Page 41 of The Never Queen

Vane puts a cigarette in his mouth and pulls out his lighter, the case clicking open loudly with a quick snap of his fingers.

They watch him as the flame is pulled to the end of the cigarette and Vane inhales.

The lighter snaps shut.

Vane exhales smoke.

“Holy shit,” Ella mutters and Tad scowls at her before quickly looking back at Vane, as if he’s a spitting snake who could lunge at any moment.

My face warms, and I huddle back into the blanket, hiding the smile on my face.

Vane knows what he’s doing, and I think he’s doing it mostly for me. He won’t ever admit to taking on the role of my showpony, but whether he admits to it or not is beside the point. Because he is and I am enjoying it.

Ella’s astonished expression, mouth in an O, eyes wide, sends a flare of pleasure deep down in my belly.

“Who are you?” Tad asks with the shaky unease of a man who might have just crossed paths with a monster.

“Who are you?” Vane parrots back, and Tad blinks as if he’s unsure if it’s a question or an insult.

“I’m a friend of Winnie’s,” Tad answers.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And I thought she was missing.”

Vane gestures to me. “Here she is.”

“I thought…Winnie…” Tad sighs, unsure of which direction to take. I start to feel bad for him and jump to his rescue.

“They were just leaving,” I say.

“Come on.” Ella hooks her hand again in Tad’s and pulls him toward the stairs.

“We’re having a party,” Tad blurts at me.

Ella grimaces.

Vane takes another hit from his cigarette.

“Tonight,” he adds. “At Ella’s. You should come.”

“Should we?” Vane says.

Tad glances at Vane again. It’s hard to say if the invitation included Vane or was solely for me. But with Vane staring at him down the bridge of his nose, Tad can only nod vigorously.

“You have room for three more?” Vane asks easily. He’s playing with Tad now.

“There’s more of you?” Tad asks.

Ella continues to fidget beside him.

“Oh yeah.” Vane laughs and then takes a hit from his cigarette.

“The more the merrier,” Tad answers in a tone of voice that says the opposite.

“Then maybe we’ll stop by.”

Ella finally gets Tad moving and down the stairs. “Bye, Winnie,” she says and Tad waves over his shoulder. They leave together in the SUV.