Page 56 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
“Nothing. Apparently, there’s a wedding happening in two weeks.”
“Smartass.” We step through an arched opening teeming with leaves and vines, then onto a grassy patch with rose bushes encircling us. Wall-to-wall green except for the splashes of vivid red. The sky overhead is full of billowing clouds shifting into sunset pink.
Sasha turns to face me directly, unblinking. “What is going on, Oliver James Blakeley?”
“Nothing,” I repeat, avoiding her gaze. I don’t want to lie to my sister. Before Aries, she was the only person that I could open up to. My lone confidant. But this… I can’t share this. Not with anyone.
She folds her arms as if we’re having some kind of stand-off. I don’t say anything, because I have no idea what she wants. I’m assuming it’s about Aries because he is obviously top of mind. But maybe she’s wondering about something else?
Sasha exhales a sigh and shifts her body away. “I was hoping that you would be honest with me. I know I’m not perfect, but I think… You should know that you can trust me. I’ve shown you as much over the years.”
My heart pulses in my ears. “Sasha, what are you talking about?”
Her eyes are shrewd. Serious. “Camille told me that when she came to your room this morning, you were naked, your hair was disheveled and the room… well, it had a very particular scent. Not just your subdued and soft essence, like usual. She said it was, quote, ‘a little louder and muddled with someone else’s.’”
My palm flies up and slaps against my forehead. Oh God.
“And she knows you weren’t with Alexander because she’d walked over with him,” Sasha goes on. “What the hell were you doing?”
I can’t breathe. Standing still, I shake my head, because I’ve completely ruined everything. I told Aries I would keep him safe.Promisedhim.
“Oliver.” Sasha stares, waiting. I take a step back, but she steps into me, grabbing hold of my wrists. “Are you sleeping with Aries?”
Wide-eyed, frantic, I shake my head again. All of the goodness and contentment that I felt today is being siphoned out and replaced with a dark, inky dread. Thick and suffocating, like tar flooding my veins. “No, I… Please don’t tell anyone.Please, Sasha.”
I’m preparing myself for the worst, but my sister steps into me and wraps her arms around my shoulders.
“I would never tell our fathersanythingabout you,” she whispers, resting her chin against my temple as she embraces me. “You’re my Ollie! My sweet younger brother who dreams and contemplates and questions. Haven’t I expressed how special you are to me?”
Slightly less terrified, I bring my arms up and wrap them around her waist, returning the hug. “You lecture me,” I tell her. “Sometimes.”
“That’s what good big sisters do. And sometimes you are pretty whiny.”
I open my mouth to object, but quickly realize that anything I say right now will absolutely validate her statement.
“I can’t believe you’ve kept this from me,” she says. “How in the world did this happen? How did it start? Who made the first move?”
“No one was supposed to know. Why does Camille tell you all these things? She told you when my aura flared out, too.”
We separate, but Sasha grabs my hand and entwines our fingers. “Because she’s my best friend, and after I married Elaine and had to leave the castle, I asked her to keep a close eye on you. I worry about Lord Heartless treating you like his golden show poodle and keeping you under glass. He’s always been so strict with you. It’s unreasonable.”
I shrug. “He’s strict with all of us.”
“Yes, but much more so with you. He doesn’t let you goanywhere. Thomas got to attend university until he tried to run away, and I went to the international vampire summits every year with Lord Pointless until my official bonding ceremony. But Heartless keeps the leash so tight with you. It’s probably because you’re the cleverest of us all. Too inquisitive and bold. You make him nervous.”
I draw back slightly. “You think I’m bold?”
“Of course—when you’re not trying to stifle yourself to appease everyone. You wrote thatGallery of Stolen Artworksessay, and then those photographs… The way you perfectly captured the excessive splendor of the fête contrasted with the housing conditions of the vamps actually living there. You challenge the status quo. Most of us aren’t brave enough to do that.”
“I was only observing what was in front of me,” I explain. “Just putting two and two together. Why should I lie about what seems painfully obvious?”
“What’s painfully obvious to you is completely invisible—or worse, irrelevant—to others. That’s what makes you valiant, Ollie. Unique. Tell me… is Aries the reason your aura flared out at the banquet that day? Was it because of him?”
I look around. The sky is darkening and the garden lights along the path suddenly glow to life like magic. I’m comfortable opening up to her about this, but not here. “Yes, but—can we talk about this another time?”
She pouts. “Do you promise?”
Smiling weakly, I nod. “Yes.”
