Page 51 of House of Pain
Finally, Blaze emerged at the corner of the crowd, his hair still wet from the shower, falling messily over his forehead. He strolled towards them, both hands stuffed in the pockets of his black jeans.
If it weren’t for the lines settled in the corners of his mouth, you wouldn’t even think he was upset. He looked as charming as ever, the devil in disguise.
“Have you seen Andro?” Blaze asked, raking a hand through his wet hair.
Alecto pointed to her right, where Andro sat with Gael under one of the willow trees at the end of the field.
“What the fuck was that all about,Blazy?” Val chirped, hooking her arm around his waist, pulling him closer to her.
A sudden, sharp pain went through Alecto’s chest, something so unfamiliar and foreign she shifted her gaze away from them, pretending to casually look around the field.
“Mercury in retrograde or some shit” was all he said, waving a hand for a server with drinks.
Blaze pulled away from Val and snatched two drinks from the tray, tipping one glass all the way back as he drained it in one gulp.
“Well, someone’s thirsty,” Jolene noted, arching a brow.
“Always.” Blaze tipped the other glass up as his eyes locked with Alecto’s. A shiver ran down her back.
If Alecto was stupid, she would have looked for a deeper meaning behind Blaze’s words, one to match the scorching fire in his gaze.
But Alecto wasn’t stupid.
“Where’s Rogue?” she asked.
“Oh, he’s busy carrying out my orders,” Val said, her mouth curving up as she jerked her chin to their left, where most of the student body was gathering.
Alecto followed the direction to find Rogue leaning against the tall bar table, a charming smile on his face as he casually chatted with Galia Rathone.
“Galia?” Alecto’s jaw dropped. “You seriously think she’s going to fall for him?”
“The bitch already has.” There was no mistaking the malicious flicker in Val’s gaze as she sucked on her teeth.
Alecto shook her head. “Unbelievable. That was super-fast.”
“Well, we designed him this way, remember?” Val cocked a brow. “He’s nothing but a walking seduction machine. And now that they’ve all seen him with me at the party at the Tigers’, they also want a piece of that ass.”
Val’s plan was in motion. Alecto could only applaud how smooth everything was going.
“If you manage to pit Rats against Tigers, it’s going to be a scandal of the fucking century,” Jolene drawled.
“You better fucking believe it will be,” Val agreed. “The Rats do owe us for stealing our win last year.”
Seemingly out of nowhere, Galliermo approached their little group, clasping a large palm over Blaze’s neck.
“Good evening, Snakes,” he greeted them. “Blaze, I will have a word with you before I go.”
“Sure,” Blaze murmured, turning to walk away with his father, Galliermo’s hand still clasped over his neck.
Alecto followed them, not missing the way Blaze’s shoulders squared or the way his head ducked down as they stopped further away from the crowd and his father leaned in to whisper something.
It wasn’t a scene or even a conversation that would seem wrong to most people.
But Alecto knew the small signs well enough to recognize the way his father’s mouth moved, tight and reserved. The way Blaze’s face fell, eyes going blank.
And something inside Alecto twisted because she was too familiar with the touch of a parent you dreaded more than anything else.
She pushed the sorrow away, shoving it deep inside her. There was no place for mercy. Not for Blaze.
