Page 16 of Dark Embers

“So, where are we going?” she asked, and I was so relieved for a topic that I inadvertently bounced on the balls of my feet.

Realizing that probably made me look like a spaz, I made a show of rocking back and forth on my heels in a casual manner, like I was totally relaxed.

“I thought we’d go mini-golfing,” I replied, offering her a smile and trying not to look down at her tempting thighs.

Her brows flared. “Oh. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Her reaction made me pause. Did she not like the idea? Was she hoping for a fancy restaurant? Arthur had insisted on that option, but that seemed too intimate a setting. Being stuck on the opposite end of a cozy booth with her in a dimly lit space, forced to stare at her too pretty face, smell her intoxicating scent… That was too dangerous to risk, at least until I got a handle on this.

“I just thought we could do something fun together after being cooped up on campus every day. But if you’d rather go to a nice sit-down place, we can definitely do that instead.” I could find a place that wouldn’t push us too close together. Or maybe—

“No, I like this idea,” she said. “I’d much rather do something than sit at a booth staring awkwardly at each other.”

She laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile because we seemed to be on the same page, though for very different reasons.

“Besides, I never really get to be outside at night, and doing that at the Dome still isn’t really being ‘outside,’” she added. “It’ll be nice to play games under the stars.”

I frowned at that comment as the train pulled in before us. “Why don’t you get to be outside at night? Before coming here, I mean?”

Her eyes widened slightly, and her face paled as if she’d let something slip that she hadn’t meant to.

The doors of the train slid open, but neither of us moved as I waited for her to respond—or to dismiss me entirely. I could’ve changed the subject or invited her to get on the train with me, but I was too curious to let it go. I wanted to know her secrets. Her past. Her flaws. Maybe I’d find something repugnant that would secure my heart from her.

Finally, she cleared her throat and looked down at her feet. “My mom had these crazy rules. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near pools or beaches, or go outside the house after dark, or do anything on social media. Ever.”

Silence followed her confession, and she looked ashamed to admit this to me. While I was deeply intrigued by what she said and wanted to pry further, I didn’t like how she wouldn’t meet my gaze or the sadness that clung to her features. I felt the irrational urge to come to her defense rather than ask follow-up questions like I should have. Damn pheromones.

I shrugged. “Well, that sucks, but your mom sounds way better than my dad. He’s basically treated me like a soldier since I could walk.”

She glanced sideways at me, interest replacing the shame on her face. “Really?”

I nodded, satisfied to see the change in her somber demeanor. “Every morning started with workout drills, and every evening ended with a three-mile jog. I wasn’t allowed to speak unless I referred to him as ‘Sir,’ and if I didn’t sit up straight at the dinnertable, he’d make me stand against the wall with my arms held out straight until bedtime.”

She gaped at me in surprise. “What? He really made you do that?”

In lieu of a reply, I stood rod straight and held my arms out like a T, the way I’d done so many times in my youth at Arthur’s command.

She giggled. “Omigod, that’s awful.”

I chuckled and stepped toward the open doors, holding my hand out in a dramatic theatrical gesture. “Come on. Your carriage awaits.”

She laughed and climbed into the train; I followed behind her just in time for the doors to slide closed.

Of course, what I described wasn’t the worst of my father’s tyrannical treatment. But she didn’t need to know the level of abuse I’d endured. Those were things I’d never told anyone. And the last thing I wanted was her pity.

She picked a seat, and I sat beside her as the train began to move down the track. I thought about her mother’s rules for a moment, dissecting them analytically. The rule against pools and beaches made sense, given that Arya was a mermaid. For some reason, her mother must’ve wanted to keep that from her. But the other two were…odd. Unless she just feared creeps trying to abduct her daughter.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did your mom have those rules?” I asked, hoping that the trauma I’d volunteered had earned me access to her truths. “They’re strangely specific.”

Arya chewed on my bottom lip for a moment. “Well, I now understand the first one was to keep me from discovering I was a mermaid.”

Just as I suspected. “Why would she do that?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” she replied with a sigh. “And as for the other two rules, I have no idea. My mom was a woman of many secrets. And now, I’ll never know what they were.”

Her eyes misted over, and she looked away from me as if to hide her pain. She didn’t know that I could feel it like it was my own. Or that I had the absurd urge to wrap her in my arms and comfort her until the pain melted away.

There were so many things I wanted to ask, so many avenues I wanted to explore to find out if she might be the siren or why vampires might have killed her mother. Could that be why she wouldn’t allow Arya out after dark? Did she somehow know they’d target her daughter? Though, apparently, remaining indoors at night didn’t save her from the vampires’ clutches.

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