Nero hovers after everyone goes to bed. “Top cupboard, right side of the kitchen, is where all the best liquor is stored. You look like you could use a drink.” He slaps my shoulder before taking the stairs two at a time.
It’s not alcohol I need. It’s silence.
Seeking it, I pace through the kitchen towards the back entrance, to the patio Zeno pointed out earlier on his quick tour. It’s still summertime warm, though cooler now that the sun has fallen.
There’s a refreshing sense to the air that’s the opposite of what’s happening inside me. With a sigh, I settle onto the patio furniture, kicking one leg over the other and letting my head fall back.
Splash.
The only logical place the sound comes from is the massive pool to the side of the house, a bit of a distance away. Interior lights make the water appear a deeper blue, highlighting the distinct figure slicing through the water.
I stand and head her direction, watching Serafina beneath the water before coming up for air in front of my feet. I cough, announcing my arrival, smirking as her hair flips over her shoulder with her quick gasp.
“You scared me. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be inside?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Water dances along her collarbone, reminding me of showering with her the other night. “Not safe to be out here alone.”
She rolls her eyes. “First off, this pool is my safe place. Two, who am I not safe from? The monster already claimed me today.”
“You could drown. No one knew you were out here.”
Another eye roll. “No one knowing was the point. I snuck out of the side entrance for alone time. This pool is and always has been the best part of visiting.”
“I get that.” I indicate toward the patio, where I escaped to for some alone time. “Everyone went to bed, so I’ll leave you be.” The urge to remain close consumes me, but if there’s anyone who can understand needing a break, it’s me.
“Don’t.” She splashes a few inches nearer. “Stay. Please. You’re the exception. You’re always the exception.”
That feeling, I too understand. I settle beside the pool, pulling my legs up to avoid getting wet. Just in case, I remove my gun and set it behind me on the grass. Wet weapons aren’t effective.
She folds her hands over one another on the edge of the pool and rests her chin on them, peering up at me with eyes a deepblue, lit only by the pool’s interior lighting. Water decorates her lashes. Four of them. Three on one eyelid, one on the other.
“You can come in.”
“And soak my clothing? I’m good.”
“Get undressed.”
“That’ll go over well with your siblings.”
She flicks water at me, a couple drops landing on my pants, creating darker spots. “Spoil sport.”
“Keep swimming. I’ll stay here.”
She releases the side of the pool and kicks backwards, reclining until her face is craned up at the sky, revealing her black bikini. The top forms triangles linked with a silver chain between the breasts and tied behind her neck. The bottom’s also linked with thin strings I long to tug open, maybe with my teeth.
She kicks in a small circle, limiting herself to the immediate area, her gaze locked on the stars above. Without a tree line like the Bratva mansion, the blanket of stars is vibrant.
Her gentle voice carries over the pool. “You’ve been quiet.”
“Aren’t I always?” I drag my gaze from the sky back to her, almost unwillingly, because the sky doesn’t entice my anger like she does—for no reason in her control.
“It’s different today.” She spins in the water until she’s on her chest again, the waves carrying her my way.
“What do you want me to say?”
“What you feel. You think I’ve made a mistake.”
“Of course you did.” It comes out harsher than I meant it to.
