Page 30 of When Hearts Awaken

Rex leans forward in, clearly interested. “That’s a lot of description from you, Charles. What? You interested in our sister?”

“You’re fucking insane. That woman is as approachable as a feral cat.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “She’s a ball buster. That’s why she’s my favorite sister. She doesn’t mean any harm. Don’t sweat it.”

“Don’t let Lana hear you.” Ethan smirks.

My brows pinch as I survey the room. The guys don’t appear at all concerned about Taylor. Perhaps because they’ve only recently connected as siblings, they don’t know her well enough yet? I glance at Steven, finding him furrowing his brows at me in confusion, like he knows I’m withholding something from him.

But it isn’t my place to tell them what happened with Taylor at ABTC or The Sanctuary.

I return Steven’s gaze with a shrug of my own.

“Did you see the bloodbath on the market yesterday?” Ethan asks.

“Can’t believe Canterbury Pharmaceuticals went down in a few hours. Someone’s engineered that,” Steven comments. I think all of our investment portfolios went down at least fifteen percent yesterday. It’s not every day you see a Fortune 500 giant go up in flames.

“Rumor has it Senator Townsend is behind it. He’s allegedly part of The Association.” Ethan frowns.

“I’d avoid that mess with a ten foot pole,” Maxwell comments, his eyes darkening.

My ears perk up at the organization Grandma mentioned all those years ago, but I bite my tongue, remembering Grandma’s warning, which seems to be confirmed by Maxwell’s ominous comment.

My mind trails to a woman the epitome of lightning in the skies—awe-inspiring yet lethal, who’s apparently related to my best friends.No fucking way.I shove my thoughts to the side.

I couldn’t care less about a certain ballerina with hair the color of midnight magic and eyes that seem to shimmer and transform with her moods.

I couldn’t care less about a woman at least a decade younger than me, a woman who’s too volatile, a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and take down everyone in her vicinity.

A swirling heat gathers in my gut and spreads to the rest of my body and I gnash my teeth together.

I don’t care about her. I most definitely don’t like her.

Not one bit.

Part Two

The Black Swan

One and a Half Years Later

Chapter 12

“How are you feelingabout it?” Grace’s voice travels through the speakers of my laptop during our video chat.

Her dark blue eyes glint violet under the golden rays of the afternoon light, her hair mussed up by the wind. She’s curled up in her favorite chair on the patio of the new place she bought with Steven on the Upper West Side.

But nothing can dim the beauty of a blushing bride—well, almost bride, that is. She and Steven are getting married in two months in August. In a spectacular fashion, Steven proposed to Grace on top of the Eiffel Tower last year, and of course, my sister said yes to him.

As I stare at her beaming face, a ball of happiness gathers inside my chest. Mom would be so happy to know Grace has found someone to love and cherish her the way she deserves.

“Tay? Hey, earth to Tay! Stop munching on that carrot stick.” She waves at the camera.

I take an exaggerated bite of the carrot, my lips twitching when she sticks her tongue out at me like we were still kids. To this day, she can’t fathom why I love this vegetable so much.

I think it has something to do with this snack being the last thing I remember tasting and enjoying before that night. Perhaps it’s the one thing that remains untainted. A person can change, memories can be distorted, but a favorite taste in a happy moment will forever be associated with that time.

It stays with you.

---