Page 76 of Cursed to Be Mine
His expression turns dry, but he humors me. “It was your left pinkie toe. He didn’t cut it. A Venus fly trap ate it, and you were sixteen at the time.”
Hmmm. Figuring he wasn’t joking and is expecting an actual answer, I say, “She didn’t know about them before last night.”
No sign of that having been a joke lightens his eyes. He just jumps straight into the next question.Yep. That’s Varius.“Where is she now?”
I turn to face him fully. “With Derek.”
“How far along are you in the blood bond?”
It isn’t reversible, so I know that’s not why he’s asking. “I started it two nights ago.”
“And you’re certain she’ll accept?”
“Yes.”
“If she doesn’t –”
“She will,” I cut in, and he holds my gaze in silence. If she doesn’t, I will weaken to the point of vulnerability. Eventually, the bond will kill me, it demanding blood one way or another.
He turns for the door. “We have another hour before the meeting. Get some rest.” He pulls it open. “And wash the blood off your face. I don’t want to tempt Aleric into eating you after the shit you pulled at the station.”
The door shuts, and I turn towards the pull of my girl.
Twenty-Two
HER
I sit on the brown leather sofa in Derek’s living room, watching him clean an assault rifle (the third gun out of a line of four) on the coffee table in front of me. Silence lingers heavily in the air, thick with guilt and pain for those we’ve lost.
Not just Ma and Daniel, a mother and son, but also for Detective Henry Howard, his wife Nicole, and the other seven members killed by wolves. Their bodies don’t seem to have been found yet. The television plays the news in the background, mentioning Ma’s death and how much good she’s done for this city.
“...taken too soon. It’s a true tragedy not just for her boyfriend Aaron Golden, the CEO and founder of Golden Realty, but for everyone in St. Augustine...”
I try to ignore it.
“Tell me about the guy you were with at the station,” Derek says as he puts the assault rifle down and picks up the shotgun to clean.
“Uh…” I blink, trying to figure out where thequestion came from. It’s the first thing he’s said to me since we left the station. Maybe he’s just paranoid? He seems the sort. Or maybe he thinks I was cheating on Daniel too?
My stomach twists. “Khalid? He’s…my…”Concerned friend? Boyfriend?My pulse quickens, but I chicken out of saying it out loud. “...neighbor. He moved in a few months ago. He heard Ma and I arguing when we got back and followed me to make sure I was okay.”
I expect him to ask why my ‘neighbor’ had his tongue down my throat or to demand if I did wrong by his son, but instead, he asks, “Is he always up that early?” Intense eyes drill into me.
I frown, confused about where this line of questioning is going. “He’s a light sleeper. He probably woke up when I revved the engine.”Or when we started screaming at each other.I wince.
“He followed you immediately?”
“I guess?” My frown deepens. “Well, he didn’t show up at the hotel until maybe an hour or so after, but…” I trail off, my brain trying to put the pieces together when it can’t even see what puzzle it’s trying to do. An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach, and I fidget as heat rises up my cheeks.
“How did he know where you were?” His eyes are still so intense. The gun looks dangerous in his hands despite the chamber being empty.
My mouth opens, then closes, the answer alluding me. I shake my head as I dig my nails into my thighs, trying to keep my hands from shaking. My blood pounds in my ears as my eyes stay trained on the shotgun.
“Scarlett.” My name is clipped, demanding ananswer.
I focus on his face, ignoring the gun in his hands. His face looks no less dangerous.You want his dangerousness, remember?I swallow as I wrestle with my pulse. “It...it would’ve taken him a few minutes to get into his car,” I say, my words becoming stronger. “He probably drove around until he saw Ma’s car in the parking lot.”
The lingering silence is heavy with words he doesn’t say, making me fidget more.Does he think Khalid is a werewolf?The question clogs my throat, but I force a hard swallow, needing to know that answer.
