Page 38 of Blazing Desires
I glance through the foyer, noticing that once again, it's still empty. Part of me is glad there’s nobody aside from Blaze to witness my near panic attack, but the beginnings of a second one are close by in their absence.
We carry on making our way to the sunroom, turning left from the staircase and through the long hall. The sunroom was added to the side of the main building due to that part of the house getting the most daylight. My shoes click on the shiny floor, the only sound accompanying us.
Thirty steps, that's all it is between me and my father.
I take a deep breath and prepare myself.
You will give nothing away, you will not react, you don't even exist.
I raise my hand to knock, shutting out all thoughts of my annoyance and appreciation for Blaze, the anger I have towardsNoel and the rest of the detail who do nothing to help me. And most of all, I push all of the hurt my father has done into the small box in my mind and bolt it shut.
I am a vessel.
Three sharp raps on the door and I'm ready to have my fate delivered to me by my father's hands.
Chapter 16
Loose Ends
Blaze
I'm incensed, so fucking pissed at the world that it's taking everything I have to keep my face neutral. The tension between me and Davina is eating me from the inside, and the devastation of witnessing a near panic attack will stay with me even though I brought her back from it. Thank fuck it worked.
The white-hot rage blisters me from the inside, nobody bothered to protect the halls from thisunknownthreatand there is dangerous violence I am ready to inflict on her prick of a father. For hosting this dinner here, of all the fucking places.
I'm going to kill somebody.
It's my turn to count my breaths to keep the wrath contained to my hot skin. I swear to a god I don't believe in that if anything happens during this dinner, it will tip me over the edge. To hell with my plan.
Davina raises her petite hand to knock but hesitates, taking a steadying breath before she lets three short, sharp raps wring out in the hall. It should have been me knocking, I should still be protecting her, and the fact I let her get this close to the door without noticing makes me turn more of my fury onto myself.
“Get behind me.” The menace lacing my tone is out of my control.
She moves until she is angled behind me, my command leaving no other option for her but to follow. She gets into a position where I can protect her, and the large black doors open, not even a creak on the hinges to announce the opening to the pit of hell.
The room is silent as we make our way inside. My eyes scan for any threat of danger. I still can’t work out what her father was thinking, pulling all his men into this room at the same time. It's a grand, open space. The oval-shaped room is decorated in honey and golden tones that enhance the sun's rays as they pour into the room. Everything is glass from floor to ceiling, with only the thinnest gold trim for the framing. It's like stepping into a snow globe.
If I didn't know what this room was hiding, a secret and betrayal so colossal it could rattle the stars, I'd even say it was beautiful. The scent of flowers hits my nose, I don't need to turn around to know that behind me, the wall is covered in dark pink climbing roses.
Mr. Elodie's cronies watch us while I scan the room, most failing to hide their sneers. Davina is surely going to sense something is off—her father is doing an awful job keeping up appearances.
At last, my eyes land on the devil himself, sitting at the head of the table placed in the middle of the room. The table is a large chunk of oak, the edges curved to mimic the oval shape of the room. It’s so unlike the way any other room is decorated in this place. It was the clue that opened my eyes to what lay beneath.
"You're late, Davina." Mr. Elodie's sharp voice cuts into the silence.
Lie.
I lift my phone from my pocket, my eyes only leaving him for a second.
“It's still two minutes to the hour, sir.”
I turn my phone to him so he can see for himself. His eyes flare with anger before he masks it again, plastering on a fake smile. I can't see Davina, but I can sense her standing close, the heat from her body pressing into me, her perfume swirling around me stronger than the scent of roses and betrayal in the atmosphere.
The table is empty, save for her father sitting at it. It’s decorated with candles, linen, and roses clipped from the wall. Everything about it is supposed to invite people in, to pull them into a warm, soft aura. To distract from the truth the room is covering up. I move towards the opposite end of the table and go to pull out a chair for Davina, but he cuts me off.
“She sits here.”
He points to the seat on his right with a stubby digit. I don't want her to be that close to him, but this isn't the battle I came to fight. At least this way, I can stand behind her with my back to the wall of flowers and not the windows. It's only a handful of steps away from the door back to the main house should we need a quick exit.
