Page 97 of Lady of Darkness
I shrug. “Sometimes, especially when things are very strong-willed, they defy all odds.”
“I didn’t know the playground used to be a rose garden,” Archie says, scratching his head. “How long ago?”
I furrow my brows as I think. “About nine years ago?”
“Interesting.” He turns to face Edith. “I’m going to go find Mum. See you later, Edie.”
He gives me a small smile before retreating upstairs.
Edith is still holding the rose, a perfectly pristine bud that hasn’t bloomed yet.
“Did you plant the rose garden?” Edith asks, crawling up into my lap.
Now that she’s four, wanting to climb into my lap is getting rarer by the day. I squeeze her tight as I smell the top of her head, soaking it all in while she’s still little.
“No. My father did.”
“Who was your father?”
I smirk. “His name was Charles. Same as Archie’s father. Remember?”
Edith shakes her head. She’s quiet for a minute. “Where is he?”
I shrug. “He was… he got sick, and he died of something called a stroke, Edie.”
She turns to face me. “Will my dads die?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek as I look down at her. “Not for a long time, sweetheart.”
Just then, Alaric saunters into the office. Edith jumps off of my lap and into his arms. They’re basically twins. I watch as he pets the back of her hair and gives her a kiss on her nose.
“I hear you found a rose by the playground,” he murmurs.
I nod. “Resilient fuck–freaking plant,” I correct myself.
We have to watch our language around Edie. She’s a parrot at school.
“I think I like roses,” she says slowly, admiring the bud in her palm.
Alaric sets her down, and she wanders off into the living area. I hear Rose ask her a question about the rose as I turn to face Alaric.
“So?” I ask, taking my glasses off. “How did it go?”
Alaric smirks as he leans against the door frame. “Contracts are signed. The deal is done.”
I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “For real this time?”
He nods. “Gideon is… inducting them as we speak.”
I smile. “I assume no tranquilizers were needed.”
He saunters over to me. “No. because unlike our little monster, the new Lords–or whatever they will call themselves–actually know how to listen.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I’ve never been a very good listener.”
Pulling me up into his body, he kisses the top of my head before wrapping his arms around me. I inhale the scent of cologne and peppermint. Long gone are the days of him smelling like cigarettes. He quit before Edith was born.
Pulling away, he grips my shoulders as he looks down at me. At forty-one, his face is still young, but I’m acutely aware of the fact that he’s nearly my father’s age when they killed him. His dark hair is speckled with grey, and the lines in his forehead have deepened. Still, despite that, the man has aged like fine fucking wine. And his suits… they’re still impeccable.
