City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(4)
Really, it was probably a good time for her to interrupt my breaking and entering schemes before I came up with something that could get me killed.
Sitting at the white marble countertop at Cirque de la Mer, my red hair drenched by the September rain, I sipped a Guinness and licked the foam off my lip. I still wore my black dress and boots, but I’d accessorized a bit with black nail polish, eyeliner, and silver rings. This was my look: ginger Goth Puritan.
Behind the bar, enormous windows overlooked the Atlantic Ocean, and the sea twinkled under the starlight. Dubstep boomed around me. I liked it here, with the loud music to drown out my own thoughts and a gorgeous view of the sea. Of course, this was probably the most expensive bar on the north shore of Massachusetts, but for tonight, I wasn’t going to worry about money. The loans were too ridiculous to worry about at this point, and I might as well owe a billion dollars.
When Shai sidled up next to me at the bar, she flashed me an enormous smile. Her dark hair fell in two long braids over a cream-colored dress. She wore vibrant red lipstick that perfectly complemented her tawny brown skin.
I’d really needed to see a friendly face.
She hugged me. “Hello, birthday girl. What are we drinking? Tequila shots?”
“I swore off them after the Harvard Square incident.”
She grimaced. “Oh, right. Okay, well, let’s eat and get cocktails so you don’t get messy.” She raised her hand, and the bartender immediately came over with a smile. Shai ordered us two mojitos and a butternut squash pizza.
With that accomplished, she turned back to me, eyebrows raised. “Okay, what was this about your nightmare of a day?”
I sighed. “Jack Corwin turned up in the middle of my class presentation and made orgasm faces when I was trying to focus, and then he claimed that I punched him in the eye. “
Her hand flew to her mouth for a moment. “First of all, fuck that guy. Second, has he lost his mind? Why would he think that people would believe that you punched him?”
I cleared my throat, cringing. “Well, about that part. I did actually punch him.”
“What?”
“After he tried to ram his tongue down my throat,” I said defensively.
“So he assaulted you first? You need to call the cops. He’s escalating things. He’s been stalking you for years now.”
The bartender slid our mojitos across the bar, and I grabbed mine instantly. I took a sip, letting the mint and lime roll over my tongue. “I reported it at Osborn State and to the police, but they decided a long time ago that I’m overreacting. Apparently, being a douchebag isn’t illegal, and I’m not sure they’d see what happened last night on my terms, either. His dad is a congressman or something, so…” I took another sip. “You know what? I’m sick of thinking about him. Please tell me about the City of Thorns. Let’s leave Jack out of tonight. I want to hear about the demons.”
“Where do I even begin?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Do you think demons can leave?”
She shook her head. “I think so, but not for long. As far as I know, there’s some kind of magical spell from hundreds of years ago that keeps them mostly tied to one demon city or another. But occasionally, they can travel between them. Why do you ask?”
“That night my mom was murdered—”
My sentence trailed off. I could already feel the air cooling, the atmosphere growing thorny as I raised the painful subject. There was no easy way to say, One night, a demon with a glowing star on his head hunted down my mom in the woods and burned her to death. And since the horror of that night felt raw even now, it was hard to talk about it without feeling like I was drowning in loss again.
Sometimes, I thought the only thing keeping me afloat was the certainty that I’d avenge her death. That I would get into the City of Thorns and find her killer.
But this was too dark and weird, wasn’t it? Worse than the fox pee beneath my bed.
Chapter 3
We were sitting at the marble bar, with the night-dark sea glittering before us. I didn’t want to ruin the evening, and so I waved a hand. “Never mind. I want to hear more about your daily life. What’s it like?”
I could feel the tension leave the air again. “Fucking amazing,” Shai said. “I might do another year. Any chance you can get the tuition for next year?”
“I’m working on a few ideas for getting in.” Wildly illegal ideas at this point. “What’s your dorm like?”
“There’s a balcony and servants. Even the ocean is more beautiful there. It’s not like the Atlantic—it’s like this gorgeous tropical ocean made with magic. Okay, so the city has seven wards, each one associated with a demon. And the university buildings are organized the same way. I’m in Lucifer Hall, and it’s this enormous stone castle-like place.”
Even putting my vengeance plans aside, my jealousy was crippling. “How are your classes?”
“Amazing. They’re held in lecture halls that must be four hundred years old, with seats curved all around a stage.” She sighed. “I know, it’s a huge expense. But I wanted to learn magical arts, and you can’t exactly do that at Osborn State. Belial is the finest witchcraft institution for mortals. I’m desperate to stay another year.”