It’s almost comical how much has happened today. I started the day locked in a cell, only to end up drinking expensive wine in a penthouse. I’m not sure how I went from watching wolves kill each other to being cooked dinner by Thane’s brother, but here I am.
I twirl the spaghetti around my fork and shove a huge bite into my mouth with the intention of giving Kole a hard time, but instead, I moan, betrayed by my body yet again.
“Told you.”
I roll my eyes at Kole’s cocky grin, attempting to convince him that I find his smugness annoying rather than charming. Maybe if he wasn’t so good looking, it would be easier to hate him, but it’s nearly impossible not to fall victim to those adorable dimples, and the worst part is, I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s doing.
“I’ve been living off of canned tuna. I’m pretty sure even a three-day-old turkey sandwich would’ve drawn a moan from my lips.”
Kole leans back in his seat, swirling his glass of wine. “And what about Thane? Could he have drawn a moan from your lips after what he did tonight?”
“If so, it would only be because it’s out of my control.” I take a gulp of wine, hoping to drown my disgust over that thought. “Nothing turns me off more than an arrogant, power-hungry asshole.”
“And what about an arrogant, sarcastic asshole?” Kole asks, flashing me a playful smirk.
“You know what? That might just be worse.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m a charming, quick-witted asshole.” He tosses me a wink, and for some reason, my stomach does a backflip.
“Quick-witted? Sure. Charming? Highly debatable.”
“Come on, Grey. You know you can’t resist my charm. It’s irresistible.”
I bolt from the table with my hand over my mouth and lean over the sink, pretending to throw up. Kole speeds over to my side in an instant with his hand on my back as if to comfort me, but once he notices me laughing, he drops it.
“Oh no. I think I’m allergic to your irresistible charm.” I turn to him, biting down on my smile while he does his best to mask his amusement.
“Must be a human thing,” he murmurs, walking back to the table.
“Yes, that must be it,” I agree, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
The two of us fall into effortless conversation, avoiding anything relating to Thane or the events of tonight, and more than once, I have to remind myself that he’s not someone I can afford to let my guard down around. As charming as Kole may be, he’s stillThane’s brother.
Even so, I can’t help but think about what he said earlier about my life still being mine. Maybe there is some truth to it. I’ve always had to make sacrifices in my life. Maybe following Thane’s orders is just that. A sacrifice I have to make in order to create a new life for myself. One where I have luxuries I used to dream of. One where I have Sienna as a friend. One where I’m not having to look over my shoulder every day. Maybe if I play this right, I can still have some semblance of autonomy.
Maybe…
Kole
I probably shouldn’t have told her about Thane’s struggle with the bond, but she needs to know that her life can still be hers. I mean, isn’t living in a world full of vampires and werewolves enough penance? Everyone she’s ever known is gone, and she’s spent the past three years of her life alone in the woods. I’d say that’s payment enough.
Besides, I’m beginning to enjoy her company, and it would be a shame if she had to rot away in the dungeon with the rest of those traitors. Maybe if Thane spends more time with her, he’ll see she’s not the one to blame. She’s just a girl who was born into a shitty life with parents who didn’t give a fuck about her. If anyone can relate to that, it would be Thane. Not that he’ll ever allow himself to empathize with her. That would mean actually being in touch with his feelings, which is quite literally the last thing my brother would ever want to do. The only emotions he seems to be in touch with are the ones of the anger variety, and with everything going on right now, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Still, after seeing how the bond has been affecting him, I have hope. There’s something special about this girl. She’s a puzzle that neither of us can quite seem to figure out. At first, I was intrigued, but now I find myself infatuated. The more I’m around her, the more I want to try to solve the mystery that is Fallon Grey. And although I’ve been telling myself my interest in her is only due to my brother, I can’t deny that a part of me is drawn to her too.
Chapter 20
The smell of maple syrup and bacon spills into the bedroom as soon as I open the door. After spending over a week locked up in a cell, sleeping in a bed had felt like heaven, but unfortunately, waking up this morning is a different story.
“Damn, you look like shit,” Kole greets when I walk into the kitchen.
“Yeah. Well, I feel like shit,” I groan, slipping onto one of the barstools on the other side of the island.
“At what point should I be concerned you have a drinking problem?” He slides me a glass of water that I immediately chug like I’ve just spent two days trudging through the Sahara Desert.
“It’s your fault! I know you kept refilling my glass, so that you could cheat at chess.”
“Oh sure…” He takes a bite of bacon, and my mouth begins to water just looking at it. “The girl who didn’t even know how to play was just soooo good that I needed to cheat in order to beat her ass.”
