Page 111 of House of Crimson Kisses
“I told them atleasta month. I’d put money on them not checking on or worrying about me for at least five to six weeks. That’s an awful long time for us to run.”
“Run?” I ask, shooting back up again.
“Yes, Cordelia. I’m done hiding us. We’re going to run. We’re going to make this work.”
Chapter31
RED
Ifind Octavia in Castle Beaumont bar, half cut with Xavier.
She knows the moment I walk into the bar because her head snaps to the door. Fucking bond. It’s like she can sense the problem before I can even communicate it.
I can imagine I look quite the state. Xavier sits on the stool next to her, laughing, with his head thrown back. But as if he perceives the problem too, he stops quite suddenly and stares at me.
Sadie, Gabriel and Keir are missing. But Dahlia, Lincoln and Amelia sit in various spots around the room.
The tension in here is palpable. Most of us don’t really like each other, and yet, tonight, we all fought as a team. A strange reality when we’re meant to be fighting against each other for the city. But tonight, the city drove us to fight against it.
So here we are again, relegated to corners of the room. Dahlia and Lincoln are whispering to each other. Strategising, I suspect.
Xavier leans into Octavia’s ear and whispers something. Both of them catch my eye and then Amelia’s. They want to talk.
Dahlia catches sight of our shared glance and narrows her eyes.
Gabriel barges in behind me with Keir in tow. “These trials are a fucking shit show,” he says, slumping down on a large chesterfield sofa in front of the fire.
“Quite agree,” Xavier says and swivels to face Dahlia. “But you always were Mummy’s favourite, so how’s about you go have a word and sort it out before we all end up dead because the city’s lost its fucking mind?”
Dahlia’s jaw flexes but her eyes never leave her twin. “And where were you two tonight? Hmm? Not like you got your hands dirty fighting with us.”
“Not all fights need to be with fists, Dah,” Gabriel drawls.
Dahlia tuts like she wants to protest, but she also knows there’s truth behind the words. She hesitates a moment longer, but finally marches out, scruffing the collar of an unhappy-looking Gabriel and tugging him along with her.
Xavier strides over to and kneels before a rather pale looking Talulla. “Why don’t you get some rest,” he says and kisses her knuckles.
“I’m fine,” she says, though she looks anything but.
He drops his tone, the waves of compulsion licking out around the room. “I think you should go to bed.”
Talulla’s expression shifts, melting into a gooey complacence.
“Yeah, you’re right,” she says and stands up and leaves without looking back.
“You too, Lincoln,” I say from the door.
He frowns at me, shakes his head, but makes for the door. When he reaches me, he leans in and drops his voice. Not that it makes a blind bit of difference.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you, but we used to be friends. It used to be me you wanted to talk to.”
“Linc—” I start, but he shoves past me into the hall, and I’m left gawping at the space he occupied.
Am I really a shit friend? Under normal circumstances, he would be the first person I’d go to, but since he’s on Dahlia’s team, and we are pitted against each other, how can I?
When the only ones left are Amelia, Octavia, and Xavier, I glance back down the hallway to make sure it’s empty and I close the door.
“We need to talk,” I say.
