Page 40 of Cruelly Fated
I stayed quiet, trying to calm the dragon inside me who was already wailing about not being the first. But we hadn’t known her then. And she’d been underage. I would’ve never looked at her like that. Not until now. And even now, barely eighteen, maybe I was rushing her. Perhaps I was being selfish.
“It was nothing,” she said, almost like she read my mind. “He lasted like a minute. It doesn’t even compare to being with a real man. Like you…”
Our eyes locked. This time, she didn’t flinch or glance away. She met me full-on, reminding me that she wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a woman. A beautiful, selfless woman with a sizzling fire I couldn’t look away from and a complicated life I’d love to star in.
I arched a brow, leaning in. “He didn’t make you come?”
Her lips twitched. “Sadly, no.”
“Name?”
Allie burst into laughter, a bright, unrestrained sound that filled my chest with a satisfaction I hadn’t known I needed. I dropped the subject, though I fully intended to pay that boya visit. Maybe not today. But one day. Valor was an excellent sleuth, after all.
The illusion of her in my lap faded like a scent on the wind. Now she sat across the table, smiling at me with those gleaming violet eyes.
I winked at her, already missing her touch. Even though it wasn’t real.
Valor took this moment to open the door, filling it with my lawyer by his side. Allie slipped out, trying to be slick about it but there was no way I’d ever miss a beat when it came to her. The moment she was gone, the warmth drained from the room. I leaned back in my chair, my mood souring.
“Mr. Voltaire,” the lawyer greeted, that polished French accent making everything sound more dramatic than it needed to. “Let’s get you out of here, shall we?”
Seventeen
ALLIE
The Uber dropped me off beside Marley’s cruiser. I climbed the steps to the house, edgy as hell. I hadn’t expected to see him today.
“Officer?” I called as I stepped inside.
He came from the hallway, deep worry lines etched across his forehead.
“Ms. Robinson called me,” he said, his voice tight. “Said she was supposed to come by and look through clothes, but you weren’t answering. Then she noticed your car was still out front. I rushed over. Worst case scenarios ran havoc in my brain. Where were you?”
Oh gods.
“I’m so sorry. I forgot she was coming…” I pulled out my phone. Three missed calls lit up on the screen. “Ugh, I put it on silent.” Guilt twisted in my gut. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
What scenarios was he talking about?
I thought of the most dire outcome. “I would never do that,” I said, swallowing through a tight throat.
“I know, but… Is the car giving you trouble again?”
“No, it’s fine.” I bit the inside of my cheek, debating how much to tell him. “Have you found out why Pete was placed in Avari Penitentiary?” I chose deflection instead.
With a hand braced on his knee, he lowered himself onto the couch, his piercing gaze meeting mine.
“You’ve been visiting Kyon Voltaire.” Not a question. “May I remind you he’s a criminal? He tried to assassinate his own father. I know he’s protecting Pete, but Allie, it’s time you start putting yourself first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Leave Avari. You can find decent work—art gigs, painting commissions—in cities where they don’t know who you are.”
Where they don’t know who I am?
I crossed my arms, heat prickling behind my eyes. Did he mean because I was low fae with a relative in prison? Might aswell call me a criminal, too, then. Or worse… I sucked in a shaky breath. Was this about Mom? When they argued during their relationship, it was always about her job.
What’s even worse, he was suggesting I leave Grandpa behind. The only family I had left.
