Page 77 of Wicked Heirs

Just as she went to brush past me, the door flew open with a blast of that familiar shimmering purple magic, and then Orpheus stood at the threshold.

He looked between us, studying the situation quickly.

“Everything seems copacetic here.”

“It is,” I confirmed. “We’re good.”

“We’re on our way to being good,” Alena corrected.

Yeah, that was more accurate.

“Very nice,” Orpheus said. He looked at me. “I need a word with Alena, if you don’t mind.”

I’d said what I’d needed to say, conveyed what I’d intended to. “Yeah. Sure.”

We slap-shook as I passed on by, and then I headed on out of the room.

I heard it shut a moment later.

I intended to head back to my chambers, but something stopped me and pulled me up short.

Curiosity, maybe?

Something more?

I didn’t know.

I couldn’t define it.

It just was.

So, I stayed and peered through the window in the door and took in what was going down inside.

They were standing opposite one another, Orpheus leaning against one of the desks with his arms folded across his chest,putting out mixed signals of both a commanding presence and some real defensiveness.

“I haven’t heard from you since that night we came together and then were rudely interrupted in my illusion at the edge of campus.”

She lifted her shoulder, trying to act like it was no big deal, like she felt all casual about it. But I could clearly see her tensing up. She was fiddling with her bag too, hardly able to keep her eyes on him.

She wanted him all right. Big time. She was having a really hard time trying to hold back where that was concerned.

“I was giving you guys the space I said that I would after what happened with Talon, how pained he was.”

“Space, hmm? Yeah, that’s what I thought you were doing too. Until I found out you’d been spending time with Xavier.”

“He told you?”

“No.”

“Oh, right, as head of Obsidian you have your freaking spies everywhere.”

“Something like that.”

“Well, hanging with Xavier was just recent.”

“After the space thing?”

“Pretty much.”

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