“Yep.” I leave out the fact that I didn’t even know he had one. I guess that’s my own fault. I enjoyed the part where he and I never felt the need to expose ourselves.
He drums his fingers against the steering wheel. “You knew about this?”
“Nope.”
“Shit,” he answers, shaking his head.
I laugh, but it sounds hollow even to my own ears. “Yeah. Shit.”
“This is going to be a long four weeks,” Daniel mutters, more to himself than me. He turns, his expression unreadable. “Why didn't he tell you?”
I blink, pushing away the pain that it brings. “I don't know.”
But that's a lie. I do know. Or at least, I can guess. Asher keeps secrets the same way I do—carefully, deliberately, until they explode in his face. It's why we work so well. Neither of us push the other to spill any of them.
“Come on.” Daniel pushes open his door. “You better get the pool house ready if you don't want him and Parker to kill each other.”
My hand flies out to stop him before he can leave. “What do you mean?” I'd noticed it over the past year. Had Daniel too? I'd be dead if it wasn't for Daniel, or worse.
His smile dies. “It's my job to observe, Ivanya.”
Oh. Right. Of course.
I release his arm and slump back in my chair. He’s right. This is going to be a long four weeks.
***
I stare at my phone. No new text.
Why didn't Asher mention he was coming? I stopped answering when his messages shrank to single words, but four weeks in Veilarath? That's worth a heads-up.
I check my phone for the fifth time. Still no text.
Why Would he come back to Veilarath and not tell me?
Memories flash through my brain, all of which include the first year of us together. The friendship we shared. The way he made me feel. Maybe it was boredom from my mundane marriage, or maybe it was some deep-rooted trauma I unearthed without realizing, but whatever it is, it has me clutching my phone likea fucking emergency device. As if it holds all the answers to my questions.
It doesn’t vibrate.
It doesn't light up with a text.
There's a loud rasp on the front door, and I stop my pacing in front of the fireplace, the whiskey in my glass long since warmed.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Hey!” Punk's loud greeting can be heard from the other side of Mount Crow before the door clicks closed again and three bodies round the entrance.
Asher's eyes come to mine and my stomach twists with weight it's been carrying since he turned weird. “Venom.”
I drain the whiskey, now warm as blood, and step forward when another body slides in behind him.
She flashes a wide smile, showcasing her white teeth. “Wow. This is a beautiful house.”
My eyes fly between her and Asher. Something cold unfurls in my chest.
“Ivy, this is my—”
“Fiancée.” The girl thrusts her hand forward, diamond catching the firelight. She’s all model-thin and expensive clothes.
