Saving Year Three (Grim Reaper Academy 3)

“Don’t worry, dumpster princess, you’ll know when the peace is over.”

I sighed. “You’ll put on a show, won’t you?”

“We’ll put on a show together.”

This is a bad idea. I shook her hand.

“Don’t forget about the pictures.”

She frowned. “You finally have a weapon that may work against me. How does it feel?”

I pulled my hand free. “Fuck you.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

All the girls involved did a hell of a job. Lorna included. The night of Mabon, all the students retreated to their rooms before curfew, spent an hour getting all ready and fancy, then teleported right on the beach when the clock struck nine. It was a little early for a party, but we were all starved to get out from between the tall, heavy, repressive walls of the Academy. Music blared from the speakers, booze was being passed around, and food was generally being ignored. Pandora and her friends had outdone themselves, and since this party was completely outside of the school norms and no one except for the students and a few trusted members of the staff knew it was happening, she’d focused on less fancy spirits, skipped the water and non-alcoholic drinks all together, and even sneaked in some questionable herbs she insisted could be smoked safely.

“What the hell? You only live once,” I said as I accepted a cigarette she’d just rolled up for me.

“You’ll love it,” she beamed.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “See, when you smile like that, I remember that I should probably never take anything from you.”

“You’ve already taken my fiancé,” she laughed. “Is he good for you?”

“Y-yes…”

“Then this will be good for you, too,” she motioned toward the cigarette. “It’s all natural, trust me. Like my ex.”

I rolled my eyes and went to find GC and Paz. If I was going to smoke the thing, I fully intended to make them try it first. Whatever it was, Pandora had already smoked one, so I knew for sure it wasn’t poisonous to demons.

“Everything going well?” I asked Lorna as I went past her. She was by herself, holding a beer and looking in the distance as if she were lost. I tapped her on the shoulder when she didn’t answer.

“Jesus!” she yelped. “Let me do my job!”

“Sorry?”

“I was just checking the perimeter.”

“With your mind?”

“How else, stupid? It’s all good. The cloaking spell is holding, no one knows we?

??re here.”

“How did you do it?”

She shrugged. “Enchanted a couple of crystals, placed them around the beach…”

“That all?”

She rolled her eyes at me. “Part of my mind has to be permanently focused on them. It’s a huge cloaking spell, a large space to cover, and a fuckton of people to hide. Not to mention the awfully loud music.”

“Aww… but you won’t be enjoying the party.”

She looked around and took a sip of her beer. Some of her RDC classmates waved at her, and she nodded but didn’t engage.

“It’s a lame party.”