Page 32 of House of Pawns
I look up at her and realize how much my expression has fallen. “Yeah,” I confirm as I set the phone on the counter for them to both read.
“It is respectable that he’s stepped up and taken care of his family like he has,” Anna says as she slides it back. I just look at it laying there. “It’s a big undertaking.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s easy to have him gone,” Lillian observes. I realize she’s been watching my face this whole time.
I nod, biting the inside of my lip.I understand, I text back. I tuck my phone back into my pocket and set to measuring out my ingredients.
“What’s on your mind, Alivia?” Lillian asks gently. “I can tell you’re upset.”
I don’t answer her right away. I’m not sure exactly how I’m feeling or anything right now.
“I know he has a family to take care of,” I say without looking up from my work. “I know that. They were always his biggest priority before he died. He was supporting them both and I’m stupid to have forgotten that. He spent every waking moment worrying if they were protected enough or not.”
I mix my dry ingredients together, using too much force and sending a cloud of powder up into the air.
“And I know he never wanted to be a vampire,” I continue without looking up at either Anna or Lillian. I just pretend I’m talking to myself. “And I’ve known for a long while that I was going to be one someday. And we knew we had an expiration. But now…everything is different now. And I feel like all our problems should be solved. But things are just… They’re not how they should be.”
I push my hair out of my face and set to cracking eggs into a bowl. “Everything is different now.”
And with every word I speak, I feel a rock sinking heavier and heavier in my stomach.
Because it’s true.
I’ve felt Ian change, and not just in the way of turning into a vampire. He’s not his cocky, self-assured self any more. He’s holding something back, and it’s a big part.
I’m different too. I feel myself changing every day.
And I fear we’re changing in different directions.
These women, who I was once afraid of, who were allies with the enemy I hid from for weeks, they’re here for me.Lillian leans across the counter and grabs my wrist gently in support.
“Most men are complete idiots,” Anna offers. “No surprise Ian is no different.”
And a laugh is exactly what I needed. Even if it’s a shallow one. “Yeah, I guess I kind of forgot that,” I chuckle. I sniff, getting my emotions back under control. Time for a shift in the topic or I’ll drive myself crazy. “Get this: Ian is a virgin.”
“Are you serious?” Lillian says with more shock than I expect.
I nod. “Yeah,” I chuckle. “He’s twenty-four and he’s never slept with anyone.”
“Oh hell,” Anna breathes. “You’re doomed then. Don’t kick me out for saying it, but Ian is hot, and knowing that…well. That makes him kind of irresistible.”
“Hey, back off,” I threaten her, brandishing my spatula in her direction. “We may have problems, but he’s still mine.”
Anna laughs and holds her hands up in surrender. “He’s all yours. I’ve had enough of my own man problems.”
And I’m about to ask her what the deal is with her and the Kask brothers when one of them walks into the kitchen.
“What is this, girls night?” Samuel asks with that cocky smile of his.
In behind him walks a tall, thin man. He seems unsure, but not exactly nervous. His hair is not quite red, not quite blond, his eyebrows the same color. His skin is pale, and it’s easy to tell this is a man who’s never tanned and always burned in the sun. He almost looks like he could be albino.
But it’s his incredibly light blue eyes that are completely captivating.
I can’t say he’s a beautiful man, but he is intriguing to look at.
“Hi,” I greet the stranger, ignoring Samuel’s comment.
“Hello,” he says with a little nod. His accent is British.
