Page 68 of The Veiling

“Okay.” He nodded once. “Fine.”

“Are you staying here tonight?”

He held his hands out, lowering his gaze, inspecting his attire. “I might need to use the shower. I have a bag of spare clothes in my car.”

“Okay, well, stay over then.” I veered toward my room. “I’m going to bed.”

We parted ways, and I opened the bedroom door. Isabelle was lying in bed, watching I Love Lucy reruns on the television while reading a book. She closed it, laying it next to her. I shut the door gently.

“Is he…?” She wrinkled her nose, exhaling a slow breath, bracing herself for the news.

“He's dead. Pulse checked and everything.” I strode toward the bathroom. “They’re going to take care of disposing of him.” I stripped my bloody clothes off, dropped them to the floor, and turned on the water.

Isabelle appeared in the doorway, tucking her arms tight against her midsection.

I shook my head with a smirk. “You really fucked him up.”

She smiled. “Good.”

Regardless of who he was and what he had done, I did not want to elaborate on the condition in which she left him in or my process for ending his life. I opened the shower door and stepped in, washing off all reminisces of Felipe once and for all. I took the small blue brush, cleaning out the underneath of my fingernails.

She inched further in, leaning on the counter. “With the search for me called off, and him dead, do you think maybe I can venture from the grounds a bit? Only if it’s safe. I haven’t felt free or safe since we’ve been dealing with him and, for once, I would just like to go…out. Not like on a date or shutting places down. I just want to be normal, even if just for a day. Maybe a girl’s day and somewhere casual with you, too?”

Her words tore through my mind like a wildfire.Normal, even if just for a day. “What do you mean by normal?”

“I don’t know, like how it was before I met you and just dine at a normal place with normal food that gives me a ten-dollar steak, maybe.” She giggled.

What the fuck?I finished rinsing, turned off the water, and opened the door, grabbing my towel. As I dried off, I lifted the corner of my lip. “That sounds horrible.”

“Why don’t you let me plan a day for us?”

“I’ve never paid under a hundred dollars for a steak.”

“And I love you and your expensive meat—”

“I know you do.” I winked, then hung my towel back on the hook and stepped over to her, placing my hands on her hips.

She rolled her eyes. “Valentino, please let me plan something normal for us. I think you’ll have fun. You had fun at Niagara Falls and in Rome doing tourist stuff.”

She was right. I had fun because I was with her, and she was happy. Bobbing my head back and forth, I weighed my response for a moment. “Okay, we can plan something…normal.”

“Why do you say it like it’s a disease?”

I stroked her forearms up and down. “I’ve just never had anyone like you in my life. You provide the balance I need. You’re just incredible.” I shrugged. “Not sure how I feel about a steak that cost ten dollars, but whatever makes you happy, I’ll try it.”

She beamed. “And the fact you’re willing to try new things makes me happy enough.”

I felt sick to my stomach about her going out on her own soon, but I did not want to keep her as a prisoner. She had been so great about following the protocol since Felipe had been after us. “I’ll compromise with you as well.”

She lifted her brows suspiciously. “And what would that be?”

“I’ll let you go out and do all the normal things you want.” She opened her mouth to speak, but I continued. “However, you have to take Noah with you, and you still have to follow protocol.”

“Really?” she gasped with a wide grin.

“Really, but if any new danger arises, I need you to understand if we have to pause that.”

“I understand.” She stood on her toes, kissing me. “Thank you!”

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