An involuntary smile flashes on my face. “In that case, when were you going to tell me that you don’t have magic?”
She swallows loudly. “You first.”
“Honestly?”
“I think that’s the best policy.”
“Never.”
She swings onto her side, props her elbow on the blanket and drops her head in her open palm. “Really? You were never going to tell me about Ryals?”
I shrug. “Not if I could help it.”
She barks a laugh. “Did you really expect to keep him hidden for”—she slaps her thigh in frustration—“for however long we’re going to do this?”
“Yes. And let me ask you—were you ever going to tell me that you’d met him?”
She gasps like I’ve insulted her. “Maybe.”
I turn over to face her, push up and rest my forearm on the blanket. This close, the gravitational pull of the joining feels like there’s a rubber band lashed to each of us. It’s pulled so tight it’s about to break.
“When did you meet him?”
She traces a finger over the blanket nervously. “About a week ago. I couldn’t sleep, and I was trying to find the kitchen so that I could heat up some milk. He was following me.”
“You were trying tofindthe kitchen?”
Her doe eyes lift from the blanket and latch onto me. She nods. “Yep.”
I’ve been such a jerk. I drop my head. “I should’ve given you a tour. I’ll change that. Tomorrow.”
“It’s okay. Ophelia showed me where it is.”
“Has she shown you anything else?”
“I haven’t asked.”
I rub my face, disgusted with myself. “Tour. Tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” She walks her fingers over the blanket. “We played chess.”
A laugh rips from my throat. “You and Ryals?”
She grins. “Me and Ryals. He’s woken me up a few nights to play.”
I groan. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I like him. You have a good cousin.”
Our gazes lock and I’m falling, all of me, into her, and I don’t care, even though I should. It’s like this every time we’re together. Which is why I stayed away last week. Too much Addison is not good for me.
Or my plans.
She gazes at me curiously. “He told me a little about his parents.”
It’s my turn to sigh. “They can’t keep him. They battled with drugs off and on to the point that he wasn’t safe. I found out and demanded they give him to me. They must’ve had a rare moment of clarity because surprisingly they handed him over without a fight.” She’s staring at me as if I’m some kind of hero. I rub the back of my neck, because that’s the last thing I am. “Ryals is from my mother’s side of the family. She was close to her first cousin, and he was her grandson.”
Why am I telling Addison all this again?
