Page 38 of Twisted Kings

“Thea,cara,” he said in a low, husky voice as he strode toward me.

I threw my hands up in the air in warning. “Don’t, Dar.” The anger in my voice made him stop dead. We stared at each other for a few moments while Eden’s curious gaze flitted between the two of us. I knew damn well she’d be quizzing me the minute we were alone, but I appreciated the fact she kept her mouth shut for now.

“Thea,” he tried again. “We need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say.” My head throbbed and the longer I stayed on my feet, the sicker I felt. From my previous experience with concussions, the best cure was to rest in a dark room, not stand around in bright sunlight.

“You heard her,” Landon said from the step, causing me to spin around in surprise. I’d forgotten he and Milo were also here.

Dario ignored Landon. “I know you’re upset, but there’s shit you need to know, Thea.”

“Leave her the fuck alone, Dario,” Landon growled.Great. Just what I needed. Another pissing match.

“Enough!” I yelled. “Eden, can you show me where I’m sleeping? I need a moment.” She threw a glare at Landon before squeezing my arm in a show of solidarity.

“Of course.”

We pushed past Landon, who didn’t look happy about being dismissed, but I wasn’t in the mood to soothe his hurt feelings. There was no sign of Milo, but I figured he’d show up at some point. It felt like none of them understood the meaning of boundaries.

“You have the attic room,” Eden told me as we climbed a set of creaky stairs. “It has the best views.”

“Didn’t you want it?”

“Nah, I’ll be gone in a few days.”

“What about Verity?”

“She’ll be staying on the floor below. I figured you’d want a little,ahem, space.”

“Space?”

“Yeah, for all the makeup sex you’ll be having once you feel better.”

I ground to a halt. “Nope. Not happening.”

Eden just laughed like she knew I was full of shit. Which I totally was. She pushed open the door to the attic room. I stopped and stared in wonder. The room was spacious, with large dormer windows overlooking the ocean and a set of double doors to the side that opened onto a Juliet balcony.

Someone had left the doors open to air the room and although it was cold, the fresh smell of salt soothed my frazzled brain. A large king-sized bed with a soft white comforter called my name.

“Thank you, it’s lovely.”

Eden smiled. “I thought you’d like this room best. A head’s up, though. The stairs creak like crazy, so you should get a forewarning if any of those horny assholes try to sneak up here in the middle of the night. There’s a bolt on the door if you don’t want company, but I wouldn’t put it past them to climb up the ivy and onto the balcony if you attempt to shut them out.”

I smiled despite myself. She wasn’t wrong, and I had a strong suspicion who would crawl into my bed tonight.

18

Thea

Once Eden left me alone, I stripped off and crawled under the heavy quilt, wanting some time and space to recover. Verity would need me once she woke up, but that might be hours yet.

After dozing for a while, a light tapping on the door forced me out of the supremely comfortable bed. I half expected Kyril to be camped outside, but there was nobody there when I opened the door.

Some kind soul had placed a bowl of delicious leek and potato soup, a soft bread roll with butter, and a slice of chocolate cake on a tray. It was the first proper food I’d eaten in ages, and it tasted better than anything a Michelin-starred restaurant could produce.

Once my stomach was full, I pulled the covers up and fell into a deep sleep while listening to the sound of the ocean.

When I next woke, deep shadows cloaked the room, the only light a faint glow from the moon outside. My head still hurt, but not as much as before. I rolled over to find a hard body lying next to me.

---