Another glance between them. Another secret I’m not in on.
“Well,” Nikolas says, his voice velvety and faintly mocking, “if you stay patient, like a good girl, I suspect you’ll get all your answers soon enough.”
This guy is seriously something else. I honestly can’t tell if he’s flirting with me or threatening me.
Maybe both.
Selene cocks her head, eyes narrowing as she drags her gaze down my body in a way that makes my skin crawl.
“You’re not what I was expecting,” she says, tongue clicking against teeth. “You’re different from your sister.”
That throws me for a second.
“You know Amber?” I ask.
“Unfortunately,” Selene mutters, wrinkling her nose. “All that pink. Who does she think she is—Princess Barbie?”
“Pink looks good on her,” I say coolly, my spine stiffening.
Amber and I may have our issues, but I’m not going to let some Trinity-cosplaying wannabe in a latex catsuit trash-talk my sister to my face. I don’t care even if she is Hayes’s family.
I really,reallydon’t like this woman.
Just then, Argyros comes charging down the stairs and launches himself into my lap with so much force, I nearly topple off the stool. I wrap my arms around his warm, wriggling body as he whines, nosing into my neck and licking my cheeks like it’s been years since we last saw each other, even though it’s only been a few days. It’s obvious he missed me just as much as I missed him.
“There you are, Al.”
Hayes appears at the foot of the stairs.
Our eyes lock, and for a moment, the world almost clicks back into place. He looks—God, he actually looks happy to see me.
Then his gaze flicks to the kitchen, and I watch his expression shift. He takes in the odd little scene: me, stiff and ill at ease at the island, while his supposed “relatives” hover around.
“Everything okay in here?” he asks, brow tightening.
That’s when I realize Nikolas and Selene have moved. They’re no longer on either side of me like looming shadows but have drifted several feet back, distancing themselves without a word. Their eyes arefixed on Argyros in my lap, watchful and wary. Almost like they’re… afraid of him.
Which makes zero sense.
Sure, Argy looks like a half-rabid wolf on a bad day, but right now he’s just a big fluffball melting in my arms, tongue lolling, tail thumping lazily. He’s not exactly exuding killer animal energy.
So why are they watching him like he’s about to rip them to shreds?
Or… maybe it’s not Argy they’re worried about at all. Maybe it’s the person standing behind me.
Are they afraid ofHayes?
“C’mon, Selene,” Nikolas says smoothly, already moving. He reaches for her elbow, confident and controlled, like someone who expects to be obeyed. “Looks like it’s time for us to go.”
Selene drags her eyes from Argy and casts a slow, syrupy glance at Hayes through heavy lashes. “Oh, but can’t we stay a bit longer, Hayden?” she purrs, her voice suddenly turning breathy and flirtatious. “We were just getting to know your little friend.”
My jaw tightens.
I don’t like the way she’s looking at Hayes. It’s too familiar. Too hungry. Too… interested. Definitely not how you look at your family. Unless your family is onGame of Thrones.
“Selene. Now.” Nikolas’s voice sharpens, low but firm. She pouts but doesn’t argue as he steers her from the room.
As they walk away, Nikolas glances back over his shoulder. “Pleasure chatting, Alysander. I’m sure we’llmeet again soon,” he says with that cold half-grin, more a warning than a goodbye. Then they disappear around the corner, their footsteps soft against the tile.
