Page 115 of Of Blood and Banes
I press on, “You are the most eligible man I know. You are kind, brave, strong, and all the things me and any other womanwould dream of having in a man. And I’d be next in line for your hand if I didn’t already know you belong with Melaina.”
“You’re ridiculous.” But a distant smile winks at his lips.
“Ridiculous or not. It shouldn’t matter what he thinks of you.”
“But it does…” His voice breaks. “Because I’m in love with her, Kat.”
I bite into my lip to stop the creeping smile and nod. “Then that’s all that matters. Don’t get hung up on what he thinks. He’s not the one you’re in love with…unless you’re in love with both of them, which would just make things awkward?—”
He chuckles and shoulders me. Firmly enough it knocks me off my balance and I tip over into Daeja’s side before she nuzzles me back into my spot. Warmth returns to his expression, and it distracts me from the guilt sitting in my chest.
“Have you told her yet?” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “I haven’t been able to find the right time. And part of me is scared she doesn’t feel the same way.”
“We all feel like that. The first time you say it is always the scariest. It gets a little easier after that.”
“What was he like?”
I snap my head in his direction. “What?”
“O-or she?” he covers.
“No…he umm…” I break eye contact with him, trying to trudge through all the emotions I can’t quite decipher in my heart. Daeja leans gently into me, silently reminding me she’s there.
My gaze floats up to Cole speaking to Marge, far enough away I can’t hear what they’re saying. They’re backlit by the sunset. With that soft, golden glow outlining their silhouettes. Cole brushes the auburn hair at his forehead back as he looks down at Marge. When he nods and lets his hand fall to his side, he has a soft smile. The one that’s like daylight.
And it fucking kills me.
“He was everything I wanted. Everything I dreamed of. He was like daylight…” My throat tightens, and I clear it before I continue, “Like when you wake up for the first time after a long night. Everything’s a little blurry at first, and you can’t quite…figure out what’s around you. So, you blink until your vision corrects. And then it’s like seeing everything for the first time. Eventually, it becomes all you’ve ever known…”
Cole, mid-conversation with Marge, glances my way. A tidal wave of yearning rushes over me, and I can sense he’s drowning in it, too. Time fades. And I can’t tell if we’ve been looking at each other for seconds or hours.
Marge whacks the side of his arm with her staff, and he shakes himself out of his distant longing. Finally returning his attention to her.
I glance at Archie. And he’s shifting his gaze from me to Cole and back a few more times.
“W—wait. Wait. This isn’t…what did I just see? What was that?” He flicks a finger between me and Cole.
“Cole isn’t my brother, Arch,” I whisper.
His mouth drops open as he pushes up to his feet. I follow and grab his shoulders as he runs his fingers through his sandy blonde hair.
I say under my breath, “Let’s talk about this. Away from everyone else?—”
“What the fuck?” he mutters.
“Archie, please. No one else can know.”
He lets his arms fall to his sides, his hair strewn from raking it with his fingers. Without waiting for permission, I grab him by the elbow and tug him with me until we are so far out of earshot, we’d need to scream to get someone’s attention.
Daeja follows us closely behind and puts herself between us and the rest of the group. She unfolds her wings and stretches them out to the side to block us from view.
“Thank you.”I toss a grateful glance at Daeja.
She settles into a comfortable seat with a nod. Forced front row tickets to what’s about to be anything but entertaining.
Archie whirls out of my grip. “What the actual fuck, Kat?”
