Free EVREN: Enter the Dragonette by Marian Tee Page A

want to comfort Deli, too,” Dyvian declared almost plaintively and promptly pushed Lucian away to hug me so tightly my ribs were in danger of cracking.
    That effectively put a stop to my tears and I burst into laughter.
    Dyvian pulled away, grinning.  He ruffled my hair.  “Feel better now?”
    “Quite.  But the car—”
    “Is being taken care of,” Lucian deadpanned.
    My face scrunched into a grimace.
    “A mechanic’s on the way.  We called him while you were busy flirting with the football dude,” Dyvian explained.
    “I wasn’t flirting.”  I tiptoed to kiss both brothers on the cheek.  “Thanks.”  Dyvian took it in stride, but Lucian again froze when my lips made contact.  I hid a smile and said brightly, “So, how do we get home?”
    “We walk.”
    I laughed.  “No, really—”
    “No, really, we walk.”  Dyvian’s cheerful voice began to grate on my nerves.
    “You honestly don’t mean that, right?”
    Lucian raised a brow.  “What’s wrong with walking?”
    I couldn’t believe he even had to ask.  I stuck one foot out.  “Look,” I demanded.  “Don’t you see what I’m wearing?”
    “They’re very nice,” Lucian said politely.
    “They’re not just nice.  These are Jeffrey Campbell shoes, Lucian.  Do you understand what that mean?”
    “Jeffrey Campbell made them.  So?”
    I clutched my chest, unable to believe he could be so disrespectful about my shoes.  “His shoes are so limited you’d have to sell your soul for them.”  I raised affronted eyes to meet his.  Lucian’s forest green eyes were still to die for, but their mesmerizing effect was temporarily muted by the sheer horror of his words.
    “You can’t make me walk all the way home.  You’re going to ruin them!”
    “It’s not like we’re going to make you walk all the way to Kansas, Dorothy,” Dyvian teased.
    “Ha-ha.”  I shook my head.  “I’m not going to walk.”  Then my face brightened.  “Why don’t we just fl—”  Lucian’s hand immediately clapped over my mouth.
    “Remember where you are.”  He directed a meaningful gaze toward the other town folk loitering in the area.  All of them were staring at us in great interest but quickly looked away upon meeting my gaze.
    “You’ve been too at ease already with using words you should never speak outside home.”
    Lucian took his hand away and I nodded.  “Sorry.  But can’t we do that instead?” I insisted in a whisper this time.
    “Haven’t you forgotten?  You’re grounded.”
    I rolled my eyes.  “Oh, come on.  You didn’t really mean it—”
    “He did,” Dyvian chanted gleefully.  “Really mean it.”
    “ Lucian .”
    “If you don’t walk home with us, that’s your choice.”  Lucian turned his back and began walking away.  Dyvian simply shrugged and turned to walk away, too.
    “You don’t mean that,” I cried out.
    “I have to follow what big bro says, sorry.”  Dyvian tossed the words over his shoulder.
    Lucian didn’t even bother to answer.
    I began to walk.  “I won’t forget this, Lucian.”
    Still no answer.
    Gritting my teeth, I thought hard about how I could get back at Lucian, and after a while, I knew what I had to do.  “I’ll also make sure everyone knows what a bad boyfriend you are to me.”
    Lucian stumbled, which was enough for me.

 
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    My second day of school, even if I didn’t actually get to class, taught me a valuable lesson—never ever let anything lull you into thinking Evren life could be in any way normal.
     
    Breakfast was the typical Chevalier affair.  Lucian pondered the state of the economy, Dyvian ate his food like there was no tomorrow, while I fussed over the way I looked.
    “I have a question,” I declared after joining them at the dining table.  I took a slice of toast and told myself I wouldn’t touch anything else on the table.  Lucian’s cooking was delicious—too delicious, actually, making it hard for me to