Filed To Story: Pretty Poisoned Novel by Elle Mitchell
“I actually don’t know the answer to that,” Luca says. “Hey, baby. Do you have any allergies?”
I nod. “Kiwi.”
“Really?” he asks.
“Uh-huh. I have an EpiPen in my bag.”
“Don’t give her any fucking kiwi.”
“We have a nurse on staff,” Hazel says. “She’ll be fine.”
“What the fuck happened to you?” River asks, referring to the bandage on my chest.
“Umm ” I look over her shoulder at Luca, who only laughs a little. “Nothing.”
River gasps. “What did you do to her?”
I cover my face with my hands as she pushes the strap of my tank top aside so she can peel the top of the bandage back.
“Holy shit, Luca,” she says.
“Jesus ” Hazel says. “Does it hurt?”
“A little bit, yeah.”
“She likes it,” Luca tells them.
“Do you like it?” Hazel asks.
I nod.
I love it.
“It actually doesn’t look that bad,” River says. “It’ll scar, for sure, but it looks like you cleaned it up okay.”
“I took care of it,” Luca tells her. “I know what I’m doing.”
“And when you get sick of him, it’ll be pretty easy to turn the ‘L’ into an ‘H,’ so that’s good,” Hazel says.
“Don’t fuck with me, Hazel,” Luca says. “I haven’t had any caffeine yet; I’m in no fucking mood. I’ll carve my full fucking name into your ass cheek.”
“I’m just trying to be positive. Calm down. Go to the fucking gym and burn off some of that toxic masculinitythat’s what you’re doing, isn’t it?” Hazel looks at me, points to the desk, and adds, “We ordered coffee. You can have some if you want.”
“All right. I’m leaving,” Luca says. He leans over the bed and kisses me.
“Bye,” I tell him.
“Bye,” Hazel says. “Don’t be mad at me, Luca. You’re my best friend.”
“You’re a fucking liar, Hazel,” he says. “You like Eli and Declan better than me.” He kisses her on the forehead. “I forgive you, though.”
“Bye, Luca,” River says as he heads out the door.
“Behave,” he tells her. “No fucking kiwi.” Luca nods to someone outside the door and holds it open. “Oh, hey.”
“Hey. See you later,” Declan says. His voice makes my heart stop. I feel my cheeks flush red. I’m not sure whyI’m not embarrassed or ashamed of what happened. But it’s just him.
“What’s wrong with kiwi?” Declan asks as the door closes behind him. I don’t look at him as he crosses the room, turning to face River instead, twirling her hair in my fingers.
“Teagan is allergic,” River tells him.
“Really?” he asks, standing at the foot of the bed.
He’s in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved henley; the buttons are left open, and the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His dark hair falls over his forehead in that way that looks like a perfect accident, just barely brushing his eyebrows.
I kind of hate it.
Assuming his question is rhetorical, I don’t answer.
“And what’s wrong with Teagan?”
“Um, nothing I think,” River says.
“Luca sliced her upyou should see it. But I think she’s fine,” Hazel tells him.
“I’ve seen it,” he says. “Good morning, Teagan.”
I turn and look somewhere over his shoulder. “Morning.”
He lies across the bed between Hazel and me.
“I missed you,” Hazel says, resting her head on his shoulder. “I feel like I’ve barely seen you since we left home.”
“I’ve been busy,” Declan says. His hand finds mine in the small space between us, and I hold my breath as his fingers thread between mine.
“Have you talked to her at all, Declan?”
He shrugs. “What? Who?”
“Alana.”
“Oh no.”
“I miss her. She blocked me,” River says. “On everything. Hazel, too.”
“We cried all night,” Hazel adds.
“I miss them so much.”
“I’m sorry,” Declan says. “There’s nothing we can do about it; it’s Alana’s life and her choice. Not ours.”
Them. River said them, not just her. His detached, diplomatic response fails to address the plurality in her statement, reminding me exactly what I’m dealing withthe man who, after years, couldn’t tell Layla he loved her while she was dying.
“Let’s go get doughnuts,” Declan says. “The best place is just a few blocks away. We can walk.”
“Oh my god, yes,” Hazel says. “I’ll text Brady.”
“Teagan, are you coming?” he asks.
“Um, I just realized I’m locked out of my room. And I need to change.”
“Go change,” he says, handing me a key from his pocket.
“ Thanks.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.