Page 61 of Reverie
“Hunter and I spoke last night,” I say, glancing down at a silent Summer as steam starts to swirl around us. I reach into the shower and turn the taps on cold. “Hunter knows it’s dangerous, but once The Architect and Morris Winthrope are out of the picture, we’ll be able to go on with our lives.”
Veronica blinks at me. “Oh, my sweet summer child.”
“What?” I say, stepping back.
“The shit these Legion people are up to is more than just this one person. People come and go. This shit…this isAmerica,” she says.
“Don’t start quoting rap lyrics at me, Veronica,” I say with an eye roll.
“So you really think that you knock off the future president of the United States and then you can go back to your apartment on U Street? You know, seeing as the safe house you’ve been living in wasbombed.”
I rub the skin between my eyes. “Veronica….”
“Winter,” she snaps. “You know what I saw when I met up with Rio?”
I raise an eyebrow.
“He was completely fine.”
I blink at her again, and Summer coos before smacking her lips.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she takes a step closer, dropping her voice, “he was up and walking around. He didn’t even have a wound. He wascompletely fine.”
The words she says don’t compute in my brain. “I?—”
“Winter, I need you to listen. Open your eyes. Youknowhow this world works.” She grabs my uninjured shoulder, squeezing it. “Do you think that this is about one person? This Legion shit...this is an uprising, a cabal. How do you stop a wave in the ocean?”
She tries to burn me with her gaze. “You aren’t dumb, Winter. You are two sneezes away from having your doctorate. And you know that if you look around the sparkle of Hunter and all he can give you, you’ll see that there’s some freaky shit happening.”
Her grip on my shoulder tightens.
“Winter, you and I are collateral damage. We don’t matter here, and these people will not hesitate to put us in the line of fire if it means that they get what they need,” she says.
I shake my head, denying her words.
“Hunter wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me. To us. He brought you to Amelia Manor, remember? He helped take care of you when James ditched you.”
Veronica’s face hardens, and I realize how it sounds once the words are out of my mouth.
“Rons, I didn’t mean it like that,” I sputter, and she waves away my weak apology.
“Winter!” She groans in frustration. “I think we should leave. Really.”
I growl back. “I told you. I’m not leaving Hunter!”
She lifts her eyes to the ceiling, her mouth moving as if praying for guidance.
I understand that she’s frustrated. I really do. But the fact is, I’m not leaving Hunter.
End of discussion.
And why not, Winter?
“Okay, Winter,” she says, her eyes slipping closed. “I won’t bring it up again.” When she finishes speaking, her gaze settles on my face.
“Just…” She brings Summer’s face close to hers and kisses her forehead. “Just keep your eyes and ears open, Winter. And don’t forget that you have to look out for yourself, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to any of us.”