Page 132 of Stargazer

Hesitant to move away from him but curious to see the room, I turned and damn … the Carrington Knights were living good.

The huge bedroom was adorned in tones of dark woods, browns, greys and deep greens. Two oversized arched windows looked out to the lush garden, opening up to what seemed like a small, gated courtyard. The massive bed, framed by two hanging crystal lights, was placed against a forest-green velvet panelled wall on my left—that matched the draped curtains and studded ottoman perfectly. It felt fit for a queen. Or at least a Lady.

“You’re going to look delectable sprawled across that comforter,” Griffin purred, pushing me into the room.

It was our turn to disappear for a while.

I basically followed the delicious aroma of a hearty meal to find my way to the dining hall in this maze of a house—or I should say our way, considering Griffin was by my side and holding my hand, more engrossed with watching me take in the sheer size of the place, than the actual place itself.

When we got closer, the soft buzz of chatter filled my ears and we entered decorated glass doors into an expansive room with dark panelled walls, a gargantuan crackling fireplace that took up a large chunk of the left side, and a huge dark wooden table at its centre surrounded by many, many chairs—most of which were already full.

We’d learnt that the Carrington compound, while the academy headquarters and the original Gray Knights building, only housed a small number of skilled warriors and officials, all of which were now seated at the table with the Knights we had brought with us from New York. There were many compounds scattered across the United Kingdom that were home to the British hunters, ensuring well-spread protection that covered the continent.

The magnificent yet cosy dining room was dimly lit by three gorgeous hanging crystal chandeliers and multiple candelabras across the length of the table, creating a beautiful ambience that made the food, that was already on the table, look even more appealing. My stomach rumbled in response, causing Griffin to chuckle at my side.

The table had to seat at least twenty people, and at the head of that table was the man who made it all happen: Theodore Gray.

Griff and I approached the general and with a flash of teeth, he stood to greet us.

“Griffin, my boy. So good to see you in the flesh.”

The general oozed a leader’s effortless confidence.

I looked at Griff in time to see him cringe ever so slightly at the words, but he put that stoic mask back in place almost immediately. I knew him enough now to catch every minor change to his demeanour, no matter how small. But someone like his grandfather, who didn’t know him at all, probably didn’t even notice the way his body imperceptibly stiffened, or his eyes slightly narrowed, or the corners of his frown deepened.

But then again, Theo was a trained predator. Maybe he did notice. Maybe that was his desired reaction.

Griff huffed in response, and I prepared for him to go on the defence, making some comment about it being the old man’s fault that they hadn’t seen each other in person since he was a child. How his grandfather had never cared or bothered.

Instead, he said coolly by way of greeting, “General Theo,” extending his hand for the old man to shake.

The general was exactly what I pictured of Griffin and Thea’s kin: Tall, broad shouldered and well-trimmed for a man of his age. His silver hair and beard were close-cropped and neat. But his eyes—those were Griffin’s eyes, only aged with wisdom and experience. There wasn’t that brown that streaked through his irises like my Knight had, but they were the same eyes, nonetheless. His voice was deep and raspy, like he spent years barking orders. And he had three small, light-coloured scars through his temple and hairline, like they’d been there for most of his adult life and grown and weathered with him. He was intimidating and harsh looking, just like Thea. And just like Griffin.

Those eyes fell on me.

Recognition set in and his expression lightened, offering me a surprisingly warm smile as he held out his hand.

“Maya Stone’s daughter,” he boomed in excitement. “You look just like her.” I cautiously shook his hand, his grip firm and strong. “I’ve heard good things,” he added.

“You have?” I couldn’t help the words from slipping out of my mouth, even though that was not how I pictured myself greeting the fucking General of The Gray Knights.

He bellowed out a laugh. “I have, Miss Stone.” He gestured towards the empty chairs to his right, opposite an already seated Louis. “Please, take a seat.”

I headed towards the second chair, leaving the space beside Theo free for Griff. But of course, my captain had other plans, pulling out the seat closest to the general and waiting for me to take it before he took the seat to my left. Assuming he wanted me to be a buffer between his grandfather and himself, I obliged, and he gave me a grateful look which only served to show me how much he didn’t want to be near the man. I slipped my hand under the table, this time offering him a comforting squeeze of his leg, like he’d done for me in the past. His hand immediately found mine, trapping it there and preventing me from removing it, sending sparks rushing through the space between our joined skin.

Reading our body language—the way we moved around one another—the general commented, “I was quite proud, indeed, when my daughter told me that my grandson, the Gray heir, had ended up with the Stone heir.” He smiled at us as he began cutting into his piece of roast.

I made myself busy, filling my plate with everything I could fit from the spread of the English dinner before us: succulent looking roast lamb, an array of veggies, gravy, Yorkshire pudding … you name it.

Griffin gritted out, “That isn’t why we’re together.”

“Of course not, but either way, your pairing will do well for us and both of your legacies. Not to mention, bear extremely talented hunter children who’ll likely have exceptional gifts.”

I blushed, focusing on the food instead. Kitana was a few seats down and I wished she was closer, but instead Sienna was the closest person I knew, seated next to Louis and eyeing me like I was personally offending her with the general’s words. I knew they couldn’t have been nice for her to hear, and I gave her an apologetic look.

To my surprise, she just rolled her eyes with a dismissive shake of her head and then turned to the person on her left, joining their conversation like she clearly did not want to be involved in ours any longer. The whole gesture wasn’t rude, it was more like she couldn’t be bothered letting it get to her anymore. I had a feeling she’d rather pretend she wasn’t listening than have to interact in any way, shape or form, with my softer side. The girl didn’t want my pity. I knew it made her uncomfortable, but I’d keep offering an olive branch—and the fact that my friendliness annoyed her did bring me some joy.

Griffin glared at his grandfather. “Again. Not why we are together. I didn’t choose Venus to make you proud or fulfil some dream of yours.”

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