Never to Sleep (9 page)

Peyton squinted at me, like she always did when she was pissed, and I considered reminding her that frown lines start forming in adolescence. She opened her mouth to yell, but I spoke over her.

“But none of that matters, because you’re not going to win. You’re not even going to run, because if you do, I’ll tell the whole damn school about you and Beth’s boyfriend, and you’ll be too busy trying to scrape the world ‘slut’ off your windshield to run a decent campaign.”

Peyton stammered for a second, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. “You backstabbing little
bitch!
” she spit finally, and I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

“Yeah, I guess I am. You should keep that in mind the next time you ask me to turn on my best friend. Also, you might want to sleep with one eye open.”

“Or what, you’ll talk me to death?”

“No, I’ll come into your room in the middle of the night with an electric razor and a grudge. Or maybe I’ll put bleach in your shampoo. Or bronzer in your foundation. Or hair removal cream in your eyebrow gel. I know your habits and your routine, and I’m feeling pretty damn creative.” And…victorious. “There’s no telling what I might do.”

“Right. You’re going to sneak into my house and give me a malicious makeover while I sleep.” Her tone was sarcastic, but her words lacked bite.

I shrugged. “I cut Laura’s hair off at the scalp, and I actually
like
her.” True, I hadn’t known what I was doing and had no plans to ever do it again. But Peyton didn’t need to know that.

She stammered incoherently, and I took a second to enjoy her shock. Then I turned back to Luca and tugged him toward my car, leaving Peyton to stare after us.

“What was that all about?” Luca asked as I opened my driver’s side door. “Dancer drama?”

I shrugged. “Just establishing the new pecking order. I figure if I can snatch us from the jaws of certain death in the Netherworld, I can handle just about anything this world has to throw at me.”

Luca’s brows rose. “This world has some Netherworldly things to throw too,” he reminded me.

“Then maybe
you
should stick around and help me swing a bat.” I grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him closer, and for the first time in my life I didn’t care what I looked like or who saw me. At least for the next few minutes, none of that mattered. What mattered was that I now understood things I’d never imagined possible before—not just about the Netherworld, but about myself. I was truly
awake
, for the first time in my life, and if asleep was what I’d been before, I never wanted to sleep again.

“That sounds like fun. In a terrifying kind of way,” Luca said, with half a smile.

He was right. I probably should have been scared. Later, I probably
would
be. But in that moment, with the sun shining, the monsters vanquished, and Peyton stunned speechless at my back, I kind of felt like a new kind of princess. A
warrior
princess, ready to swing her battle-ax through hordes of the fashion-challenged and the socially unfortunate.

I felt like I could do anything. I could lead the dance team. I could stand up for Laura. I could even let my cousin’s crazy drama slide right off my back. And if no one else would tell me what I needed to know, I could damn well find my own answers.

But as Luca slid into my passenger seat to accept my offer of a ride home, the most pressing question was already weighing heavy on my mind.

What
does
a warrior princess wear for her first day on the throne?

Don’t miss BEFORE I WAKE

to find out what Luca is really up to!

Don’t miss these other books in Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series, on sale now wherever books and ebooks are sold from Harlequin Teen!

My Soul to Take

My Soul to Save

My Soul to Keep

My Soul to Steal

If I Die

Soul Screamers Volume One

(contains
My Soul to Lose, My Soul to Take
and
My Soul to Save
)

Plus these ebook novellas available in ebook format:

My Soul to Lose

Reaper

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A native of the dust bowl, Rachel Vincent is the oldest of five siblings, and arguably the most outspoken of the bunch. She loves cats, devours chocolate and lives on flavored coffee. Rachel’s older than she looks—seriously—and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.

She maintains a website at rachelvincent.net and an active blog at urbanfantasy.blogspot.com.