Void(67)

“It’s...complicated,” I finally answered. “I have to stay here.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Reed said, not even giving me time to explain. “You don’t have to do what your mother tells you to anymore. You can come with me, and we can start over,” he pleaded.

“That sounds really fucking nice,” I admitted with a small laugh. “The people here are cruel and the para—uh—guys are even worse.”

“Guys? What guys?” he asked, his voice pitching up like a singing canary. He loved gossip.

“There are four guys here that wanted me gone. But now they keep fucking with my head. I don’t know. I’m...drawn to them.”

Reed went silent on the other end of the line, and I wished I was a mind reader to know what he was thinking. Finally, he said, “Coxcomb’s all-girls school fucked with you. A life without easily accessible dick can make any girl go a little boy crazy. Look at Lyric. She got pregnant a month after graduation last year,” he reminded me. “It’ll pass. Just put that shit on lock down and remember that you can suck all the dicks you want in LA,” Reed offered with a smile in his voice. I imagined him perched on his bed, running a hand through his short, red hair while staring down at the stupid skirt they made him wear.

“I think it’s more than that…” I mumbled before standing up, a misty sheen of tears coating my eyes as I paced the room. “I can’t leave yet. I did something...and I need to make it right. I made a promise to one of them that I would.” I knew I was speaking vaguely, but there weren’t any other options. Pretty sure I couldn’t explain over the phone that I was a supernatural Void, capable of destroying others with my magical smoke. Plus, there were rules about that sort of thing. Never tell the humans. Never reveal who you were.

“What about the promise you made to me?”

His hurt-filled words were like a kick to the teeth. I couldn’t speak, just watched as the metaphorical blood filled my mouth. “There’s things you don’t know about my family. Things I can’t say over the phone…” I tried to explain.

A pause stretched between us. “Are you in danger, Devi?”

“Kind of,” I admitted. “The kind of danger that could get you hurt if I tell you.”

Reed went silent on the other end of the line once more, likely already coming up with some dumbass plan to rescue me. “I knew it. Your family is in the goddamn mafia and shit, aren’t they?” he groaned. “I’ve been reading those mafia books lately. I know exactly what to do. Where are you? I’ll get you out. I’ll get one of the non-dirty cops on my payroll if I have to,” he said, sounding completely serious.

“No!” I said a little too loudly. “Don’t call the police, I’ll be fine...as long as I cooperate.”

He groaned again. “Dammit, that’s exactly what you would say if you’re stuck up in mob shit. Now I definitely have to come rescue you.”

I gulped in a deep breath of air before responding. The truth was, I wasn’t directly dangerous to Reed, but my father’s words were still echoing in my head. Everything about this entire experience had just proved that I was a liability, and that powerful people were way too invested in my life. It was better for everyone if I just kept to myself. “Reed, you’re my best friend. And once things settle back down, I’m going to find you and explain everything. I promise. But until then, I have to figure this out. I have to stay here and get my shit together.”

“Fine. Don’t tell me. But I’m not giving up on you. We didn’t go through hell at Coxcomb’s to give up now. You’re all I have, okay?” he said quietly. “Can you call me again?”

“Yeah, I can,” I said, relieved. Reed was the only person in my life I could count on, and I had every intention of finding him once the dust settled. I just had a few things to do first. “You can call me too. This is my new number.”

“Good. Be safe, okay? I’ll see you...soon. And don’t let any douche dicks near you. Anyone that doesn’t know you for the kickass girl you are doesn’t deserve you.”

I smiled at that. Reed was always trying to remind me of my worth. “Yeah, yeah okay. I gotta go now. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” Reed answered before hanging up the phone.

I sat there alone in my cabin for what felt like hours after that, staring out my new window until the sun set. I was partly angry with myself. All this time I’d been focusing on the four paragons, and it wasn’t bringing me any closer to an understanding of my Void. Maybe Reed was right. Maybe I was just so starved for acceptance and annoyingly boy crazy that I let them get under my skin, despite their cruelty. It was time to buck up and take what was mine. Learn about the Void and establish a life for myself. I was no one’s puppet. I was no one’s emotional punching bag. I was here to figure shit out, and it was time I remembered that.

I finally got up and showered, noticing that all my wounds had healed. After I washed the blood away, I saw that there was nothing left to indicate that I’d been attacked in the first place. My skin was smooth and scar-free.

When I was clean and dressed, I went outside to check on Betty but paused when I saw a note on the leather seat, a red rose set down on top of it. I looked around, but there was no one around, so I walked over to it and picked it up, frowning down at the familiar handwriting. It was from Quade.