“Alright, guys, come on.” Sawyer stood, putting himself between Sebastian and I. “This sounds like a problem between the two of you that should be handled in private. Nothing a little makeup sex can’t solve.”
“I amnothaving sex with him,” I scoffed out without thinking.
“Not just sex.Makeup sex. It's different,” Sawyer argued.
With a grimace, I dropped back to the sofa beside Delani.
I was thankful that Sawyer intervened. I wasn't too keen on continuing this discussion in front of my sister and friends, and I wasn’t entirely positive that I was ready for the second part of what this conversation with Sebastian would entail.
“Wait.” My eyes pinned Sebastian where he still stood. “When I woke up, you said something about myfather…What were you going to say?”
“I was going to tell you that he was alive, and explain the whole Lumosia thing before you met him directly. I wanted to prepare you a little better, and I figured hearing it from me first would be nice seeing as this whole thing is a massive shock.”
“How sweet of you,” I mocked. “Did you know he was alive from the journal, too, or did you find out here like the rest of us?”
“I found out here like the rest of you,” he monotoned through a calming inhale.
I glared him down, and he glared right back. Silence ingested the room in its entirety.
“You know, Seb, you were right when you warned me that I wouldn’t like the real you. Because ifthisis the real you, then I fucking hate it.”
Something inside of him visibly shattered, making me regret the words the moment they left my lips. I never had been good at voicing my anger, and oftentimes was usually better off just keeping my mouth shut.
This was definitely one of those times.
“Why don’t I show you to your room?” Delani cautiously suggested with a slow pat of my upper arm. “We can catch up and have some Daddy-daughter time later. There's still more to talk about. How’s that sound?”
Fuming, my head fell upon her shoulder as I nodded.
Chapter
Three
“My room isn’t the one I woke up in?” I huffed, out of breath from climbing up four flights of golden, spiral stairs.
Delani had just finished giving me a very thorough tour of the entire first floor, making a point of showing me where the kitchen stored their wine. Then, she took me to where I’d stay during my time here—however long that would be.
She clicked open the lock to an ivory door, pushing it ajar with her forearm. “That room was in the mending quarters. I don’t imagine you want to stay there more than needed. Right?”
“Right.”
The door closed behind us with a thud as I stepped onto shining wooden floorboards. They didn’t strain under my feet like the ones in my family's aged cabin had. I slid across them like I was on a frozen lake, twirling in a slow circle to absorb the space.
A loveseat and armchair were positioned to face a crystalline coffee table. Abutting the opposing wall stood a wardrobe and shorter dresser, both of which angled towards a set of windows concealed by lace curtains. The powder-blue walls kept the spacebright and airy, and upon a woven carpet was a mattress that I could not wait to lay down on.
“My room is down the hall, Sawyer is next door to you, and Pia and Kohen are across the way.” Delani plopped down on the bed, her tiny frame hardly taking up any space on the oversized mattress.
I searchingly stared at her and awaited an answer to my unspoken question, but she began weaving her hair into a braid instead.
A knot forced its way down my esophagus. “And Sebastian?”
“He’s been staying here…” Her eyes locked with mine. “The two of you were going to be here, but we can have Dad make other arrangements if you want.”
At further inspection of the room, I noticed Sebastian's belongings scattered about. One of his sheathed daggers on the coffee table. A bookmarked novel on the armrest of the chair with his glasses folded neatly on top of it. A pair of boots that looked too shiny to be his usual ones—my father must have given everyone a new set of clothing when they’d arrived.
I released a heavy sigh and tossed myself down by Delani, the plush mattress having a slight spring to it. “I know we have more important things to catch up on, likewaymore important, but I am so pissed at him.”
“Does Maeveactuallywant to talk to me about guy stuff?” Her pitch raised. “I’ve been waiting for this day since I hit puberty.”
