Page 75 of Kings & Carnage

"We wouldn't have to go anywhere," Mara said. "I just want to see you, hang out a little.”

I knew the Kings wouldn't go for it and I wasn't even sure I had the bandwidth to entertain Mara. So much had happened since I'd last seen her at my mom and Roberto's wedding, and it felt impossible to bridge the gap in the middle of what felt like a fight for my life.

"I want that too, I promise," I said. "But it's not a good idea right now. There's just too much going on and too much up in the air. Maybe we could talk more often? Have a standing video date on Sundays or something?”

"Sure." She was trying to be cheerful but the disappointment was written all over her face. "Sundays sound good.”

"Great!" Now I was the one forcing myself to be cheerful, a pathetic cover for the guilt seeping through my body like an ink stain. "We can have coffee together or something.”

"Sounds good." Her gaze drifted upward for a few seconds — like someone had entered the room — before returning to the screen. "I have to run, but I'll see you Sunday. Love you.”

I started to tell her I loved her too but the screen went dark before I finished my sentence.

I stared at my phone. Shit. I was going to have to do some serious cleanup when I was done at Aventine. With Mara and the rest of my life, which was starting to feel like one big mysterious question mark.

Chapter35

Willa

Iwas trying to decide whether to go downstairs and forage for food in the kitchen when a knock sounded at my bedroom door.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened and Rock stepped into the room carrying a tray loaded with covered dishes and a vase holding a single giant sunflower.

"Thought you might be getting hungry," he said, kicking the door closed behind him.

“Please don’t tell me you did all that yourself with one hand,” I said, eying his broken arm, still in a cast.

“I wasn’t planning to,” he said, setting the tray carefully on the bed with his good hand.

“You don’t have to do all of this you know,” I said.

“You know better than that, kitten. I don’t do anything because I have to.”

It said a lot about how much my life had changed in the past few months that I wasn't surprised to see a stack of books on the tray. The first time Rock had brought me food and books I'd been shocked.

I hadn't even realized the Kings knew I liked to read.

But over the past few months, they'd surprised me more than once with items from my wish list, and from looking at the titles stacked on the tray, this was one of those times.

"Do you keep some kind of closet stacked with my favorite things for times like this?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not." He seemed to think about it. "Although that's not a bad idea.”

"So how did you know I'd be laid up today?" I asked.

An indignant expression crossed his face. "Babe, really? You don't think we know when you're due to get your period?”

I closed my eyes and shook my head, not sure whether to be embarrassed, mortified, or impressed. "Wow, that’s… nice? Creepy?”

"Whatever you want to call it, we just want to make sure you're taken care of," he said, sitting carefully on the edge of my bed to keep the tray from tipping over.

I lifted one of the covers off the tray and was hit with a face full of steam and the delicious salty scent of chicken and broth.

"I brought you some of that chicken soup you like," he said. "With the curry. And there are homemade rolls with butter. And make sure to drink the tea. The ginger is supposed to help with cramping.”

I noticed two small capsules on the tray and picked one up to read the tiny writing. "You brought me Midol?”

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