Violet Nate’s head snapped to the side. What followed next was a thick, and stunned silence broken only by the echo of the slap reverberating off his cheek. And even if I had slapped him, it didn’t satisfy me in the least. My palm burned and my heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. “How dare you?” I shouted, my voice shaking with fury. “You don’t get to talk about him. Or me. Or anything.” Nate stared at me, shock giving way to anger in his eyes. “Did you just slap me?” He looked genuinely confused like even the idea of me choosing violence was beyond his understanding. “Elijah,” he said slowly, never looking away from me, “This is all him, right? I told you to stay away from this asshole. Look what he is turning you into!” Elijah grabbed him by the collar and slammed

