Page 2 of Fallen Heirs

Shit,it had been a lot.

And now even with that still going on, here we were in the grounds surrounding theExemplarcompound, all white stone interspersed with trees and a whole lot of peonies, those apparently being Abigail’s favorite flowers.

I turned to X who was right beside me and laser-focused on his dad and Alena talking in front of a majestic willow tree. Obviously using his vamp-hearing.

“What have they been saying?”

“You could find out yourself. Phoenix hearing?”

“And come in halfway through their conversation? What use is that?”

He sighed and half-turned toward me, while still clearly listening in. “So far they’ve been giving each other their sympathies over Abigail’s death. My dad told her he’s here for her with whatever she may need. And now they’re talking about me.”

“You? In what way?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Just my dad checking in on me through her. You know how he is.”

“Judging by how you’re trying to play it off, it’s more than that.”

He looked away from them and scrubbed his hand over his face. “I need a drink. You?”

I hesitated. He’d been going that route a lot since that night.

Off my reaction, he held up a hand. “Just one for me. Promise.”

“All right.” I looked over at the open bar, a few people milling about there. “Looks like there’s just wine and shit.”

He wiggled his fingers, his cobalt-blue magic sparking briefly. “Don’t worry, I can fix that for you, firebird. One spelled Hurricane coming up.”

I chuckled and we made our way over there.

As soon as we reached the bar, I saw X’s hand blur as he reached for one of the long stemmed glasses.

“Hey, did you just drink one already with your vamp speed?”

“I don’t know, did I?”

“X, what about your promise?”

“I had my fingers of my other hand crossed.”

“Shit, what the—”

He shoved a glass into my hand and then he brushed his fingers around the rim, his magic sparking.

The drink changed right before my eyes to my favored Hurricane.

“Thanks.”

“No worries,” he said, snatching up a glass of the spelled wine and downing it in two big gulps. Two, bigdesperategulps.

This wasn’t good.

It wasn’t good at all.

Ore had told me that X had felt so guilty for pushing us through the ward wherein Constantine had then snatched me and Alena away.

It hadn’t been his fault at all, though, and nobody blamed him. But he must’ve seen it differently and maybe that’s what this was, him not letting go of it.

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