Page 104 of Ly to Me
“Kidding. Kind of.” I giggled and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Is that what you were talking to him about earlier?” I tried to remember what they’d said, but struggled because I’d been too focused on what Car was going to do to me whenever we got home. Something about a time?
“No. Don’t mind that.” He sighed. “Look, him and Grant are all I have left.” His eyes turned sad and distant until he added, “Leo is fine, too, but he’s a bit too young.”
I arched my brow, trying hard not to ask what happened to Jared. “Why don’t they come around much? Don’t you do poker night once a week like your dad?”
“Hold that thought.” He got out from the truck and rounded it again to let me out, then as we walked up to the building, he answered, “I put poker night on hold until you got comfortable, or…ya know.” He flipped his cap forward then back again, almost like he was nervous. “Grant is supposed to come by tomorrow, but I told him I had to clear it with you first.”
“It’s your house, Car. Do what you want.”
“As I said, I want to make sure you’re comfortable.” He swiped some badge he’d lifted from his pocket and pulled a heavy-looking metal door open, then gestured for me to step in first. “That includes in your own home, because, no, it isn’t just mine.”
“Bein’ married doesn’t give me the right—”
“I added your name to the deed. So, whatever you choose to do, you’ll always have a home here in Alliston.” I heard the words he’d left out ringing in my ears—with me.
I’d have a home in Alliston Springs with him, no matter what I ended up doing when he paid me.
“Normally, I have people suit up to go where we’re going, but I think it’s best we don’t add more layers.”
“Prefer me naked?”
“Most definitely,” he replied. “But that’s not why. You’ll see.”
He stepped in front of me and took my hand, pulling me down a hall, then another. When a large sign with the words ‘The Sanctuary’ came into view, my brows dipped.
“You’re running a secret temple? Are people here in Alliston worshipping you like a god?”
He choked out a laugh. “Not quite. I’m pretty sure I’m more like a devil of Alliston, what with my fall from grace and all.”
“You were neverthatangelic to begin with. You just made people think the light shined from your ass.”
“It still does that sometimes.” He winked, and I tipped my head back with laughter until Car yanked me back. “Time to close those eyes again.”
I squeezed them shut and butterflies fluttered in my stomach with how giddy I’d become. I heard a beep, like the one I’d heard when he took out his card and swiped it at the first door we entered, then a metallic clink. He maneuvered my body like he had before, holding me by my waist while whispering in my ear to take a few steps, turn, take a few more steps, then, finally, to stop.
The air was noticeably warmer than the hall had been, and though my eyes were closed, there was a reddish hue on my eyelids, like sunshine illuminated whatever space we’d just entered. I took in a deep breath, noticing the familiar leather and oak was being overtaken by a more earthy smell. Not just oak, but now dirt, and rain, and flowers, andlife.
A lot of it.
“Before you open, I want you to know that this was the first space I had made, long before I had a partner or a facility. Jamie isn’t allowed in Warehouse One, nor does he know what’s inside it. The few people allowed in here are on the bar’s payroll.”
“Okay, okay. Can I open?” My fingers were trembling as they met his hands at my waist. “Please?”
“One more thing.” He kissed the top of my head, making my heart skip a beat. “If you want some alone time here, you just tell me and I’ll drive you here whenever you need. I have another card ready for you, and I’ll make sure we add your print into the system soon.”
“Sophia’s gonna love that,” I joked.
“You can bring her in here, too. If you trust her, I trust her.”
My brows shot up, allowing a sliver of light to filter through my eyelids. “Okay, now I’m really curious. Why’s this so secretive?”
He kissed my neck, sending shockwaves through me, and whispered, “Open and see.”
My eyes fluttered open, and my heart stopped beating. Or, perhaps it was beating so fast that I couldn’t feel it anymore. Atala blue flashed by on a set of wings, then another, and another. Dozens of iridescent blue wings folded and splayed in the air, landing on bushes and hovering above flowers.
“Watch.” Carver grabbed my hand and held it out in the air, cupping it in his large one, and I waited, unsure if I was breathing until anEumaeus atalalanded on our opened palms.
“An atala sanctuary?”
