She watched the motion slowly, her mind working before she straightened and held up her hand, signing the letters to her name before signing ‘Red’.
I nodded. “Good.”
A bare spark of a smile touched one corner of her lips before it disappeared, pulling my eyes down to her lips before they found her eyes again. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was habit not to smile in front of people because I had seen her smile while dancing around the room. It was etched into my mind like lighting marring a tree. I knew she could do it, but did she know she could do it? “Let’s go over the entire alphabet. That will be our lesson today. I expect you to practice relentlessly when I am not around.”
An hour later, she was signing the entire alphabet with ease, spelling out her name and mine, her eyes finding mine when she finished with the letter ‘L’.
I could see joy lighting up her eyes, although the smile was still hardly there. A little curve of her lips, but nothing more. That would take longer to force in front of people, I think. Up until now, she has had nothing to smile about.
I didn’t mind giving her reasons to do so.
“Good,” I told her just as my phone began to ring.
My personal phone. Normally, I would ignore it, but with the build of my house going on, I didn’t have a choice. If there was a problem, then it needed to be dealt with. I immediately excused myself, telling her to practice, and walked into the kitchen.
It was Bishop.
“Yes?”
“How is the bike treating you?”
“I haven’t tested it out yet,” I replied. “She’s not ready.”
“When have you ever waited for them to be ready?” he asked me.
“This one is different.” I glanced back towards the couch, watching her spell out words with ease.
“You’re keeping her around then?”
I turned towards the sink. “She has information I need to complete my assignment. It’d be a waste if I broke her before I got what I needed.”
There was a rev of an engine and then it quieted. “We’ve had a couple of those in the past. Chaining them up usually helps.”
I felt my lips flick up. “I plan on it. How is the house going?”
“Havoc and Alaric are making sure things get done to our specifications. We even added in some surprises for you. A place of business and pleasure.”
I’ve been looking for an upgrade. “Get the cross from the bunker and move it over there. It’s always given me luck.”
He chuckled. “You always were a sadist.”
“Nothing compared to you,” I hummed. “Careful, blood soaks it far deeper than the one bearing their precious God.”
“Good, perhaps we’ll take it for a test run.”
“Be my guest. Soak it in the sins of whomever you feel worthy. The house needs to be ready by the 2nd. We’re moving in on the third.”
“Done. We expect a healthy return.”
“You may use the house whenever you want, for whatever you want, along with my other resources.”
“Awe,” he cooed. “You’ve never been one to share.”
“Times change,” I replied just as a sound met my ears.
I turned towards the couch, finding it empty. My brows furrowed as I headed for her bedroom, glancing towards the empty bathroom. Her bed was empty too.
My eyes found the closet, the door shut, and I felt my heart skip, my cock throbbing. “The 2nd.”
