Infamous

EPILOGUE

“Again, I want to apologize to everyone for what I did by setting up the Web site and telling lies about my fellow students. I am so incredibly sorry. It was wrong and cowardly, and I will never do it again.”

Nick glanced over to Kody as Dina finished her public apology over the loudspeaker. Sadly, Dina was going to jail as soon as she finished her apology and left here. And he took no satisfaction from that knowledge whatsoever. It was too sad for any kind of victory celebration.

What had started out as a mean prank to get back at someone who had never meant to harm her in any way had caused her to commit a felony. Yeah, she could blame the Trexian for it. Or Brynna, and Dina was.

But in the end, she’d been the one who’d unleashed the demon from the necklace and allowed it to possess her. Nick was just grateful she’d admitted to lying about his raping her and that once the police had insisted she be examined, they’d found out she was as much a virgin as he was.

Still, there were no winners in this. As his mom so often said, in a fight, no one walks away unscathed. All participants get bloody. And even after all of this drama, people at school were still being mean to each other. Still mocking Nick over his arrest, and the other lies Dina had told.

Some things never changed. But even though he was a Malachai, Nick still had hope that people would learn and change.

The bell rang.

Caleb ran on to third period ahead of them, while Kody took his hand and walked him there. Dressed in that tight cream sweater, she was delicious. And best of all, she was wearing the pink heart necklace he’d given her once all the charges had been dropped. It was a celebration gift, and since she’d claimed his heart, it was a reminder that her life was much more important to him than his was.

Even though it was against the rules, Nick gave her a quick kiss before he went into the room, and stopped dead in his tracks.

Literally.

Grim was their substitute chemistry teacher. This had to be a bad idea.

“Are you planning to blow up the school?” Nick asked.

Grim snorted. “I’m not that lucky. Believe it or not, this is what I do for fun.”

Yeah, he found that impossible to believe … unless the lab ended up exploding with lots of carnage.

Nick cleared his throat. “Well then, I’ll take my seat. I am going to live through this. Right?”

“Have no fear, Gautier. I don’t pose a threat to you.”

A really bad feeling went through him. “What do you mean?”

“Is. English. Not. Your. Native. Language?” Grim spoke each word separately, and strung each syllable out.

Nick hated it when he did that.

“Oh, how silly of me,” Grim continued. “I forgot Stupid is your native tongue. Fine. I’ll spell it out for you. I’m not the one who is under orders to kill you.”

He went cold with the news. “But someone here is?”

Grim inclined his head.

Nick’s gaze instinctively went to Caleb.

Grim scoffed. “No, he’s actually loyal.”

“Then who?”

“You’ll know instantly. You can’t miss her. She’s wearing a pink heart around her neck.”