I push out into the hall, taking her face in my hand. "Are you okay?"
It looks like she didn't sleep at all.
It looks like she's been crying.
What's going on?
"Come here." I pull her to my chest and rest my cheek on the top of her head. "Did something happen?"
She shakes her head against me. "No. I mean, yes, but?—"
"Did Atticus say something?"
He's been weird since that dinner with Céline. Distant. Spending all day in the library plotting and planning.
"No, it's not him, it's me."
Aurora pulls out of my arms. "What do you mean?"
"There's something I have to tell you. You and Seven. And it can't wait any longer."
My stomach sours at the pleading look in her eyes. I don't like it. Not one fucking bit.
I swallow. "Okay. Give me a few minutes to wash up?"
Her brows draw together, realizing what she missed when I first exited the studio. My angel lifts my hand to inspect the paint stains on my fingers and the side of my palm, and I let her.
Her eyes turn glassy. "Elijah, are you…" She covers her mouth with her hand, swallows, and lets it fall away. "Are you painting again?"
This was the sort of pressure I wanted to avoid, but I don't see expectation in the way she's looking at me. Just…joy.
"Nothing serious," I tell her, letting myself smile a little. "I didn't want anyone to know yet."
She twines her fingers with mine. "Baby steps."
I nod. "Yeah. Baby steps."
She bites her lip and looks away, slipping her hand from mine. "I'm going to go get Seven. Meet me in the kitchen? I'll put some coffee on."
"Okay."
I'm as quick as I can be, cleaning the paint from my hands and changing my shirt, pausing only for a moment to admire the first piece of art I had a hand in making in years.
The black-and-gold canvas hangs proudly across from my bed and is the only real spot of color in the bedroom at all. Waking up to it almost every morning has had me more eager to get out of bed than I think I've ever been.
Because getting out of bed now means I might get to see her. Or hear from her. Or paint her.
Seven's teasing voice rings in my ears from something he said the other day when I finally told him I was painting Aurora.
Someone's a little obsessed with her…he said in a singsong voice, sucking air in through his teeth as if it's a bad thing when the fucker is clearly as obsessed as I am.
What could she have to tell us?
And why only me and Seven?
I'm confused when I walk into the kitchen and find everyone already there. Not just Sev and Aurora, but Ellie and Atticus, too.
Ellie comes for some pets, clearly curious what's got everyone in the room so tense.
