The Legend of the Eight: The Wicked (Book 2)

2: She's Come Undone

TWO: SHE'S COME UNDONE
MARCH 12
WIL DIAMOND

SHE SPENT THE WEEK NUMB. Physically. Emotionally. It was like someone dug their way into her brain and disabled the part that allowed her to register any human emotion. And the craziest part was, she didn't even realize just how numb she'd become until she was floating in the ocean, tequila in her veins and Montgomery West's hands on her body like she was one of those cheap Spring Break girls in a Nelly music video. The ones with the body glitter and the Jell-O shots. The ones who didn't have a care in the world.

Someone said his name earlier. She thought she would burst into tears but she didn't feel a thing.

No anger. No betrayal. No hurt. Not even a bit of longing. She was a zombie and she couldn't decide which was worse—to feel that pain or to feel nothing at all.

AFTER EVERYONE WENT TO BED, Wil wandered around aimlessly, kept company by a bottle of tequila which was almost empty. She swayed from side to side while she walked and the alcohol dulled any sense of balance she had. Her clothes laid scattered on the sand outside and her long curls were still damp from her swim. At one point, her foot slipped on the tile and she fell down, cracking her head against the floor when she did.

On the ground, she blinked hard and expected to feel a sharp pain in her head from the impact. But like every other day since the night at the old boarding house, nothing. She struggled to sit upright and when she did, she saw a small puddle of blood on the floor next to the tequila she'd dropped. It must have come from her head so she felt blindly for the source. Her fingers touched something wet and when she inspected them, she saw they were dipped in red.

That was the problem with not feeling anything. Pain is the thing that tells you when something's wrong.

"Shit," she gasped, touching the wound again only to confirm it was still bleeding. She stumbled along the dark halls, hugging the walls for support and she reached one of the bedrooms. She pushed her way inside and found Monty awake in bed, scrolling through his phone.

"Diamond?" he asked, squinting to get a look at her. His light blue eyes widened when they saw the blood trailing down the side of her face and he sat up quickly. "Damn, Wil. You're bleeding."

She sauntered into his room, bumping against the desk and dresser on her way to the bed. "Yeah," she said eventually, showing him her fingers where her blood had already begun to dry. They were sticky. She should wash them. "I guess I am."

She sat on the edge of the bed beside him and then gestured to her wound.

"Care to help a bleeding girl out? That is, if you can tear yourself away from your porn long enough."

Monty dropped his phone and stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm reading WoMOnline, you sicko."

She turned her nose up at him. "You're the sicko if you waste your time reading that trash."

WoMOnline was a tabloid for all gossip in the World of Magic. Wil and her siblings were often featured due to their royal status and the rumors about them were ridiculous at times

He ignored her and began inspecting the gash that was seeping blood. He turned her head and the snapped his fingers, magically switching on the lights in the room.

"It's not that deep."

Wil snorted through another laugh. "That's what she said."