Page 8 of #Resort Love
“No, not yet,” I sighed, looking back to the picture of John and Sybil. My chest tightened with regret for the part I was playing with Sybil’s fate. “She asked for a few days to think about it.”
Keeping his eyes closed, John swallowed thickly. “Will she do it?” his voice slightly trembled.
Pausing, I ran a hand through my hair, not knowing how to answer. I wasn’t sure what she would decide. I’d been observing her throughout the years, but she remained a puzzle to me. I wished I could confidently say that her suspicions would convince her to decline Ambrose’s offer, but I knew all too well the power Ambrose held over those around him. An offer from Ambrose was near impossible to refuse.
Clearing my throat, I looked back at John, his tired blue eyes meeting mine. Keeping my face blank, I shrugged. “Well, now you know,” I said, heading to the door. Before I stepped throughthe doorway, I stopped. “Sybil lives not far from here. About an hour away. Do what you want with that information.”
With that seed of knowledge dispensed, I closed the door behind me. My magic danced around me, letting the world fall away as I transferred myself to Ambrose’s office. Standing in front of his desk, I watched his hand move across the paper as he finished writing a letter. Keeping my emotions hidden, I waited for his permission to speak, my fingers drumming impatiently against his desk.
“Well?” Ambrose asked, his eyes narrowing on my hands, his voice thick with resentment.
“It’s done,” I said calmly, though my anger was on the rise.
After my briefmeeting with Ambrose, I had meant to return to my room and sort through who could have given away her location. I didn’t mean to return to Mide, didn’t mean to find myself waiting in front of Sybil’s house to check on her. But I couldn’t help myself. It was like a force that wouldn’t stop urging me to make sure she was okay.
She hadn’t returned home yet, her cherry-red car still missing from the driveway. Worry gnawed through me as I sat in the tree branches, hidden from view of neighbors passing along the sidewalks with their small children clinging to their legs.
I tapped my fingers nervously against my thighs, waiting for the red glint of her car. However, after an hour passed, I couldn’t wait any longer. I was due to meet with the war general to discuss Sybil joining ourteam, though calling ourselves such was a stretch.
Forcing myself to stand, I looked to the street one last time,willing for Sybil’s car to appear. Relief coiled through me, and I released a breath when I saw the red gleam of her car shining in the sun. I lingered while Sybil quickly pulled into the driveway before stepping off the thick branch. I let the world slip away until I found myself in the middle of a sea of grass and flowers in Nemos, the upper realm.
Finding a hidden door along the rolling hills of the meadow, I opened it, heading for the darkened passage that would lead me back to the palace and court rivalries. The queen had told me long ago that a time of chaos and turmoil was coming, but being the young male I was, I had laughed it off, believing it was just another one of her rambles. And now, I couldn’t stop thinking of what she foretold, of the warnings she murmured in secret.
I glanced behind me, back to the grass billowing in the wind as if Sybil was already here, as if she lingered in that field taking in the new world around her. My gut twisted at the thought of her saying yes to Ambrose’s offer, of her coming here to this infectious court.
Rolling my shoulders, I gathered my strength, bracing myself for what was to come, and then stepped through.
Chapter 5
Sybil
The drive back home was worse than I could have ever imagined. Usually, it was a breeze with traffic only backing up every now and then. However, today was an absolute nightmare. Soon after I drove out of the parking lot, a small headache crept up from the base of my neck, quickly turning into a massive migraine. The sensitivity of my eyes made the sunlight pure agony, and every smell made me sick to my stomach. Multiple accidents had the roads so clogged that car horns blared nonstop as they slowly merged in and out of lanes, making the congestion worse. All I wanted to do was scream.
After two hours of torture, I finally pulled into my driveway, rushing to the bathroom to empty my stomach. When I was done, I sat with my back flat against the cool tiles of the wall, letting the refreshing cold seep into my body. I took a few deep breaths to relax, hoping it would help ease my pounding head, but it only made it worse. My head swam, and the nausea made my stomach roil again.
A gentle knock on the door pulled my focus away from the pain enough to look up, finding Liam slowly opening the door. “Hey, I thought I heard you come in,” he said gently, his warm hazel eyes filled with concern as he lowered himself to the floor beside me. “Are you okay?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly lurched toward the toilet instead, heaving and coughing.
“Shit, I’ll be right back.” Leaving my side momentarily, Liam returned with two white pills and some water. His brows were pinched with worry when he handed me the medicine, watching me swallow them before I gulped down some water. “Let’s get you upstairs.” Bending down, his caramel-colored hair fell into his eyes as he carefully pulled me to my feet.
Leading me up the stairs to our bedroom, Liam helped me change into shorts and a tee and tucked me into bed, covering me with a plush blanket. I wanted to thank him for helping me, but my eyes drifted shut before I could even form the words.
Openingmy eyes to the dark room around me, I rubbed the sleep from them. My migraine had lessened during my sleep, but a small, dull ache remained. The sound of steady breathing caught my attention, and I found Liam on the other side of the bed, his breath slow and even as he slept. Grabbing my phone from the table beside me, I turned on the screen to check the time. I groaned. It was 3:05 am, which not only meant I slept the whole day away, but I now only had one more day to decide if I was going to accept Mr. Farra’s job offer. My chest tightened, and I rubbed my hand against it, hoping to ease the anxiety that bloomed there.
Not wanting to disturb Liam, I slowly sat up, set my phoneback on the table, and made my way to the bathroom. My body felt sticky with sweat from the fever I must have had. I quickly showered and returned to bed.
Relaxing my body, I stared at the ceiling, thinking back to Mr. Farra’s offer. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about him and Samian.We have met once, many years agowas what he said, but I had no memory of him. He also said as much, but his face wasn’t one that was easily forgettable. His ivory skin, the deep ocean blue of his eyes, highlighted by his dark auburn hair—he looked like a god chiseled out of marble. No, he wasn’t someone you could easily forget. Neither was Samian, for that matter. It wasn’t every day that you meet someone with heterochromia, especially one that looked so carelessly ethereal with his silvery moonlight hair.
However, if this new job paid more than the Metro, then it might be worth whatever I’d be doing. Sighing, I turned over to watch Liam sleep. My chest tightened again at the thought of telling him I’d lost my job, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Closing my eyes, I drifted back into a deep rest.
Morning soon came, the sunlight seeping through the blinds and waking me. I opened my groggy eyes, giving myself a small mental check. The headache was still there, though it was more of an inconvenience than the painful throb from the previous day. Liam was still fast asleep, and a small smile formed when I thought back to how he had taken care of me yesterday. At times, his thoughtfulness surprised me, especially because he was usually so reserved. Taking another moment to watch him, a warmth spread through my chest, easing its tightness. I gave him a small smile before I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs.
Walking to the kitchen, a shadow in the hallway caught myeye, making my steps falter. I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the door, on the dark object attached to the window. Apprehension prickled down my back, though curiosity got the best of me, and I padded over, finding a thick envelope taped there. Pulling it off the window, I checked the street, hoping to find the person who left the envelope, but found it empty. My brows pinched together, and I quickly closed the door behind me.
Opening the envelope, a small note from Mr. Farra slid out, his sleek handwriting explaining how much he looked forward to hearing my answer tomorrow. I pulled out the rest of the documents, a mix of excitement and anxiety knotting in my stomach.
I still didn’t know what I was going to tell Liam. As I flipped through the documents, a lump formed in my throat. Liam hated change, even if that change was positive for everyone.
