Page 58 of Your Coffin or Mine
Then, the joke registers and I giggle while rolling my eyes. “I can ask. Surely he will see it’s a good fit, right?”
“Vlad has never been one for change. But stranger things have happened.” His gaze sharpens on me as he continues, “You seem to be quite cozy with one another.”
My cheeks heat as I try to come up with a response, rocking back in my sneakers. “Um, yeah, I guess we are,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant.
Doyle nods, a small smile playing at his lips as he arches his eyebrows. “Vlad can be a bit... ummm...”
I giggle at his expression. “The stick-up-the-ass thing? Yeah, I noticed.”
“But you will never meet anyone more loyal.”
I nod in agreement, relieved that Vlad’s best friend would think so much of him. Chad’s friends are vapid people and mostly toxic; I never really liked any of them. But Doyle is just a genuinely nice person, and always making jokes. He might give Vlad shit a lot, but anyone with eyes can see how much he cares for him—and that’s rare.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I shrug. “Not much. Probably wait and see how Vlad is, and make sure the castle foundations are okay.”Which is probably the wildest thing I’ve ever said in my life.
“I promise Vlad is alright. The quakes haven’t happened for many, many years. I doubt they will again any time soon.”
I hope he is right. “Okay.”
His shoes clack across the gleaming marble as he heads back to the hallway. “Stop worrying about Vlad. He will be back before you know it, and truly, Aubrey, the grand opening will be epic.”
My shoes squeak as I pivot on the shiny floor and follow him. “Hmm, do you think I can get Vlad to dress up? Maybe a vampire costume, or maybe even a werewolf?” I can’t see Vlad ever willingly playing dress up, but I want to try. It’ll be good for him to have some fun.
He smirks and holds out his fist, wanting a fist bump, and I hit his knuckles lightly with mine.“I think if anyone can talk him into wearing one, it would be you.”
Breaking into a lopsided grin at his compliment, I glance off to the side in embarrassment. “I guess we will see then.”
He opens the door and bows, gesturing for me to leave first. “If you need anything, just let me know.”
I shuffle into the hallway and watch curiously as he flicks a nearby light switch, throwing the ballroom into darkness. He closes the doors and I pull my phone from my pocket when I feel it vibrate with a message from an unknown number. Weird.
I frown before I even open it. “Will do.”
He turns around to stare at me solemnly. “And Aubrey?”
My eyes flick to his, my brows raising. “Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
I smile, although I’m unsure why. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
A smile spreads across his face before he turns to leave.
I watch him go, feeling a sense of warmth in my chest. Excitement flutters through me, and I hope I can help Doyle make the castle a vacation hotspot. I just need to get Vlad on board. Maybe, just maybe, things are starting to look up.
I open the message to find a simple text that reads: You have a present.
Confused, I look at the message again. What? This has got to be spam or a prank.
As I stand there, pondering, my phone buzzes again with another message from the same unknown number: Check under your bed.
Vlad.
My heart races as I slowly make my way to my room. Lifting up the bed skirt, I peek underneath and retrieve a small box wrapped in shiny red paper.
Trembling with excitement, I unwrap it to find a beautiful silver necklace with a large, elegant, red-jeweled pendant.Holy shit.Is this real? No way this is a real ruby, but the tiny diamonds twinkling in the light have my stomach flipping. Surely he wouldn’t.Nah, no way it’s real.
