Page 112 of Halfblood Deceived

“I’m worried about her,” Zeydan admitted. “She feels so much hatred toward herself already. I have the feeling the recent attack she suffered will make her feel worse.” He opened and closed his hands. It had taken him all of his self-control to not hunt down those females that had scared Aella. “She wanted to die, Kam. She asked us to let her die. She even told Gabby that we should have killed her. I’m worried she’ll try to hurt herself.”

Kerian’s throat bobbed. He shook his head as if he still had issues casting away whatever it was he saw in Aella’s mind. “He’s right. It’s not unlikely.”

Kamilla tilted her head, giving Zeydan one of her signature inquisitive, understanding looks that said, ‘I know you’re hiding something from me, but I’ll let you keep it to yourself for now.’ Then she nodded. “I just had a conversation with Diana over the phone. She is as worried about Aella’s mental health as you are, and she’s asked me to help already. And I will.”

Zeydan let out a relieved breath. “Aella is in the best hands, then.”

One side of Kamila’s mouth twitched up, topaz eyes turning amused and knowing. “She is, I agree. I’ll be seeing her this afternoon for a job interview and I’ll have a talk with her. So you can sleep tonight. Or right now.”

Kerian patted Zeydan’s shoulder before heading for the stairs. “I am certainly going to sleep until it’s time to go see the realtor. You should follow my lead.”

“I have a few things to check to make sure the shipment is ready to be brought here,” Zeydan said. His distillery back in Scotland had produced enough whisky to bring part of it to Darkwood. One of Kamilla and Kerian’s suppliers, a werewolf, had recently ended business with Hecate and Kali. The werewolf had found out Kam and Kerian were protecting Aylana and Sebastian from being hunted down by a fellow clan.

Kamilla linked her arm with Zeydan’s. “No, you don’t. You can do that later.”

“It will be nighttime for them later—”

“Then tomorrow.” Kamilla hauled him along upstairs. “We might be near immortal, but we need rest. And you’ll need to change your sleep schedule soon.”

“I will?” Zeydan asked. His sinking suspicion that Kamilla knew his secret grew.

Kamilla gave him an enigmatic smile. “You will.”

He let her lead him upstairs.

Arguing with his cousin was usually pointless, and he was too tired for pointless arguments.

And she was right. He should start getting used to sleeping during the day.

* * *

“So, what do you think?” asked Sandy, the realtor. She was a medium-height woman with an easy smile and a lot of charisma. She was handsome too, with brown skin, an hourglass figure accentuated by her pencil skirt and a white blouse, and long black hair.

Kerian leaned against the counter, looking around with polite interest.

“Beautiful,” Zeydan answered with a small smile.

The rest of his family let out appreciative, but mostly neutral, murmurs. Save for Luce, who had refused to say a single word since they met the realtor.

It was a beautiful house.

Far smaller than Kam and Kerian’s mansion. And not as big as the manor that Zeydan and his family had lost recently, but Gabby had mentioned they could use something smaller, homier.

The white house was perfect for their needs. With light pine floors, a massive kitchen—where they currently stood—a library already equipped with beautifully crafted shelves, and eight bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

Lex and Evan, the family cooks, had given approving hums at the chef-worthy kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a bedroom-sized pantry.

Mari, who leaned against one of the massive picture windows, basking in the fading afternoon sunlight, had said the basement was appropriate for her lab. That comment prompted confused looks from Sandy. And an ‘appropriate’ from Mari was the equivalent of a five-star review.

Gabby, wrapped in Lex’s arms, had deemed the room facing an oak tree perfect for the baby. She and Zeydan were also happy with the study next to the library, which they could turn into their office. It was spacious enough for him and Gabby to work in sync as always, and to set up their desks and create their ‘walls of craziness’. That’s what Luce called the boards with pictures, numbers, and other data that Gabby and Zeydan used to manage their businesses.

However, the little gremlin had disliked all rooms for some mysterious reason.

She was currently quietly sulking, holding onto Evan’s waist as if he were the replacement for her missing stuffed frog.

Andreas had already planned where to plant his fail-safes, no doubt.

Sandy grinned at them all, flashing straight white teeth and making a valiant effort to not look intimidated under Andreas’ tamest scrutinizing look. “This house will sell in no time, so you better make an offer soon if you really want it.”

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