Page 27 of Cold Heir

A breath filled my lungs and I sifted through the thoughts that came. “It depends on your definition,” I began. “He’s never violent in them, if that’s what you mean. He’s just … there.”

It seemed wise to omit how most of the encounters Aaric and I had while I was unconscious were heated, sensual exchanges—a blend of unexpected passion, and the fiery intensity I experienced when his anger brimmed. Mostly, I didn’t share this detail because it would have been confusing to hear. OnlyIknew how, despite my struggle to keep Aaric off my mind by day, he often owned my thoughts at night.

“The bond is powerful,” Levi acknowledged, stealing the words straight from my head.

“It is, but the dreams are kind of disturbing. Honestly, I’m a little uncomfortable even discussing them,” I confessed. “I just wanted to point out that maybe … I don’t know, I was wrong and a dream just carried over into reality.”

Levi’s hand settled on my knee and he offered a comforting smile. The thought crossed my mind that maybe, on some level at least, he knew there was more to these experiences than I shared.

“And what about his trait?” Levi inquired. “You took on a bit of both Julian and myself after the Claiming. Have you noticed a change since Aaric … ”

His voice trailed off before finishing the question.

My gaze lowered to the weathered slats of the porch. “I haven’t noticed anything,” I replied, shaking my head.

He wouldn’t have known this, but that frightened me. Certain aspects of my circumstances with Aaric seemed a bit different. Or, perhaps what frightened me more, was the idea of there not being a notable change because, to a degree … maybe I was more like that monster than I realized. Maybe at his core, maybe at mine … we were one and the same.

“Your world can be so weird and confusing,” I sighed, glancing over when Levi chuckled softly.

“I get the sense that yours kind of is, too.”

He wasn’t wrong about that.

Shifting in my seat, my foot nudged the bag sitting beside me. The one Glenn had thoughtfully packed. He mentioned a book he’d given me, and considering how interesting I found his collection when I snooped, I was dying to know which he thought I’d enjoy.

Levi watched as I unzipped the largest compartment and stuck my hand inside. The first things I came across were a blanket, more of the veggies from the garden, and then my fingertips brushed over the rough material of an old binding. After pulling it free, I scanned the cover, the title. I knew right away that he hadn’t parted with one that had been banned, but that was probably for the best. The punishment for an Ianite caught with an illegal book was bad enough, but the punishment for a human was far harsher.

That nostalgic aroma filled my senses the moment I opened it. It reminded me of when my mother would read me to sleep, or when I’d sneak into her room and peek at the old romance novels she kept on hand. For a moment, as I turned the pages, it was like she was sitting right there with me.

“Is it a good one?”

I’d drifted so deep into the memory, that the sound of Levi’s voice actually startled me.

“I haven’t heard of it,” I answered. “But Glenn says it gets good around the third chapter.”

Intent on scanning the first few words to see what there was to look forward to, I turned there, but the words I discovered hadn’t been placed there by a printing press.

They were handwritten.

Levi took notice and leaned in, seemingly just as curious as I was.

“Always trust Miles,”he read aloud, reciting Glenn’s words.

I was confused. “Miles? As in … his rabbit?”

A shrug was Levi’s first reaction. “That man always did put more stock in animals than he did in people, so … there’s that.”

This still didn’t make sense. I was certain Levi had just cast it off as another of Glenn’s insane rantings, but I hadn’t gotten that impression from him at all. Was he eccentric? Yes. Very. But not once did I get a senile vibe, making this message even stranger to come across now.

“I suppose we’ll never know what the old man meant,” Levi concluded as I placed the book back inside my bag. “But what Iamcertain of … is that we’re not alone anymore.”

My heart began to throb inside my chest as it raced, and my gaze darted in every direction, thinking the worst—that Aaric and his followers had come for us.

Levi laughed quietly, and I wasn’t sure how to read him. “Relax, Love. There’s just a vehicle on the property. Our ride, I presume”

Now, my heart raced for a verydifferentreason. “You really think it’s them?” I piped. “Julian and Silas?”

Levi’s confident nod made hope and worry both spike within me. Peering up, I looked toward the narrow path that wove through the greenery. It seemed to serve as a driveway of sorts, or perhaps just a road that ended here, at Glenn’s doorstep.

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