Page 49 of Smoke and Mirrors

My stomach flips at the thought of what we’d done only a few hours before—his hands on me, his mouth. I finally force a laugh and shake my head despite my body reliving those moments. “Jesus, girl, will you stop!”

“Why? Your panties getting wet?” She smirks, tilting her head, and I pout my lips forcing a breath out of my nose as I storm up to her and turn her to face the door pushing her toward it. She laughs and walks with me as I move her along, then open the door.

“Get out. You are too much right now,” I say, and she turns kissing my forehead.

“Talk to me next time someone comes into your apartment uninvited, okay? Don’t bottle that shit up. And seriously, we’re going to have a real talk about who you’re associating with when you’re ready.”

Nodding, I smile, and she turns and walks down the hall. Closing the door, I run my fingers through my hair and walk toward the balcony to breathe some fresh air. Stepping over to the door, I look out and notice Luca standing on my balcony. My teeth grit together, and my body slumps as he grins at me and waves slightly. I shake my head, opening the door and stride outside. The cold air assaults my face, but it’s not cooling me down in the slightest.

“Luca.”

“Lily. You look very pretty today.”

Huffing, I roll my eyes. “No, I’m not doing this right now, Luca. I need to breathe,” I say and turn to walk back inside.

“Lily, wait! I need to talk to you about Kace.”

“I don’t want to hear another thing about Kace,” I call back out. “I want my life back. A life which was perfectly dull and boring until he stepped into it.” I say the words even as I feel a sharp stab in my heart.

Heavy footsteps follow me into the apartment, and I exhale while turning around to face him. He walks through the balcony doors toward me.

“They never fucking listen,” I murmur under my breath. “You ever use the door like a normal person, Luca?”

He flashes me a grin. “I’m not exactly normal.”

I tighten my hands into a fist. “Right, how could I forget?”

“He told you, didn’t he?” Luca asks, all traces of jokes aside. His face is serious and stern, almost a little scary.

My muscles tense, I chew on my bottom lip. “Wow, for a joker you’re being really serious—”

“This is a serious matter, Lily.”

Swallowing hard, I look at him, his dusty blond hair spiked perfectly, his chiseled jaw firm and clenched, but his stance isn’t threatening. He’s not here to hurt me—I don’t think.

“How am I supposed to believe all… this? I don’t know how to get my head around it. How to understand it all.” I wave my hands around like a madwoman.

He sighs and steps closer, but it’s not intimidating. “I’d rather you didn’t, in all honesty. What Kace did… telling you the things he said, he’s risked all our lives. Everything we’ve fought so hard for.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” I say softly, hoping he believes me. “I may be lost and confused and angry, but he still means something to me. I wouldn’t—”

He shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s not that simple, Lily. There are people who would kill for a minute piece of information on the Seven. What we look like. What our names are. Where we live.”

I take a deep breath absorbing what he’s saying. It hits me like a ton of bricks, and my chest feels heavy as I sink further into myself. “So… I’m in trouble here, aren’t I?”

He shrugs. “Not if you keep your mouth shut.” His intense stare bores through me as his stance grows taller, his eyes darken, and his stature now far more intimidating. For the first time, I’m actually a little scared of him. But I get that he’s just trying to protect Kace.

“Goodbye, Luca,” I say.

He smiles so brightly it’s a stark contrast to the death glares he was just sending my way. His joker side is back, and it makes me breathe a little easier. Even though Luca uses humor, I think he has a darker side when it comes to protecting those he cares about.

Chapter Fifteen

KACE

Storming up the ramp toward Mom’s office, she spots me and stands from her chair as I pull back the heavy glass door and stride into her office.

“Kace?”

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