If I’d Known (Cursed 1)

I grab the bottle from him first to make sure it's sealed before letting her have it.

When she dumps half of it in her mouth, she releases an obnoxiously loud moan. "Best. Water. Ever."

"Glad I could make you happy," the guy says with a creepy, predator smile.

I turn to him, knowing he's lingering because he thinks he has a chance with her. "Get lost."

He scowls and goes back into the building. That's when I notice the black boots on the steps next to my head. And, of course, I find Vic, the master scowler, doing exactly that down at me.

I let out a disgusted breath and focus on Allie, pointedly ignoring him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm so happy," she responds, beaming. "Here, have some." She hands me the bottle of water before taking ahold of the railing to pull herself up.

&nb

sp; I easily finish it and abandon the empty bottle on the step. "Thanks."

Allie stares at me with that same doe-eyed expression she wore in the truck. "You could be a fairy, you know. You have the biggest black eyes."

"They're brown."

"A little, tiny nose, kissed with stardust."

"Or freckles."

"And super-pointy cheekbones. Do you have pointy ears too?"

She tips her head to look, like she expects they might be.

"I don't."

"All you need are wings and you'd be my fairy princess." She places her palms on my cheeks and speaks in a high-pitched voice, "I wish I could shrink you and put you in my pocket."

I have no idea what she's talking about. She's delusional. I need to get her back to her boyfriend.

"Where's Seth? Let's go find him. I'm sure my friends are wondering where I am too." Or at least I hope they are.

"You do have wings! They're just hiding!" Allie declares when I turn to walk toward the door. She traces a finger along my right shoulder blade. "You are my fairy princess!"

"Yup, you're right," I say with a sigh.

When I glance at her over my shoulder, I realize Vic is gone--which is a good and bad thing. Good because I can't stand to be within two feet of him. Bad because now I have no idea where he is again, and I still don't trust him not to do something stupid.

I reach for the door at the same time it pushes open. A girl steps out and I slide by her.

"Allie!" I hear her screech in excitement right before the door clicks shut behind me.

I groan into the empty stairwell, knowing Allie's no longer following me. I'd much rather be drinking and dancing with my friends, but I can't leave her. She's a disaster. I have to help her find Seth. I'm blaming the drugs for my uncharacteristic kindness.

I set my hand on the release bar. As the door cracks open, I'm forcefully yanked from behind and slammed against the wall. Pain floods my head when it collides with the concrete. I blink to clear the spots from my eyes, disoriented. Something hard pokes my ribs and a forearm presses against my chest, pinning me. I pull at the arm, then grunt when the object jabs into me. It's a gun.

How many guns does he have? Did he get this back from Nina? Why am I thinking about this right now?

"You're not going to say anything about what happened tonight," Vic demands, his rank breath invading my senses.

I stab him a thousand times with my glare. When I refuse to answer, he thrusts his weight against me, crushing my chest. I grit my teeth in pain.

"Right?"