Page 43 of Fanged Secrets
“I was back at the apartment. I’m not sure where Dylan went but she was gone for a while.” I forced myself to staycalm and typed again, feigning innocence. “Why? Did something happen?”
Naive, it turned out, was not the right move at all. Don slammed a fist into the bookshelf to his right. I couldn't hear him, but it was clear he raised his voice. I saw taut veins in his forehead when his lips moved again. “Don’t play dumb with me, Amara! This is bigger than you think.”
I stared in silence, my mind rushing to put together the right words to appease him. But there was never a right move with Don. Everything from my facial expression to my posture to my choice of words was an excuse to start an argument. Nothing was good enough.
When I made no effort to respond, second-guessing myself at every turn, Don’s lip curled in disgust. He spoke slowly for once, but it wasn’t for my sake. “Don’t tell me you’re protecting her.”
His words caught me by surprise, and the brief flicker of emotion was all Don needed to pounce.
“For the love of god, Amara, are you going to throw yourself at every person who shows you the slightest bit of attention?”
I winced at his words, focusing on his lips rather than trying to hold his gaze. He’d see the truth there, and that would be disastrous. More worrying than that, he knew all the right pressure points to make me doubt myself.
Don ran a hand through his tousled hair, disappointment twisting his features like I was a petulant child he had to discipline. His mouth moved rapidly, but I couldn’t hear his words. I could only feel the heat of his anger radiating off him.
I typed again, one last play at peace while I at least had his attention. “I just think this marriage was meant to keep the peace. I know it was a ruse, but maybe we could actually try and stick to it? Dylan – the Leyore people, they’re not so bad –”
I didn’t get a chance to finish typing. Don’s hand came out of nowhere, delivering a stinging slap to the side of my face. I froze in shock, my cheek aching where his hand had connected.
“I had no idea my own daughter had such low standards.” His mouth moved and I stood stiff, barely registering the slap despite the stinging sensation on my skin. “You’re sticking with the enemy now – why? Because they haven’t treated you as badly as they could have? Is the absence of cruelty equal to kindness in your eyes?”
His words hit home. There was some truth to them and I couldn’t deny that. He could see right through me. Don saw my expression and his mouth stretched wide as he laughed. “So it’s true then? What a fucking joke.”
I’m not sure what I would have done if he’d continued. The sad truth was that my father was an expert at getting under my skin, always sowing seeds of doubt to keep others out and keep me under his thumb.
But before Don could say another word, he was interrupted.
The librarian appeared like a guardian angel, stalking down the aisle to tap him on the shoulder. I had never been so happy to see the prim old lady in all her floral print glory.
She said something to Don and he glanced at me, his anger momentarily abating in the presence of company. This wasn’t his study or the dining room back at that haunted mansion of his. Out here, he could only get away with so much before someone noticed the monster among them.
The librarian wore a scowl that rivaled my father’s, her lips moving rapidly as she gestured toward the exit. I could tell she was scolding him, and I felt a small thrill of satisfaction at seeing him put in his place.
Don's hand twitched as if he wanted to drag me out with him, but instead he ran it through his hair, taking in a deep breath. Hereached into his pocket and pulled out a small, satin-clad box, keeping an eye on the frowning librarian as he handed it to me.
“I only wanted to give you this – for the upcoming ceremony,” he said stiffly, the fury in his eyes barely contained. “Think of it as a belated wedding gift. Wear it when the time is right, to honor your mother.”
I stared at the box, taken aback. The gift was a curveball, unheard of from my father; it was the last thing I expected. Hesitantly, I accepted the box and turned it over in my hands.
When I looked up again, Don nodded curtly and walked away, leaving me standing there in a state of confusion with a concerned librarian hovering beside me.
Back at the apartment, I paced circles around the living room, my mind racing with everything that had happened. Dylan was still out and so was Maxine, and I was left to untangle my thoughts in peace. I sat on the sofa and pulled out the satin box, inspecting it closely.
The fabric was smooth and luxurious, the kind of thing my sister would have treasured. My fingers traced the edges before I opened it hesitantly. Inside, nestled in velvet, was an ornate perfume bottle. It looked vaguely familiar, something from a half-remembered childhood, one of many memories scattered to the wind.
I carefully lifted it out, turning it in my hands. My father had told me to wait until the ceremony to wear it, and that made me suspicious. What if it was some kind of chemical agent meant to cause trouble at the gathering? Knowing Don, it very well could be. I sprayed a little onto my fingers and sniffed it hesitantly.
The wave of nostalgia hit me like a punch to the gut.
I inhaled deeply, a rich blend of jasmine, vanilla, and a hint of musk nearly bringing me to tears. It was my mother’s perfume, a scent I had long forgotten, perfectly preserved alongside dozens of buried memories. A time capsule.
The feeling was bittersweet, one crippling emotion giving way to the next. The memory of my mother, the pain of her absence. I was too young to truly understand the weight of it. And another conflicting factor, this genuinely kind gesture had come from my father, of all people.
I sprayed a little more and walked into the mist, closing my eyes as memories of my childhood flooded back. I remembered my mother’s gentle hands, her soft voice reading bedtime stories, building pillow forts with Aliyah at my side. The scent brought it all back, and I couldn’t help but tear up.
Lost in my own head, I didn’t notice Dylan emerging from the shadows until she was right beside me.
I turned to her, a smile forming on my lips. I moved my hands in greeting and paused. A chill shivered through my body when I took in her appearance.
