Page 43 of Lady of Darkness
“Upstairs. Sleep,” Alaric says, snapping his fingers.
I gawk at him. I can’t help the tug of exhaustion creeping through my bones, though.
“I’ll show you to my room,” Theo says, walking past me and up the wide marble staircase.
I try not to stare at his ass on the walk up, or the way his large hands run through his white hair. As we go up another flight of stairs, I have a realization. A month ago, two flights of stairs would’ve winded me. But today… I’m not even out of breath.
He pushes a white door open, and inside is the most badass bedroom room I’ve ever seen. First of all… there’s a fuckinglap poolby the large window. The ceiling is high and vaulted, and made of some kind of light wood. The bed is on the floor, and though the white bedding is neat and crisp, it feels cozy. There are plants in every corner and hanging above his bed. There’s no door to the bathroom–it’s just open, showcasing a modern, sleek countertop and a large, open shower room. There’s also a door that I suspect is a sauna.
It completely juxtaposes the old exterior of the house.
“I love your house,” I tell him, looking around at the black accents in awe.
He shrugs. “I completely renovated it after my father died. My mother flung herself into her travels, leaving me the house. It was way too fucking stuffy back then.”
I wrap my arms around myself. I’m so tired, but it’s so rare to get one-on-one time with Theo. He’s always working, always plotting and thinking one step ahead. I want to get to know him. I want to see beyond the endlessly intelligent, lethal exterior he portrays.
“Are you and your mother close?”
He shakes his head. “Not really. She calls me every couple of months out of obligation. She’s currently living in Kenya with her Kenyan boyfriend, who is thirty years younger than her,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I met him once, and he’s head over heels for her. I had to do my due diligence to see if he was legitimate, and he is. I’m happy she’s happy.”
“Does she know…” I trail off.
“No. She never had any idea about my father or the Lords. There’s no rule saying it must be kept secret, but most of us prefer to keep it under wraps.”
I nod. “That makes sense.”
“You should get some rest, Harlow,” he murmurs, looking at me with those captivating light blue eyes.
My throat constricts when I think of being all alone.
I know they’re here. I know they’ll never let anything like that happen to me again. But still… it’s not my bedroom, or my house, or my clothes. I don’t even have my phone to check on Gemma. The guys assured me she’s fine, but Luka is dead. I don’t know how much she’ll ever know about his death, if anything. I should be there for her.
My eyes flick around the room, and I resist the urge to beg him to stay.
I don’t really want to be alone.
I open my mouth to ask when he steps forward, lifting a hand and brushing a piece of hair out of my face.
“What can I do to get you to relax?” His voice issogentle. I bite my lower lip to keep from crying.
These men… they’re so tough on the outside. It’s like a hard, protective shell. But they’re also not afraid to let that exterior fall around me.
And I fucking love seeing what’s inside, what’s underneath that hard shell.
“Will you stay with me? I know you’re probably busy killing people and tracking the remaining Acadian members down–”
Bending down, he takes my chin between his index finger and thumb. When his lips brush against mine, I relax instantly. He pulls back to look into my eyes.
“The only place I need to be is here.”
My eyes prick with tears as I nod and walk over to the bed, kicking my shoes off before climbing in. Theo follows me, discarding his suit jacket on the floor. He’s not like Alaric, who would rather die than have wrinkled clothing. I smile at the thought.
“What’s so funny?” Theo asks, climbing into behind me and pulling my body against his.
“I was just thinking about how you’re going to give Alaric an aneurysm with the way you just threw your jacket on the floor.”
He chuckles as his lips graze my ear. “Give him some slack. He lost his mother when he was young, and his father was a control freak. He had Lottie, his nanny, but she left right before his father died. I think he fought so hard for so long to be different from his father, but genetics are wild, and he ended up being a control freak anyway.”
