Page 77 of Lunar Diamonds
Drake folded his arms. “Shit.”
Chapter 21
RILEY
After multiple tests, we gleaned that Drake and I couldn’t be more than fifty meters apart.
Damn it hard. This would be a problem for the next ten years.
“At least you have enough distance to use the bathroom in peace,” Isaac said. “Imagine popping up at a seriouslyshittymoment.” He snorted.
I shuddered at the prospect of doing my business with Drake in the room. Talk about a romance-killer.
What the hell? Who said anything about romance? I meant, well, wanting to avoid appearing at such intimate moments. And now I couldn’t get it out of my head, mentally conjuring all manner of bathroom-related horrors.
Somewhere deep inside me, a mischievous Riley laughed. Mocking, taunting, being an arsehole as always.
But what if things did turn romantic with Drake? What if, after the dust settled, he was the guy from the bookshop dream?
Erm… No.
Done with testing the bond, Alice got back to showing us our rooms. Mine was in the middle of Drake’s and Isaac’s.
My brother bid me goodnight, Drake silently slipping into his room after Alice handed him something.
“Call us if you need anything, sir,” Alice said. “There’s a phone and an emergency button in there. We’ll have clothes here for you soon.”
She had the key to my flat and was heading out shortly to fetch my stuff.
What the hell was I going to tell my landlord?
Her face lit up as she smiled warmly, highlighting her Bramble freckles. “The diamonds will be here before you know it.”
“Fingers crossed,” I replied.
“No need for that, sir. I know it in here.” She touched her heart. “And I know Hecate blesses us. She guides our steps, pointing us toward victory.”
I loved the positivity. It certainly put a much-needed spring in my step.
“Goodnight, sir.” Alice left me to get acquainted with the room, heading off to clean the mess left by the shadow witches.
The arseholes had left so many muddy footprints and broken vases in their wake.
My room sported the same décor as the rest of the house, but with the addition of gold flower patterns on the walls. There was a TV, a sofa, a huge four-poster bed with gold sheets, two wardrobes, and a mini bar.
Nice.
I checked out the en suite bathroom, loving the rain shower and the drop-down bathtub. All very decadent and bigger than my flat.
There was also a balcony overlooking the sea and some of the gardens, thick drapes tied off on either side of the sliding door, heavy rain pattering the glass.
We were free to explore the mansion, no area was off limits.
There were four floors, the attic, and eighty rooms. I made a mental note to take a peek at some point.
In no mood to explore right now, I clicked on the TV for background noise and perched on the sofa. Thinking, thinking, thinking. This was the moment when things really began to press down on me, when anxiety wrapped its arms around me, crushing me in its horrible embrace.
Some reality show played on the screen. I curled up on the plush sofa, resting my head on one of the five soft cushions. Not tired, but kind of crumbling. This would take time to process, yes, but what about my life? What about my mum and stepdad? I wanted to call her now, but she’d be in bed at this hour.
