Pierce regarded me with that hawk-like expression of his. “I see. So is that the only reason Theo wanted you to stay here?”
I blinked. “You know, don’t you?”
He smiled innocently, crossing one knee over the other. “Know what? I only know as much as you tell me.”
Okay, now he’s just playing games.
“You know about Theo and I… liking each other,” I said, feeling awkward as I said the words.
“I thought Theo felt that way about you, but I wasn’t aware it was mutual.”
Oh, great. Did I just admit to Pierce that I like his younger brother? The ground can open up and swallow me into a pit any time now.
Pierce chuckled. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“No, not really,” I mumbled. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing. Words and feelings. Both of them at the same time is making my brain explode.”
“You’re doing just fine,” Pierce soothed.
“It’s also kind of awkward admitting to your boyfriend’s older brother that you like him,” I said. My face warmed. Did Theo even count as my boyfriend? We hadn’t really discussed a term. I knew Benji and Caleb referred to Pierce and Adriel as their mates, but Theo and I definitely hadn’t donethat, so I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to use that word.
“Not at all,” Pierce remarked. “To be honest with you, I’d had a feeling that Theo was interested in you for a while now.”
That came as a surprise to me. My eyes widened in shock. “Really?”
Pierce nodded. “Since before you moved out, actually. I’m sure that’s part of the reason he was so eager for you to return. Even if he didn’t make a big display of it, he was quite sad to see you go.” He smiled gently. “I think his whole plan was more to get closer to you than to prove his stability to Adriel.”
My heart flipped. That never even occurred to me as a possibility. I didn’t even think that Theo would miss me enough to want me back. I remembered the day I moved out of the mansion and into my new apartment and clinic, and how Theo had done most of the heavy lifting. He put so much time and energy into helping me, and I had been utterly clueless as to the real reason why.
My face flushed thinking about it.
“I still don’t really understand why he likes me so much,” I admitted to Pierce. “I’m just a normal human. Why me and not someone else?”
Pierce shrugged and I got the sense that, for the first time, he didn’t know the answer either. “Why do any of us choose the mates we choose? Is it an innate feeling, or a bond built over time? Is there a special connection between an alpha and omega, no matter if they’re vampire or human?”
My throat felt thick with emotion and I couldn’t get Theo’s face out of my mind as he spoke.
“Love is mysterious,” Pierce finished with a shrug.
“So, I’m not kicked out, am I?” I asked.
“No. Although I am slightly concerned about Theo, I don’t feel as severely about it as Adriel does. You can stay as long as you wish.”
I wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but my chest was still tight with anxiety. “Then what about Adriel? He doesn’t still believe that Lark is sick, does he?”
Pierce’s lip twitched. “I’m not sure that he ever believed it in the first place.”
“So, he let me stay even though he knew it was a lie?”
“Try to remember that my older brother isn’t being harsh because he wants to be,” Pierce explained gently. “If you and Theo are serious about each other, maybe you should try to prove that to Adriel. Falling in love with his own mate has softened him a bit to matters of the heart.”
“Okay.” I took his words in seriously and nodded. “Thank you, Pierce.”
“Anytime.”
When he left, I sat alone with my thoughts beneath the fluorescent lights. The lie was broken now. We didn’t have to hide behind it anymore. But that meant that it was my responsibility--no, both Theo and I’s responsibility to make things right in the family.
But how? How could we prove to Adriel that Theo and I really did have feelings for each other, and that Theo was safe?
