Page 132 of Wicked Dreams (Fallen Royals 1)

I break into laughter. “What are you going to do, rent a hotel room?”

He grins.

My heart skips. “Did you?”

“Where’s the surprise in that?”

“Haven’t I mentioned that I don’t like surprises?”

He laughs. “No.”

A new movie comes on, and Caleb and I fall back into silence. I actually stay awake this time, getting through most of it before the front door opens. Lenora and Robert enter in a flurry, dropping their bags and shedding coats. They come over to me, feel my forehead, pat the top of my head.

It’s nice to be cared about. Suffocating and completely unfamiliar… but nice.

Caleb rises. “That’s my cue. I’ll see you later.”

Robert and Caleb shake hands.

When Caleb’s gone, the place feels a bit colder. I try not to let it show, though, because Lenora takes his seat almost immediately.

She puts the back of her hand on my forehead again. “How do you feel?”

I shrug. “The same.”

Everything hurts.

She shakes her head. “If you want to tell us who did this, we can go to the school.”

“What?” I would’ve guessed Riley told her. Hell, the whole school probably knows already. The big bully, Ian Fletcher, takes out his anger on Margo. Again.

“We know Caleb found you, but no one will tell us anything.” She wraps her hands in mine. “Please, honey, tell us so we can put an end to this. I don’t want you to feel scared—”

“I don’t,” I say. “I’m not scared.”

It’s a bald-faced lie. I’m terrified.

She seems to analyze my face. Eventually, she nods. “Okay.”

I stand. “I’m going to go upstairs. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Feel free to sleep in,” she tells me. “I’m leaving pretty early for work.”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

I hobble up the stairs—at this point, walking doesn’t totally hurt, but I’m indulging my melodramatic side—and slip into my bedroom.

“’Bout time,” Caleb whispers.

I jump.

“What?”

I shrug, staring at the window. It’s cracked, letting in a biting chill. All the better to cuddle, I guess…

“Thought I locked it, is all.”

He smirks. “I unlocked it when I got here.”