Page 72 of Twisted Truths

I turn to Obsidian. “How do you know Leah?”

He shifts in his seat. “We met briefly when I was on the West Coast a few months ago.”

Wait—what?

My heart riots. I need to sit down. “Well, it was good to meet you, Leah. I’ll leave you both to it.” I walk on wooden legs over to my desk and sit, taking a moment to gather myself.

I need to contact Bastion and find out what the hell is going on, but the phone I use to communicate with him is hidden in my bedroom.

So instead, I pretend to work, catching snippets of their conversation. I can’t hear much, but Uma laughs as though whatever Obsidian says is the most humorous thing she’s ever heard.

Eventually he picks up the phone on his desk, and I hear him say, “Marcel, we’re going to have a new guest staying with us for a while. Please have one of the rooms in my wing set up.”

I blanch and try not to show my reaction, my fingers typing gibberish in a Word doc. She’s going to stay here? Jesus, this is so much worse than I thought.

They talk for another couple minutes, then Obsidian stands and sees her to the door of his office.

“Bye, Ariana. It was great to meet you,” she says as she strides confidently across the room, waving and never giving away that we know one another.

I turn in my chair and give her a small smile, then face my computer again. When I hear the office door close, I finally turn to face Obsidian, trying to school my features. “She’s staying here?”

He walks over and takes my hands, pulling me up out of my chair and into an embrace. “It’s not like that.”

“What is it like then?”

He pulls back and looks at me with something akin to amusement. “I like this jealous side of you.”

In an attempt to calm my racing heart, I draw in a deep breath. “Who is she, Obsidian?” I need to figure out how they know each other before I blurt my entire truth to him.

His lips dip. Then he tugs me by the hand over to the sitting area, takes a seat on the couch, and pulls me into his lap. I brace myself for him to tell me she’s his former lover or something.

“Before we met… I was so fucked up. My head was a mess. You know very well the issues I have.”

Despite the dire situation, my heart squeezes, and I place a hand on his cheek. “We’ve talked about this.”

“I know.” He kisses my palm. “But back then, all my brothers had just found love themselves, and I didn’t see where I fit. Didn’t feel loveable.” He presses his face into my neck. “You’re the only one who’s ever made me feel differently, made me see myself differently.” He pulls back and tucks my hair behind my ear.

“I feel the same way, Obsidian.”

He gives me a sad sort of smile. “I know.” He sighs. “I was staying by the ocean, and a storm rolled in. I’d been learning to surf for a couple weeks and wasn’t half bad, I suppose, but that particular day, I was feeling forlorn, and I risked my life by going out into the ocean to try to surf during the storm.”

Tears prick my eyes as I look at him and ask the question I’ve been wondering since the day I pulled him out of that water. “Did you do it because you knew it would end your life?”

He shakes his head. “I honestly don’t know. Ten years ago… that was an explicit attempt. This was more… let fate decide.”

I frown, his face becoming blurry as the unshed tears in my eyes thicken.

“Long story short, I went under and would have drowned if someone hadn’t pulled me from the water and given me CPR. I tried to find out who saved me, but she took off right after. I even had an investigator try to find her for me.”

“What does that have to do with Leah?”

“She’s her.” He kisses the hollow of my neck.

“You think Leah is the one who saved you?” I bite my cheek to prevent the truth from escaping.

“I know she is. All I could remember was a voice, a melody and one other thing. A necklace. Did you see the one she was wearing?”

I stiffen at the mention of my mother’s necklace, but Obsidian doesn’t seem to notice. “Yes, it was quite nice.”

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