Page 75 of Lovely Deceit

Eden finally rouses, which wakes Alaric. She bites her lip as she looks between the two of us, and then she kisses us both on the cheek before grabbing her dress and scampering from the room.

Alaric watches her go, and I recognize the fierce protectiveness in his gaze. When she disappears, he clears his throat, pulling the blankets I found to cover his hips. “Thank you for being cool about all that.”

I bring myself to a seated position, too. I’d been jealous of both Alaric and Leo but that was before she realized her feelings for me. Thrusting my hands through my hair, I study him. “That girl is the most important thing in my life. I would die for her.”

“I—”

“No, stop,” I tell him, shaking my head. This isn’t me about to tell him off, this is me coming to grips with what Eden really wants. “She’s a firecracker. The only thing I care about is her happiness. If she wants to fuck you, she can. If she wants to have a relationship with you, she can. Not that she even needs my permission,” I add. I may have seen her first, loved her first, but no one can claim someone for themselves unless they want to be claimed. “If she wants you, I’m just asking you to deserve it.”

He nods, and I’m shocked when he actually seems to be taking it to heart. I’ve always liked him better than Leo, but with what happened at her Trial, I wasn’t sure who we could trust anymore.

“And I expect you to give her the same allowance I am. Don’t try to make her into someone else.”

“Listen, I know she loves you,” he says. “It’s obvious, even back when she was fighting it. You bring her so much joy, Oliver. I would never do anything to ruin that.”

I can’t stop my heart from jumping at that. “So we agree, then? This is whatever she wants it to be?”

“Agreed,” he says, holding out his hand.

I slap it away. “Dude, I’m not touching you while we’re naked.”

He laughs, the rumble starting out small then building into howling laughter. “I guess there are some things we need to work out.”

Grinning, I shake my head. The things I do for this woman.

But I wouldn’t take it back. Not ever.

An hour later, when we’re ready for the day and sitting in the eat-in kitchen—because Eden rejected my desire to sit in the traditional dining room—we start to talk about next steps. The heat from the window warms my back and highlights Eden like she’s an angel come down from heaven itself. Peering at the two of them, I thought I’d be more jealous to witness their interactions, like glass making its way through my veins. However, it’s not like that at all.

The cook delivers us a hearty breakfast, piling an array of eggs, bacon, omelets, literally any breakfast food one can imagine in the center of the round table. Eden and I are situated on a banquette while Alaric looks on at the two of us.

“Alright, tell me everything you know about Delilah’s death,” Alaric starts while dishing himself some food.

Besides the obvious that she drowned while at the Devil’s Night Party, we know she was having her final assessment to become a full-fledged Knight; she was with Keegan that night and she looked happy; she fought with someone on the docks while herding the entertainment around; Leon Forbes was her stalker and he alluded to her big night in this note, which we’re hypothesizing meant her final assessment; and we know that the Knights dressed Eden in one of Delilah’s dresses before her final Pledge Trial.

But one thing we’re clear on is the fact that the Knights are capable of killing her. Everyone agrees on that.

Alaric’s forehead wrinkles the more Eden tells him. After she finishes, he eats his breakfast in silence for a little while before saying, “I think we should focus on why they killed her. That might open up something we’re not seeing.”

“Because she has a vagina, Alaric. That’s why they killed her. It’s the reason your parents gave up your sister. They’re sick bastards.”

Alaric frowns. “I don’t think that’s the whole reason. If they really didn’t want her involved in any capacity, they wouldn’t have let her pledge.”

“But they didn’t want her to,” I remind him. “Alistair asked the favor of Leon Forbes. That’s the reason why Eden has to marry his asshole son.”

“They were willing to let it play out, though.” Alaric has to forcibly relax his fingers from his fork. “I think there’s something we haven’t uncovered yet.”

“The obvious path to follow is to figure out who she was fighting with that night. Holly, one of the entertainment girls Eden and I spoke to, said she didn’t recognize who it was. Keegan didn’t know either. He didn’t even know his dad sent her that gross card and page out of the gossip rag.” Really, he didn’t know anything. He was a gigantic waste of time.

“I agree,” Alaric states. “If they were fighting before the party and then just a little while later she ended up dead, that doesn’t look good.” He turns toward Eden. “Any idea who it could be?”

She bites her lip. “No idea. I’d assumed it was Keegan, but that was before…” She trails off, her throat working. “I can’t think of any guys that she would fight with.”

Alaric pushes his empty plate away and leans back. “I imagine the other Pledges weren’t happy there was a girl trying to get in.” He stares at the table. “The thing is, we can’t really question them. They’ll know something is up. We need someone close to the Knights but with no loyalty.”

Eden snaps her fingers. “I can’t believe I never thought about asking Devon. Devon Forbes. He and Dee were kind of close.”

“A Forbes, Eden?” Uncertainty pools through my belly.

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