Page 137 of The Midnight Order
All eyes swing in my direction. “What if the closer we get, the more the curse pushes back? What if the curse fights back as we try to break it?”
“Could be. We’ve never been this close before,” Corvin says absently.
Lowell growls as he turns and paces. “Until we know what’s happening, I want eyes on Silver at all times. Jasper, you’ll take the first shift. I can’t take much more of her scent tonight.”
I nod, biting my cheek as I fight the urge to tell him we’ve already decided to keep eyes on her twenty-four-seven.
Lowell takes direct orders from no one, nor listens to those I dole out.
“If anyone sees anything, let me know. We play this smart. We play this right.” Lowell’s eyes bore into Corvin’s, and I watch the male swallow past a lump in his throat.
“I won’t fuck this up,” he tells Lowell, inclining his head in submission.
“See that you don’t.” With that, Lowell stalks off, slamming the basement door behind him in a huff.
I don’t give Corvin and Asher the time to scold me for my reckless behavior. I rush out of the manor and through the trees to post up against while Silver sleeps.
It’s not long before the monotony of the task has my brain traveling back in time to a simpler time, when I wasn’t cursed, when life was easier.
Thorngray Manor
1977
Valentina’s laugh filters down the hall as I stroll towards it. My footsteps are heavy, and I know they hear me coming.
Shoving my hands into my pants, the polyester feels silky against the top of my hand. I think soon, this era of clothing will become my least favorite.
Though I wasn’t too fond of the wool uniforms that used to make up my daily wardrobe.
Even thinking about the feel of the wool on my skin now causes goose bumps to race up my skin.
“There you are!” Valentina muses, turning and eyeing me.
There’s something white on her nose, and Asher is behind her, looking utterly smitten with whatever task they’re up to.
“Here I am.” Kissing her on either cheek, I lift a fingertip to wipe the frosting off her nose and pop it into my mouth.
She breathes out, and the breath is full of not only her scent but the smell of her growing arousal at my proximity.
“What are you two up to?” I ask, flicking my gaze back to Asher, who has a wide grin as he licks the wooden spoon she’s tasked him with holding.
“Making cupcakes for Corvin’s birthday. What does it look like?” she asks, stepping out of the way so I can see the state of emergency the kitchen is in.
“It looks like a mess.”
She shoves my shoulder, and a piece of her white-blonde hair falls across her face as she laughs. “Don’t be like that. We’ll clean it.”
“We rarely celebrate birthdays, V.” I’m not sure how Corvin will take the gesture, especially since he’s struggling with the idea of her being ours.
She shrugs. “Well, I want to celebrate him. I think it’ll put him in an amiable mood. Just because you guys are centuries-old vampires doesn’t mean you have to act like it. You’re all so… drab.”
I can’t help but smile when she turns and looks up at me, a perfect pout on her lips.
“Fine. But if he hates it, be it on your head.”
Now
I shake out of the memory at the sound of an owl hooting above. Locking eyes with it, we share a moment before it lifts and flies off into the night.
