Thanks to the strange phenomenon he referred to asamnigh, they had sex several times, night and day, didn’t matter. The intensity and frequency of the heat was getting more powerful, overwhelming at times. But Penelope was doing her best to pretend otherwise, to act like it was no big deal, when in reality, it was a bit overwhelming. Hence the reason she’d seduced him in the office. It had been an attempt to head it off at the pass, give a little bit of a reprieve before it hit her again.
She’d been doing that for the past couple of days, ensuring Obsidian didn’t have to race to her rescue. According to him, there was a reprieve to be had once he fed from her, but since he’d made it clear he didn’t want to, she was being stubborn about it.
Granted, she knew he wasn’t feeding from Acadia often. About once every three days, and she could always tell when he’d put it off for too long. He thought he was covering it well, but she knew.
And yes, it bothered her that he felt he needed to protect her in that manner, but aside from demanding he feed from her, Penelope didn’t know what to do about it.
After her shower, she made her way to the second floor, searching for her brother. Oliver had been avoiding her since their last heated argument, when Obsidian had intervened, and she couldn’t necessarily blame him. She understood his frustration. He was a prisoner in this house, even if everyone was doing their best to be hospitable. The fact that Obsidian had done something to ensure Oliver couldn’t step outside of the mansion had removed his free will.
Penelope stopped in the doorway of the pool room, watched Oliver line up a shot, take it.
When he stood, his gaze traveled in her direction, stopping when he noticed her. He snagged the chalk, rubbed it on the end of his stick.
“Am I violating some rule?” he snapped. “Humans not allowed to play pool?”
“You know you’re not,” she told him as she moved into the room, made her way over to one of the bar-height stools. “I’m a bit surprised to see you in here, that’s all.”
“Yeah, well. I got tired of staring at the walls in that room.”
“You have to admit, they’re nice walls.”
The look he gave her probably should’ve singed her skin.
“Look, Oliver. I’m sorry you were dragged into this mess.”
“Are you?” he hissed, spinning to face her. “Do you really fucking care that my entire life has been upended because you’ve got a new boyfriend who thinks he’s king of the goddamn world?”
“That’s a bit dramatic, even for you, Oliver.”
“Fuck you,” he grumbled, turning his attention back to the pool table. “I still haven’t seen any proof that Seraphina’s what they claim she is.”
“Do you really want to?” she countered hotly. “You want her to show you her demon face?”
He glared at her over his shoulder. “No, I want some proof that what your boyfriend says is true.”
“It’s true,” she insisted.
He stood tall, moved around the table. “And you know this how? Because he said so?”
“I believe him, Oliver. Everything he says.”
“Why?”
“Because he can’t lie to me.”
Oliver snorted. “You’re too naive for your own good.”
Perhaps, but shedidknow it to be true because she’d tested the theory in reverse. Just the other day, she’d purposely placed her hairbrush in the closet, then asked Obsidian to get it for her. No matter how hard she tried to tell him she’d left it in the bathroom, she couldn’t get the words out. It was impossible to lie to him, even when it was trivial.
Not that it mattered. Oliver wouldn’t believe her anyway. He never did.
With a heavy sigh, Penelope got to her feet, then started back to the doorway before remembering why she’d come up here in the first place. She turned to look at Oliver.
“Not that you care, but Gryffyth asked me to ask you if you wanted to go out with them. They’re hitting up some club in Telluride. They claim they need a break from the house.”
Oliver’s eyes were skeptical when he looked her way. “Are you going?”
She shook her head. She had no desire to go to a club.
