Page 305 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

Alice definitely had a bit of age regression in her. She wasn’t quite as little as Sophie... but there was a reason they got along, and why Alice always wanted to sit in my lap.

Maybe that was another way I could help give her some stress relief and coping skills that didn’t involve pain and sex and hypnosis... letting her little side out might give her the mental break she needed and teach her some new coping mechanisms.

Right now, I was just happy that she was happy, that Rachel was safe and content with her new path, and that whatever poor girl had fallen victim to Pete Woodrow’s most recent lies wouldn’t fall victim to the same fate as the others.

I was far from perfect. I was far from a great Dom. I wasn’t smart or educated or attractive. But at least, if I could keep my shooting star safe and content... I could live with that.

Chapter 65

That evening when wefinally left the Valley House, Alice was pretty exhausted. She was starting to get a little crazy, so I opted to take us home. In the car, she was quiet, staring out the window and picking at a scab on her thumb. I’d noticed she picked her fingers or rubbed her feet together when she was stressed and needed emotional comfort.

“You alright?”

“Hmm.” She didn’t give me a real answer, just acknowledged me.

When we got home it was after nine. I sent her to her room to shower and get ready for bed, and then come get me. I wasn’t sure how she was going to feel as far as our extended game, and I had a feeling we would need to set it aside today. Or maybe she wanted the distraction. I wasn’t sure.

I listened as the shower cut off and she sang to herself as she rubbed her hair dry. She had a tendency to sing one specific part of a song over and over, rather than attempting to sing the whole song. And sometimes she’d do it all day long.Today her song-snippet of the day was,“You left your cocaine on my nightstand, your favorite necklace is my right hand, you were never a part of the plan, and it was over before it began...”

I sat on the couch and waited for her to come out, scrolling my phone and my calendar while I waited. Sophie and Mark had agreed to come over on Tuesday for dinner, and I searched through our pantry app to see what I had on hand that I could make. After a few minutes, I realized I couldn’t hear Alice’s singing anymore, and she still hadn’t come out.

Silly distracted little thing.I stood up and went to find her and see what mischief she’d gotten herself into.

She was standing at her desk, hair in a lopsided towel, the belt clutched tightly in one hand, and the letter in the other.

I always wondered why she’d never mentioned the house in Orlando. I’d thought it was because she didn’t want to think about it or deal with it, and assumed it would come up naturally. I’d assumed she had read it as soon as I’d given it to her.

“Alice...” I took another step into her room.

She shook her head, staring down at the letter. Her face was blank, eyes red, and her hand shook slightly she set the letter back on the desk.

“What do you need baby?” She shook her head again. I approached her with intent to give her a hug, but she held a hand out at me, as if to stop me from coming closer.

“How about a bath, and some ice cream? You’ve had a really emotional day.”

“No,” she shook her head again.

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