Page 40 of Bloody Kingdom

I’ve been hiding in here ever since, but the sound of my bedroom door opening and high heels clicking against the hardwood of my bedroom tells me my time is up.

The footsteps come to an abrupt stop in the doorway. “What’s wrong with you now?” Della’s irritated voice fills the small room.

Slowly, almost lazily, I drag my eyes away from the tiny scuff mark I’ve been fixating on for however long I’ve been in here. She stands with her hands on her hips, staring down her nose at me. “Della, I don’t even have enough time to begin to explain to you why I don’t have enough time to explain that to you.”

“What are you yapping on about now, girl?” Her eyes roll behind her cat-glasses. “Why are you hiding in your closet?”

That’s a valid question and I’m not quite sure why I’m lying flat on my back on the floor of my walk-in closet. It felt right when I walked into my room after leaving the mystery room behind. “Can’t you tell? I’m having a nervous breakdown. Felt like I was owed one, you know? And what better place to have one than in the solitude of my closet where no one can witness my existential crisis.”

“Well can you hurry it along? They’re all done,” Della says impatiently. “We can show Ira now.”

Right… the roses.

With a dramatic sigh, I slowly pull myself up so I’m leaning back on my elbows. “Sure, Della, anything for you.”

“Mmm hmm,” she mumbles, clearly not convinced.

In her defense, that’s fair.

I begin to pull myself up the rest of the way, but pause. “Will he be there?” Not knowing who I mean, Della just gives me a bored, blank stare. “Will Silas be there?” I all but choke on his name when I say it.

Della shakes her head. “No, he’s still staying at his apartment in the city. He’ll see the flowers when he comes back.”

Apartment in the city? “That’s where he’s been the past two weeks? He hasn’t been home at all?”

“No,” she confirms. “He said he had some business to attend to. Which is odd for him, but what do I know?”

“Business,” I repeat like a fucking parrot. “Sure, okay.”

She gives me an incredulous look. “Is there another reason you know about as to why Silas wouldn’t want to come home?”

Tapping my chin a few times for effect, I pretend to really think her question over. “You know, now that you mention it, there may have been alittleincident. Totally not a big deal or anything to write home about.”Liar, liar, panties on fire.“I’m pretty sure he’s avoiding me because of it.”

It’s for the best, especially after today. I don’t have any desire to be around him and honestly, the need to get as far away from this house as possible is strong. If I didn’t already know that all exits have been locked down tight, I would be running for the hills right now. I have nowhere to run, which is why I’m hiding in my closet.

“What did you do to him now that he’s avoiding you?”

I gape at her, appalled she’s pinning this on me. “I resent that statement, Della. Why do you always think thatIdid something?”

“Because you’re always doing something to anger that man.”

My shoulder lifts apathetically. “What can I say? I’m only human.” Feeling bold, but also desperate, I lock eyes with her. “But can we say the same for him?”

I’m playing with fire, but I want to see her reaction—I want her to confirm my theory. Theory isn’t the right word. I have all the evidence I’ll ever need, but I still need the validation that this isn’t all the doing of my over-imaginative brain.

She hides it well, but the soft inhale and slight widening of her eyes tells me all I want to know. Della covers it fast, her surprise is quickly replaced with a stern, impatient look. “Ira’s roses are waiting.”

Pursing my lips, I nod once. “Of course, we don’t want to wait too long. As you know, nothing good happens after sundown.”

She doesn’t hide her nerves as well the second time around.

Ira’s eyeslight up more than I’ve ever seen them as we roll his wheelchair into the courtyard. The look of pure happiness on his face is something I’ll never forget. I’ll look back on my time here and always remember this minute. The bad memories of this place will take up most of the space, but this will always be a prevalent highlight.

I couldn’t take away his pain or cancer, but I could put a smile back on his face and sometimes that just has to be enough. The little things are sometimes the biggest.

Della stands behind his chair, beaming at the newly planted flowers. They’re stunning now, but I know they’ll be even prettier when they all bloom.

“You did this for me?” Ira chokes out. His green eyes look at me briefly before returning to the flowers.

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