Evaline:
I knew Mallory well enough to expect a dramatic reaction, but even so, her shriek nearly made me spill the tea in my hand.
"You are what?" she half-whispered, half-yelled, her eyes going impossibly wide as if I had just told her I was moving to the moon.
I winced, quickly setting my mug down on the bedside table and reaching over to press my hand over her mouth. "Sshhh! Do you want the entire estate to know?" I hissed.
She mumbled something against my palm, still looking at me like I had sprouted a second head. I narrowed my eyes before slowly pulling my hand away. "Mallory, lower your voice. The door's locked and the room's soundproof, but still... you are loud enough to make my ears ring."
"Sorry," she said automatically, though her tone suggested she was anything but sorry. "But you can't just drop a bomb like that and expect me to stay calm. River? Out of all people, River is your mate too?"
