Page 29 of Deadly Alliances

I’d thought Kendall was a good guy when he’d been siding with the vampires all along. I’d thought Tobias truly cared for me when he’d only been assigned to seduce me by his father. I’d thought Adina really had a wounded side when she was, in fact, pulling a cruel prank on me.

And I’d thought my mom was nothing more than a normal, if not eccentric, human when all of the signs for the opposite were so painfully obvious now that I knew better.

But at the same time, a little of all of that was true. There was right and wrong on both sides of each coin—except where Adina was concerned; she really was just an irredeemable bitch.Kendall did believe he was doing the right thing. Tobias at least believed he loved me. And my mom, at her core, was a normal woman trying to do the best for her daughter.

How was I to know what was right and what was wrong when there was so much gray? The path to Hell is paved with good intentions. Didn’t we all have good intentions? Even the general, whose cruelty I’d seen no match for, saw an end that he thought justified the means. And who was I to judge when I’d made so many mistakes.

I regretted hurting Tobias. Yes, he’d hurt me, but he tried to fix it. He’d bared his soul to me and confessed everything. I’d heard the truth in his words, but I’d been so pigheadedly vengeful that I broke his imprint on me. Something inside me died the instant the bond severed, and I’d been silently grieving its loss ever since.

I missed him. Part of me still hated him, but I missed him so much. And worse, I missed that I no longer needed him the way I did before. I hadn’t realized at the time how safe the bond made me feel, but now that it was gone, I felt oddly defenseless, like I was freefalling with nothing to catch me.

A small voice sounded from outside my door, and my ears perked.

“Is she up yet?” It was obviously Alex.

Agnes’s matronly voice was trying to dissuade Alex, but she wasn’t getting very far with him.

“It’s okay. I’m up,” I called as I slipped off my bed and went to open the door.

“Do you wanna have breakfast with me?” Alex asked, and my heart melted once more. Not only was he adorable, but he was so polite. It was hard to think I was speaking to an eight-year-old.

“I’d like that,” I said with a smile.

Agnes pursed her lips.

“Let me just go get dressed and I’ll be right over,” I said, remembering I was still in my pajamas.

Alex nodded, and he and Agnes left while I changed.

It still amazed me how much trouble Hadrian had gone through to make me comfortable. I still thought of my room as a gilded cage, but as I pulled the sky-blue cashmere sweater over my head—perfect for the cold halls of the citadel—I couldn’t help but appreciate the amenities available to me. Every item of clothing was of the best quality and fit me perfectly. Though how Hadrian knew my size before I got here was a mystery that made me a little uneasy.

I pushed the thought aside and made my way to the room below. My guards barely acknowledged me in passing, almost looking bored. Maybe with a few more days, they’d relax enough to let me do whatever I wanted without their attention. I just had to keep playing the obedient daughter—though I feared it would be very easy to forget it was an act.

The table was already set with waffles covered in strawberries and whipped cream, crispy slabs of bacon on the side. My mouth watered as I sat beside the little boy waiting patiently for me to start.

“Where’s Agnes?” I asked, looking around as I sat across from Alex.

He wrinkled his nose. “I told her I didn’t need her this morning. I’m spending the day with you.”

I smiled as I cut off a bite of waffle. “And you can just do that?”

Alex nodded and smiled, his own mouth full.

I lifted the fork to my mouth and bit down on sweet, creamy, crispy goodness, closing my eyes as I savored it. The Dome had great food, but it was more utilitarian, stuff that could be easily cooked and served for a large group. But this? Every meal here was an indulgence.

“What? No pancakes today?” I teased.

“Nah,” he replied with a shrug.

“Do you get waffles for breakfast often?” I asked as I swallowed another bite. “Because I could eat these every day.”

Alex smiled and looked down. “No. Not every day. But today kinda counts as a special occasion.”

“And why’s that?”

He looked up at me, his cheeks reddening even as he met my eyes. “Because it’s the first day I really get to spend with you.” He looked back at his plate and poked the bacon with his fork.

We’d had a few days together, but always interrupted by his classes. Apparently today would be different.

---