Page 51 of Voracious

Ty smiles through her spoonful of cereal. “Don’t worry – not too many.”

She sighs. “When you say not to worry, I worry more. I can’t exactly say no. My girls only turn twenty-two once.” She pinches Luciella’s cheek then grins at me.

“I promise it’ll be a small gathering,” Tylar informs her in a tone that instantly reveals she’s talking crap.

Aria gives her a sceptical look. “That explains the aerial hoops set up in the ballroom, and the strobe lights, and the garage crowded with alcohol. I mean it. Don’t break anything, and if I find out anyone has been in my room, you’ll all be kicked out!”

“I don’t even stay here,” Ty replies. “How can I be kicked out?”

“For the last month, you’ve been here every day, and you claimed one of the spare rooms as your own years ago.” Aria pops her passport and money into her bag.

“I’ll call you when I land, honey,” she says to Lu, kissing her cheek, and then mine and Tylar’s. “Don’t do anything I wou—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lu interrupts. “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do. Do you forget we’ve read the articles? Does that mean I can have babies with a psychopath, stab someone eighteen times and sleep with someone I work with?”

Hands to her hips, she spins to face her daughter. “Luciella Mitchell! That’s enough!”

All three of us burst into giggles. Tylar chokes on her cereal.

Aria’s best friend was killed by someone called Justin, the deceased sidekick of Tobias, and she retaliated by driving a blade into him multiple times. Tobias took the blame, but we all know the truth. No matter how much she fights us on it. Her story has changed far too many times, and even Ewan gave us a nod behind her back once.

Aria rolls her eyes and leaves the kitchen, one of her own bodyguards following to drive her and Ewan to the airport hotel.

Tylar gets to her feet. “I’m going for a swim in your indoor pool. Who’s joining?”

“I’m going to walk the dogs,” I say, turning to Luciella. “Do you want to come?”

We’ve been normal – but there is a strain between us. She doesn’t trust me, and I’m worried our friendship might be ruined.

“Sure.”

Milo growls at Luciella as she walks towards him with the personalised leather harness Kade had made in Paris. She freezes and turns to Hopper with his harness instead, but he also growls. “Nope.” She drops the harnesses. “Fuck this. They’re going to eat me.”

I smirk as I lift the harnesses and both Milo and Hopper run to me to get them on. They lick my hands and face while I clip them and sit nicely while I hook their leads. They’re good dogs, they really are, but they also have Kade as an owner. He trained them to be protective of the family, but Lu never bothered with them before and was always away studying, so she didn’t build a bond like the rest of us.

Lu stares at me as I pat both dogs, scratching behind their ears. “They really do belong to you and Kade. I never noticed before how attached they were to you. I… I still can’t believe you kept this all from me.”

I chew my lip. “Will you ever forgive me?”

She gives me a tight smile. “I don’t blame you for falling for my brother; I just hate how sneaky you were about it. I… I want to trust you. I love you. You’re my best friend, but I think it’s going to take me a while. Can you be patient with me?”

I nod. “I am sorry.” Not for falling for Kade but for lying. “I asked Kade to stay quiet about it, but it was mainly so Chris didn’t find out.”

She sighs and holds her hand out. “As long as I’m still your favourite twin.”

“Always.”

Milo and Hopper stand in front of me, and I reach out to hand a leash to her, but when she goes to take a step in my direction, Milo barks, and she jumps back.

“Nope! No. I’m not doing this. I’m going to get our costumes ready for tonight.”

I laugh as she rushes away from the dogs.

Barry rises from his seat at the breakfast bar. “I have some news. And I don’t think you’ll like it.”

“Tell me.”

While walking with me through the grounds, the dogs running rings around us, he shows me a photo on his phone – Kade with his hood up, smoking a joint by a jet, waiting for a car. Beside him is a young blonde girl, but I can’t see her face.

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