HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN

The second floor was already bubbling with guests when Veil and Anders stepped in, hand in hand. Although he was there with her physically, Veil couldn’t feel him anywhere near her. He was far away, lodged in a deep place in his mind where it was hard to get him out.

She had tried on their way there. She talked about her parents and how she missed them terribly, tried to bring Sophia into the single conversation she was having with her, and tried to turn it into a joke, but Anders wasn’t even hearing a word of what she was saying.

Veil had given up halfway through the ride, staying in her thoughts until they took the lift to the second floor. The minute they arrived, Veil found herself whisked away by Amanda, who wanted her to meet the members of her band. They’d all been asking about her since the scene with Sophia and Amanda had made them come over to the exhibition.

It was like killing two birds with a stone.

Veil smiled politely at Amanda’s friends, thinking she would have to put