Page 107 of The Harbinger

“I still expect obedience from you.”

Obedience?

“But I…” I’d listened to every word he’d stated. I’d spoken to no one, got dressed, and was on my way downstairs when he came into my room…

Didhe come into my room?

My feet stilled on the bottom step. “Did you open my bedroom door?”

“It was clearly closed when you opened it, Mia.”

I shook my head. “You didn’t open it and then close it?”

“Why would I waste my time?”

He sighed and led me into the dining room, his hair damp but styled. He had changed into a black sweater and jeans, the fabric hugging his biceps with damning definition. Heat swirled low in my belly, and my pulse thrummed along my skin as his fingers wrapped around me, tight and unforgiving.

Sacha flipped a switch, and he was back to being the cold, controlling man he was before he had shown me his darkness.

He plopped me down into my seat on his left, then took his beside me. “New rules.”

I groaned and brought the glass of water to my lips, gulping away the sorrow of Alfredo and the mental anguish sitting at the tip of my tongue to spill everything I’d remembered of my sister and parents.

He lashed out and gripped my wrist, pinning it to the table. “Listen.”

I put my glass down and jerked my hand away from him. “I don’t know what came over me. I think I made a…” I lowered my voice as Albina and Francesco entered the dining room with a large platter of boiled fish sliced into sections.

My gaze trailed after them as they placed it in front of us.

The silver fish’s eyeball now sunk into its skull, the vibrancy of life replaced with dull and indented orbs. I scrunched my nose and covered my mouth with the side of my fist. My displeasure didn’t go unnoticed as Francesco bowed his head before they retreated into the kitchen.

My stomach swirled.

Great.

Mom’s going to kill you—

“If you think you can disrespect—”

—You know that, right?

“Please, shut up.“ I clamped my hands over my ears, causing an oceanic roar that drowned out the noise. My chair slid back from the table, and I pressed my head down, resting my forearms on my thighs.

They’d never repeated before, and never to the point where I’d wanted to stab my ears with a knife just to make it stop. So why was she doing this now?

Sacha’s hand roamed down my back, a soothing tone to his shushing.

My stomach fluttered, and the desire to wrap my arms around him and forget about his coldness had my hands twitching.

Why was he comforting me?

“Tell me what’s going on?”

Kindness dripped from his lips like syrup from a maple tree, sending joy to my belly. Maybe this change in our relationship would take some adjustment for him as it did me?

“My sister.”

“Lexi?”

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