Page 96 of Consume Me

“Share them with me. I love to hear you talk.” Care threads through his voice, and honesty pours out of me.

“It’s just so much going on at the moment…”

“Don’t be afraid, Mia. I can handle anything but that.”

“I am not. Not of that, anyway.”

He turns my palm up on my thigh and places his hand on mine. Intertwining our fingers, every frayed nerve calms down, and every erratic heartbeat slows to a softer rhythm.

Once we arrive at the estate and Samuel lets us in, he leads us to Cassandra’s office. We’re the first to arrive. Cassandra sits in the velvet chair fit for a matriarch behind the mahogany desktop, a solid and intricate wooden work of art. Dressed in a blue and cream suit and pearls, she radiates strength and authority. A long couch and a set of armchairs rest in the middle of the imposing-looking room with hardwood floors and golden lamps.

She must be one hell of a strong woman, not only after what she went through but also having to function in such a dysfunctional family. One thing I learned is that the Family’s well-being comes first, and that comes with sacrifices.

“We found the student who took the picture,” she says.

“And?” Blake asks, impatience ringing in his voice.

“He doesn’t know anything we can use.”

I slump in the armchair and Blake’s entire body tenses.

“So no leads. You know why I came back. Give me something or I am turning this continent on its head until I find them.”

The tension between them is palpable. Cassandra and Blake stare each other down until the door opens and the rest of the group piles in.

“What happened?” Kaden asks.

Cassandra recounts what she told us, and Blake walks over to the window, his body taut with tension.

“I am thinking of relocating you all,” Cassandra says.

That sounds extreme.

“So the intel on the Family’s members found nothing?” Kaden asks.

“Not concrete proof…”

“Caleb and Felix couldn’t escape on their own,” Hunter grumbles.

“I am aware of that,” Cassandra retorts.

“So you don’t have it under control,” Dane says.

“Voice and tone,” Cassandra tells him, but Dane is not known to measure himself, especially now when he knows Abi might be in danger, too.

“Felix will target Abigail. We should split up,” Dane suggests.

“No,” Kaden says. “That’s what he wants.”

“Kaden’s right,” Blake says.

“Well, we should show him we’re not intimidated by his tactics,” Celine says.

“He wants to chase us out of our home,” Abi adds, “He wants us, let him come.”

“We’re used to fighting,” I give.

Lines stretch the corners of Cassandra’s eyes. “You’re the future of the Family––a future both of them are determined to destroy.”

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