The Lies We Tell (The Four 1)

In four strides I was in front of him, crowding him against the wall. He glared at me, pushing against my chest. “What the fuck, Cavendish?”

“I’m here with a warning. Stay away from Winter.”

He gaped at me. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly. If I even hear a rumour that you’ve tried anything on with her, you won’t like the consequences.”

“Yeah? What are you going to do?”

“How does a broken jaw sound?” Zayde’s tone was conversational, but his eyes were hard and icy.

“She belongs with us, not assholes like you. Don’t fucking forget it.” I shoved him, hard, in the chest, and he stumbled to the side, scrambling to get away from me.

“Alright, alright, I get it. She’s not worth the hassle.”

Bastard. I took a threatening step towards him, and the coward ran up the steps, fumbling in his pocket for his keys.

“Stay away from Lena, too,” Zayde shouted after him, as the door slammed shut. He turned to me, shaking his head. “You don’t want Winter, huh?”

“No.”

“Deluded fool.”

TWENTY

Saturday. Guy Fawkes. The day things took an unexpected turn.

The Four had talked me into going to the celebrations—well, Weston and Cassius had, anyway. All they’d tell me was that I didn’t want to miss the fireworks.

“So, what happens at one of these things?” I asked Kinslee, not for the first time. She was standing at the kitchen counter, mixing some kind of cocktail for us both.

She turned around, ice cube tray in hand. “I told you. Fireworks, a bonfire, and games.”

“I want to know what the games are. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

Kinslee shrugged. “I don’t want to spoil the fun. Last year was my first time, and it was all the better because I didn’t know what was going to happen. You’re going to love it, though, I guarantee. I wouldn’t be so insistent about you coming, otherwise.”

“I guess so.”

She handed me a glass brimming with ice. “Drink up. Then we can go.”

Our group of five girls from our apartment building crested the top of the hill and stopped. The castle stood out in stark relief, spotlights cycling through all the colours of the rainbow, lighting up the stones and casting long shadows across the clifftop. The castle itself and a huge area around it had been fenced off, and there was a gap with a queue of people waiting to enter, with two huge, bulky men dressed all in black scanning the barcode tickets on everyone’s phones as they passed. Thumping music vibrated through the air, warring with the sound of the waves far below crashing against the cliff, and generators hummed loudly near the perimeter.

“Wow. This isn’t what I was expecting.” I sucked in a surprised breath, snuggling deeper into Caiden’s hoodie, which I’d conveniently forgotten to give back to him after he’d let me borrow it.

“Welcome to Alstone College. Where if you have the money, you can turn a simple bonfire into a massive event,” one of the girls laughed.

As we drew closer, I noticed a huge unlit bonfire, piled high with wood. To the far left was a makeshift bar area and a DJ with giant headphones next to it, just visible behind the huge sound system. Not what I was expecting, at all.

The security guy scanned our tickets and handed us each a strip of fabric as we entered. “What’s this for?” I asked Kinslee, bemused.

“You’ll need it later. Keep hold of it.”

I shrugged, shoving it into my pocket, and tugged the hood of Caiden’s hoodie over my head. It was fucking freezing tonight, everyone’s breath coming in clouds. I’d worn thermal leggings and black boots lined with sheepskin—not the most stylish outfit, but I was glad of the warmth.

I spotted a familiar face as we made our way closer to the castle. James leaned against the stone wall with a group of guys, all dressed in black. He normally looked suave and sophisticated, but tonight, dressed down with a hoodie, black jeans, boots, and a beanie hat pulled low on his head, I hardly recognised him.

“Hey.” I smiled, hugging him. “How are things? I feel like I haven’t seen you for ages.”