me. She's smirking, though, and takes her time with it. ‘Sorry,' she drawls, not sounding it in the slightest. ‘Come for your precious Raven?'

‘Keep your voice down!' Kyle hisses, his shoulders raised, teeth bared, like a snake about to strike. The dancer seems unbothered, leaning against the sink once more and picking at her damn nails.

‘Get out of here,' he says. I take a step. ‘Not you, Emelia.' He's still glaring at the dancer. She huffs out a small breath, then pushes herself away from the sinks. Kyle steps in front of me.

‘Oh, you're quite the tough guy, aren't you?' Reflected in the mirror, I see her run her fingers over the front of Kyle's jacket. My eyes widen. He's going to kill her, surely. But he just removes her hand, his expression hard to read.

‘Enough,' he says, but his tone is calm. I frown.

‘Okay, okay, I'm leaving. But hurry up, will you?'

Hurry up?

She walks past us to the door, still smirking. I wish I could rip her face off.

‘You okay?' Kyle cups my face in his hands, kissing me. As soon as the kiss ends, I push him away.

‘I want to go.'

‘Don't let her get to you, Emelia, she's just?—'

‘She. Knows. Who. I. Am. You heard her. So we need to go.' What part of this doesn't he understand? If it's going to be bad for me, it'll be worse for him, when my parents find out he took me off the estate.

Kyle lets out a deep sigh, one hand on the wall next to my head. ‘Fuck.'

Indeed.

‘How does she know who I am?'

He takes in a deep breath. Which he doesn't need to do. There's a pause. ‘She's my ex.'

What. The Actual. Fuck.

‘Kyle.' I keep my voice low because I think I might scream if I don't. ‘Get me out of here. Now. '

I'm going to kill him. Or her. Or someone. Or everyone. How could he put me in such an unsafe situation? I pull my phone out, but before I can dial Kyle scoops me up, holding me so tight I can't move. He rushes me out of the bathroom and through the crowd, taking me out of the club into the night. I struggle, furious, digging my nails into him.

‘Ow! Emelia!' He skids to a stop and puts me down.

‘What's going on?' I'm spitting fury. ‘Why in darkness would you take me somewhere your ex works?'

We're under trees by the side of the road, Kyle a dark silhouette. He doesn't say anything and, as I can't see his face, I start to worry. I keep my expression fierce, knowing he can see me. I fold my arms.

He sighs. ‘I didn't know she'd be there. And this is the closest place to your estate.'

Okay. I can buy that. I guess. ‘What did she mean when she told you to hurry up?'

He becomes still, and I really wish I could see his face. He sighs again. ‘I'm supposed to be helping her.'

‘What?' My face scrunches up. ‘With what? Why on earth would you help her with anything?'

‘Her family. They were, er, they were good to me. When I was with her.'

I shrug, still frowning.

‘They helped me get out of a bad situation. And, well, I'm supposed to be returning the favour. Her brother isn't well, and they want me to find a way to get them to a place where he can have treatment. She wanted to know if I'd arranged it.'

‘Well, have you?'

‘I just have to sort out a couple more things.'

He sounds sad when he says that, folding his arms, his head down. And, like an idiot, I feel sorry for him.

‘Can I do anything?' God, I'm a sucker. But I can't help myself.

‘What?'

I shrug again. ‘If they're in the Safe Zone maybe I can talk to Father, arrange a doctor. After all, I know he'd want to—' I bite my tongue, then. I'd been about to say ‘take care of the stock,' but realise how wrong that is.

‘You are something else, Emelia.' Kyle shakes his head. ‘No, though I appreciate your offer. There's nothing you can do.' He pauses. ‘I'm sorry about tonight. About everything.'

Everything? I don't know what to do. I feel teary all of a sudden, and cold.

He moves closer, blotting out the stars. His lips trace my jaw to my neck and I breathe him in, hurt tangling with lust.

‘Forgive me.'

The way he says it is like a question, and my heart clenches. With his arms around me in the darkness, there's no question. Tonight has already been strange and awful and wonderful at the same time, and it's all thanks to him. Of course I forgive him. I turn my head, kissing him, soft at first, then deeper. I feel him smile.

There's a series of loud bangs in the distance, and he lifts his head. ‘Fireworks.'

The Moon Harvest.

‘Do you still want to do this?' His breath is cool on my cheek. ‘We can go home instead, if you want. And when we get back…' He nips me, gently, and I shiver.

‘No,' I say. Just a breath. Still, he stops what he's doing. ‘No,' I say again, louder. ‘Let's see this through. But promise me one thing?'

‘What's that?'

‘Don't ever bring me here again.'

He laughs, soft, his forehead resting on mine. ‘I promise,' he says. ‘And now, pleasant as this is, we need to go. Once the fireworks finish, it'll be time. Are you ready?'

I nod and he lifts me into his arms. With a cacophony of bangs, the sky fills with light and colour. Fireworks above us like exploding stars, we start to run.