Page 4 of Smoke

“Did I?”

The question hung in the air between us.

I hated him at that moment. Thinking he knew so much.

Was that how I made him feel most of the time? It could’ve been. I was always the one with the answers, the one who thought he knew so much more than anybody else.

The truth was, I usually did. I observed, I listened, I formed conclusions that were right nine times out of ten.

Hell, if it weren’t for my knowledge of what we kept in the library, I would never have found the loophole which made it possible for Jasmine to stay. I knew my shit.

What I didn’t know was how to navigate life without Alina—especially when I’d see her sister every day, the sister who looked so much like her.

I’d never have the chance to forget the one and only time I had ever brushed up against fate. The only chance I’d ever have to find my mate.

The car pulled away, with Miles and Cash seated up front. I watched until the taillights disappeared into the darkness. She was gone.

“You coming back in?” Pierce asked after a long, silent stretch.

“Not just yet, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” He kicked up a little dirt, then took a deep breath. “It’s nice to be outside. I might hang around with you for a little while, if that’s okay.”

“Yeah. That’s okay.” And so we stood there, side by side, looking out over the valley and the mountains in the distance, while Gate kept watch somewhere above us. Protecting the treasure we were assigned to, just like we did every day and had for a thousand years.

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