Page 34 of Caution

“Riv was always busy anyway, running all over the world collecting her weird sex toys.”

“She was not collecting sex toys.” I cackled. “Don’t do her like that.”

“She definitely showed me an ancient dildo collection she found some…where.”

Celeste must’ve noticed it at the same time I did, the subtle shift in energy that came along with the presence of one of the Blacks. We looked toward the entryway at the same time, seconds before the doorframe filled with a tall, handsome, wide-shouldered man dressed in all black.

Parris.

“’Sup Celeste,” he greeted and she gave him a nod before he turned to me. “Brosia, I need to talk to you.”

“Me?” I asked, surprised.

I was shocked to see him there at all, actually.

After that night—last night, Brosia—when it came out that he’d basically orchestrated me being scared into my power, I had the impression he’d been persona non grata.

But again… it had only been a short amount of time, in spite of my skewed perception.

Cassius had beensoangry though.

And he’d taken that white-hot rage out on me. Not violently, just… passionately.

“Yes.” He smirked, offering me his arm.

Charming.

He was just as handsome, hell maybemore, than his brothers, with palpable youthful troublemaker energy. I halfway didn’t even trust being that close to him, which he must have picked up on.

“Come on, you’re family now, sis,” he insisted and I… accepted his arm.

“I am?” I asked, eyebrow raised. “Was I not family when you were trying to get me… what, attacked? Bitten?”

Parris sucked his teeth. “Man, don’t let Eli and Cash rile you up, nothing was going to happen to you. Didn’t he tell you what you are?”

“Eonian?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed, leading me back to my workshop. “You’re more powerful than probably all of us, since you’ve got it from both sides. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.”

“Okay, whatareyou here to talk about then?”

He grunted as we stopped at the door. “I fucked up.” He shrugged. “My brothers said I gotta get right with you.”

I frowned. “Get right with…me? What does that even mean?”

“Apologizing. I have to apologize,” he said, taking it upon himself to open my door and step into my shop, immediately looking around with disgust. “It smells like shit in here.”

“You can go,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “I didn’t ask you here. Isn’t there a thing about vampires not being able to enter places without an invite or something anyway, or is that a myth?”

“Not a myth.” He chuckled. “But, it only applies to homes, and only to humans.”

“Oh. Well… still. Like I said. I didn’t ask you to come here.”

“You didn’t. I told you; I have to apologize.”

I crossed my arms.

Waited.

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