My mouth opens but before I can get a word out, the kitchen door is closing behind him. Their surprise is quickly followed by the sound of sharp, punishing blows.
I close my mouth. I’m still in a state of shock when I walk away to find the drinks he directed me to. I couldn’t really understand what those guys had been talking about. But seeing how angry Gabriel got for me, I figure they were talking nonsense. I don’t bother to think about it anymore. In fact, I think I might have warmed up to Gabriel a bit.
Stars, if there is a hell, then it’s frozen over for sure.
The next day, we have new faces around the house. The unwelcomeness has all but disappeared and even the old faces don’t linger on me. I have to make a note to thank Gabriel later. I don’t see much of the team anymore, not even Reuben does his usual evening checkups, but it was only a matter of time. Gabriel’s support from that evening reassures me at least… that I’m still part of the team.
I also uncover the mystery of the morning strawberries. I’m opening the door in the early morning in the hopes of stealing away a snack from the kitchens, when I run into a familiar girl with braided black hair pulled into a ponytail. Her dark freckles stand out on chocolate skin and her eyes are a sharp golden colour, and I’m frozen in the doorway when I recognize her.
“You.”
The girl from the grocery store, and the test in the forest. Now that I get acloser look, she looks like she could be around 18. She’d looked younger to me before, but I’ve never been good at assigning ages to people anyway. Her eyes are wide now that she’s been caught and she shuffles back two steps to put some distance between us, holding the small black box with the pink bow.
My brows furrow, “I thought Aster let you go.”
“He took us in.” She gives me a shy smile. “Allowed us to stay. I help with the cleaning, and my brother works on his tech team. He’s good at those things.”
“Huh.” I can’t help the frown on my lips. “I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head, “We wanted to stay. This is… better for us.”
‘Better’… My frown deepens but I wipe it away with a shake of my head.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Evelyn,” her smile widens, “But everyone calls me Evie.”
My body tenses up immediately.
I’m instantly reminded of Everett; the Adler Squad called him Evie then. Still, I force my muscles to relax and my gaze softens. The girl before me now has nothing to do with him. She’s an innocent in the world of the living.
In comparison, Everett’s a dead man rotting in hell.
“Well, Evie. If anyone gives you problems you come to me,” I promise and she nods.
“And make sure to protect yourself,” I pull one of my daggers from my pants pocket. “It’s not safe to wander around this kind of house, even if you’re one of Aster’s.”
She takes the dagger with shining eyes before handing me the fresh new box of strawberries and disappearing down the hall. She’s beautiful. More beautiful than I’d noticed the first time, which only leaves me feeling antsy. This kind of house isn’t safe for her, even if she is under Aster’s protection. I don’t trust everyone in this house to be gentlemen, I have to make a note to talk about it with Reuben later.
By the end of the fourth week, I feel like I can cut a deal with Reuben andconvince him I can handle missions. Strictly speaking, I can speed up the recovery process at any time. But I still have to stay within the limits if I want people to see me as normal.
“Do you know where I can find Reuben?” I ask the guard at the bottom of the stairs, leading to the first floor. One of the new faces.
“He should be at the second exit,” the guard says with furrowed brows. “I think he’s preparing to head out on a mission, though. You might be able to catch him.”
Perfect. If I tag along and stay out of the way, there’s a chance I can convince him I’ve recovered enough. The sun has only just risen, so if I don’t catch him now, I may not get him again until the end of the day.
“Thanks.” It’s funny how easy it is to navigate through the house now. The morning air is freezing but not unbearable. I jog to the inner gate, waving at the guards by the entrance, before following the wall to the west, away from the lake. If the main entrance was the only in and out from the property, the Taiga family would find themselves boxed in during emergencies. The side gate is reserved specifically for high members of the family, like Reuben and the team, but it’s not used often, to stay unnoticeable to the public.
Maybe this new mission requires some level of secrecy. If so, I’m intrigued to know why.
By the time I reach the gate, I see Reuben and the team, packing into a familiar jeep with Wesley at the wheel. But the moment I step forward to greet them, my eyes sweep over a fifth member. A tall man with built muscle, wearing a dark blue suit. From my position, I can make out a charming grin, pretty brown eyes and streaks of white in long brown hair, pulled into a ponytail.
The rest of the team is in similar blue suits, with Reuben wearing a deep red that hugs his body tightly. He looks sharp today, with a silver watch on his right hand and a single piercing in his upper ear, with a silver chain. The tiredness is gone from his face and his hair is pulled back so that his bangs fall above his eyes.
I’d say they looked professional… that is if they weren’t scowling from ear to ear. Only the new guy appears unfazed and relaxed.
“What’s going on?” I ask the two guards in the booth beside the gate andthe first guy doesn’t look at me before he speaks.
