Page 53 of The Night Runs Red

I pulled back. "What? No. This is important to your family—your people. You need to be here for them if nothing else."

"They are hardly family," he said with a harsh laugh. "Family does not treat each other as though they are dispensable. Family does not belittle each other. Family does not—"

I placed my hand against his cheek and pulled his haunted gaze to mine. "Leonora and Renwick aren't your family." He opened his mouth, but I placed my finger on his lips. "Let me speak. They are not your family—they are your blood. There's a huge difference between the two. But Jasper and Rowena? They are your family and likely want to celebrate the holiday with you."

A muscle flexed in his jaw. "I would rather get as far as possible from this fucking house."

"Why?" I questioned, grasping his clammy hand with mine. "What is so terrible about being here?"

The doors opened, and Jasper walked through, stopping as he saw us. "Should I have knocked?"

"Don't play stupid," I said, rolling my eyes. "Even I know you have exceptional hearing."

He shrugged one shoulder casually, draping his arm across the back of the couch as he sat down. "It was worth a shot."

Rion narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Calia enlisted my help with research," he said, tapping his foot. "She found some missing information regarding the union before you and believes it might be related to the symbol."

RIon turned to me, brows furrowed. "Why do you think that?"

I ran my hands through my hair to expel a sudden jittery sensation crawling along my skin. "Because every mention I found regarding that symbol goes back to Calix Darrow. So, I started looking into those affected by the curse." He stepped back and crossed his arms, listening intently. Having his undivided attention was nerve-wracking, but I was proud of what I’d found. "Each match has effectively signed a Darrow's death sentence, and it's been in the most horrible ways, too. But this last one... It was the shortest at only twenty-two years, and all information on it has been redacted."

"So?"

So? Was he serious? Surely, he could admit it wasn't normal. "That doesn't seem strange to you?"

A muscle in his jaw flexed. "No. It does not. With the evolving technology, they could have easily done so for privacy."

I waited for him to elaborate, but nothing came. I don't know why I was surprised because we always took one step forward and two steps back. "Privacy?” I barked out a laugh. “There is no privacy between our families. However, there is a history of my ancestors being slaughtered like cattle while yours kept their lives. Excuse me if I don't want to suffer the same fate."

"You won't," he said, gripping my face. Something like worry came over his face, but he fought to keep it neutral. "I swear by it. As fascinating as this must be, it has nothing to do with the symbol."

Irritation flared as I knocked his hands away. “How do you know, Rion? How do you know there is no connection if you refuse to entertain the idea?”

"Just drop it. Please."

"Just drop it?" I hissed, pushing from the table and stalking toward him. "You don't know any more than I do, and you don't get to diminish my fears. This affects me. My life. I thought that would be important to you, but maybe I was wrong."

His eyes blazed with reciprocated anger. "If you truly believe me to be that heartless, then perhaps I should not bother to try and change your mind."

Jasper came up and stepped between us. In the heated exchange, I'd forgotten he was even here. And even through my frustration, I didn't really believe what I'd said. I knew he cared about me, but why the hell didn't he want me to pursue this lead? It may lead to nothing, but what if it didn't? What if it unmasked the assholes who tried to kill me?

Rion ran a hand along the back of his neck, blowing out a sharp breath. I didn't know what he was thinking, but his expression was fearful as I took a tentative step forward. "This is important to me," I whispered. "And I want it to be important to you, too."

Rowena opened the door, humming an upbeat tune as she removed her headphones. “Calia, it’s time—” She stopped short, her gaze darting from person to person. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Mother told me to take Calia to her room to get ready.”

My gaze dipped to my feet. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like celebrating anymore, especially when Rion refused to take my concerns seriously. And I sure as hell didn’t want to sit in a room full of people who hated everything about me, my family, and what I represented. No matter what happened between Rion and me, they would never accept me.

The prejudice ran too deep.

But even though I hated that, I hated thinking about being alone with Rion more. Especially when he could apparently turn a blind eye to my fears so quickly. Anything would have been better than that, even if he had to lie.

The weight of his stare was heavy as he approached. He already knew my thoughts. There was no point in wasting my breath. I closed my eyes as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. When I opened them, he was gone.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Rowena led me from the library, going on about what we would both wear tonight. The first night of the cycle was the biggest celebration. The vampyres powers would peak while inhibitions floated away on the wind. My mind fought to keep up with each kernel of information she let slip, but it was useless.

---