Chapter 217

[ 1,055 words ]

Your Actions Have Consequences.

The tapping woke me first. Its soft, persistent, and annoyingly rhythmic. For a second, I thought it was part of a dream.

My head was pounding, my eyes felt raw and swollen, and the light filtering through my curtains was far too bright. I

groaned, dragging the blanket over my face, but the tapping came again. Louder this time.

“Ugh,” I muttered, sitting up and pushing my hair out of my face. My reflection in the mirror across the room didn’t help,

cheeks blotchy, eyes puffy, hair a disaster. Fantastic.

The tapping came again, sharper now, and I finally stumbled over to the window, yanking the curtains open. And there he

was. Dean. Standing in the yard below like some smug, annoyingly handsome idiot straight out of a cliché, tossing another

pebble in his hand with that same cocky grin plastered on his face.

“Seriously?” I hissed as I slid the window open. “What are you doing here p>

He looked up, squinting against the morning light. “Hey, sleeping beauty. Thought I’d check in p>

“Check in?” I echoed, incredulous. “It’s-” I glanced at the clock. “Eight in the morning p>

“Exactly. Prime time to ask the important questions p>

I crossed my arms, glaring down at him. “What important questions p>

He tossed the pebble aside, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You still coming to the party tonight p>

I blinked. “Seriously? That’s your important question p>

He grinned. “Obviously p>

“Well, for your information, I got grounded p>

“Yeah?” He tilted his head, smirk widening. “So… are you coming to the party tonight p>

I stared at him, somewhere between disbelief and amusement. “No, Dean. That’s kind of what grounded means. I’m not

allowed to go anywhere p>

“Can’t all be irresponsible like me, huh?” he teased.

“Exactly,” I said, trying to sound firm. “Some of us have to live up to our family name p>

He shrugged, casual as ever. “I thought we didn’t have family names. Thought we were just two normal kids p>

That made me pause. Just for a moment. The reminder of what he’d said yesterday, how we were both pretending, both out

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5:35 pm

Your Actions Have Consequences.

of place, hit a little deeper than I wanted to admit. But before I could answer, I heard voices from down the hall, Lyra’s

-high-pitched laugh, the scrape of a chair, Mum’s soft murmur. Everyone was starting to wake up.

My stomach dropped. You should really go,” I said quickly, lowering my voice. If my parents see you here, they’ll lose it p>

Dean smirked, that infuriating confidence never faltering. “I’ll see you tonight, yeah p>

“I just told you I’m not p>

He gave a little salute and started backing away, grin widening. “See you tonight, Mace p>

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. “Unbelievable p>

But as I closed the window, I caught myself smiling…just a little. Because even though he was trouble, even though I knew

I should stay away, a small part of me couldn’t help wondering if maybe, just maybe, I would end up seeing him tonight.

Even if I wasn’t supposed to.

A knock rapped against my door, sharp enough to make me jump.

“Rise and shine, princess!” Noah’s voice called from the other side, far too cheerful for someone clearly plotting my

demise. “Time to go to work p>

I groaned, dragging the blanket over my head. “If this is about school, I don’t have classes today p>

The door creaked open a little, and Noah’s grin appeared in the gap, all dimples and smug fatherly amusement. “Not

school. Work p>

That got me sitting up fast. I blinked at him, hair a mess, heart pounding. “What do you mean, work p>

He stepped inside, arms folded, that deceptively casual Alpha posture that meant I was about to regret my life choices.

“Well, you wanted to play games, Macey, so now you’re going to reap the consequences too p>

My stomach dropped. “Consequences p>

“Yep.” He leaned on the doorframe, completely unbothered. “Your mum, your dads, and I had a little chat this morning.

We’ve decided that along with your grounding, you’ll be spending the weekend in the Underworld p>

My mouth fell open. “What? No! That’s Elliot’s job! He’s the one who works there, not me p>

“Exactly,” he said with a maddening grin. “And look how responsible he’s turned out p>

I stared at him, hoping he was joking. “There are four of you and Elliot who can help out down there. You don’t need me p>

“No,” he agreed easily. “We don’t need you. But it’s a good way for you to learn a little something about responsibility.

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Your Actions Have Consequences.

Consequences, and actions p>

I flopped back onto my bed, groaning into my pillow. “You’ve got to be kidding me p>

Noah just chuckled, the sound soft but wickedly amused. “Oh, I’m very serious, sweetheart. So-” he clapped his hands

once, like this was some fun group activity”-chop chop. Get dressed. Coffee’s on the table downstairs. We’re heading off

after that p>

I peeked at him from under the pillow. “You’re actually going to drag me to hell p>

He grinned. “Technically, you’re half welcome there already p>

“Not funny,” I muttered.

“Didn’t say it was,” he said, smirking as he turned for the door. “Ten minutes, Mace. Don’t make me come back with

Haiden p>

That threat alone was enough to get me moving. As his footsteps retreated down the hall, I sat there, glaring at the

ceiling, muttering to myself.

“Grounded for a week, now I’m getting shipped to the literal Underworld. Perfect. Just perfect p>

But deep down, beneath the grumbling, one thought lingered…If Elliot was there, then maybe I’d get a chance to talk to

him. I don’t like the distance between us lately. Things are différent…and I miss him. I know I’m not ready for what he

wants and I honestly don’t know if I ever will be, but…I miss my bestfriend. I just need to get him alone for a little while

so I can talk to him. Maybe I can explain things, smooth things out, get him to see that he doesn’t need to love me like that and there’s probably a really lucky girl out there for him somewhere…but even as I think it, the thought makes me

sick. I just want to see him.

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