Expiration Date (Books 1 and 2)

31 I Don't Like You

Colton~~

The ballroom gleams in its gold decorations. Gwen may have orchestrated the party during breakfast as a joke, but she was serious when she organized this one. Somehow, she's managed to make the ballroom even more stunning.

Jonas walks with me, him leading the way. I know where he's headed. That girl. We're still a ways away when Erik chugs back his champagne flute, inexplicably leaving Iris. Her back is to us when we draw near to her.

"Good evening," my brother says to her.

"Jo—" She whirls around, a smile alighting her face. Her eyes land on me and that smile vanishes. "Preeminence, Colton." She curtsies.

I hold back the grumble at her slip up. He's known her for two days, and he's letting her call him by his name? He can't forget her purpose here.

Jonas motions around the ballroom. "This is one of the advantages of being high up in the Society. Your birthday is actually celebrated."

She tilts her head. "You mean—"

I brush what looks like a piece of dust off the lapel of my suit. "If we celebrated everyone's, we'd be holding parties every night. There would be nothing special about them." I don't know where my brother disappeared to today, but I have a feeling he was with her. "Brother, have you seen Gwen?"

"No, but I should probably find her and commend her on the party."

"Please do."

His eyes narrow. "You aren't coming with me?"

I smile charmingly at Iris. "I would very much like to get to know Iris more."

My brother's lips press into a fine line. Nevertheless, with a lingering look at Iris—regrettably so—he ventures off in search of our sister.

I drop the smile. "Come with me."

"Where?" She glances around us. Neither Erik nor Jonas is in sight to get her out of this.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I said so."

She backs up a step, but I grab onto her arm and drag her from the room and into the sitting room where I spoke with Gwen two nights ago. Shoving her forward, she stumbles, and I lock the door.

Righting herself, she turns on me. "What did I do now?"

I must admit that I do not admire her tenacity. Leaning against the door, I tilt my head, surveying her. "I don't like you."

She squints at me, wrinkles forming above the bridge of her nose. "You're entitled to your opinion."

"I'm not sure why I don't."

"Okay . . ." She rubs her arm, drawing my eyes to the bandage around her Expiration Date. "We've hardly talked."

"You're playing a game. I know that." I push off the wall and approach her. She backs up.

"I'm not playing a game."

"I mean with my brother and Erik. My top priority is my family—the Society."

Her back hits the edge of the unlit fireplace, and I lean over, caging her in.

"If you hurt any of them, I'll have you begging for your Expiration Date, darling."

She presses her hands against my chest. "Get off me."

I stand firm.

"I'm not playing a game with them."

"Oh really?" I lift her chin to make eye contact with her, which she never seems to want to make. "You came here with Erik and yet my brother took you to lunch yesterday. Just the two of you."

"It was nothing."

"If it was nothing, were you with him this afternoon?"

She swallows, her hands returning to her sides. "Yes."

I hold back the anger I feel swelling. "Jonas is the Preeminence. He doesn't need to waste his time on someone like you." I back off her. "You can go now."

She unlocks the door herself, and before she shuts it, she looks back, her mouth opening as if to say something, but then she closes it and leaves.