Page 109 of Reign

Elena is always kind to Marisol. Even when she’s frustrated. Even when she’s pretending this house hasn’t begun fitting itself around her habits.

She thanks her for coffee, apologizes when she leaves a pencil on the kitchen island, and asks before occupying space no one else is using.

With everyone else, Elena has teeth.

With Marisol, she lets the softness show.

I enjoy both versions. I don’t think she realizes that yet.

“Your things are being held?” I ask.

“Until school starts.”

“Where?”

“Storage. A shipping company. One of Angelo’s logistical caves. I don’t know.”

“You don’t know where your belongings are?”

Her mouth tightens, but she doesn’t bite.

“They’re not gone, Luciano. They’re just not here.”

After dinner, I have Rafael find them.

She’ll be here for the semester. She should have her clothes, her supplies, and whatever else was packed away for an apartment that won’t be ready for weeks.

More simply, I want to do something for her.

By midnight, I know the company, the storage facility, the delivery hold, and the exact number of boxes waiting for an address they don’t have.

By morning, all of them are headed here.

If Elena wants them sent somewhere else, she can make that decision after they arrive.

She’ll be annoyed that I handled it without asking and explain in unnecessary detail why I had no right.

Then she’ll open every box.

I’m already looking forward to it.

By Friday, I’ve learned which outfits catch Elena’s attention. Before leaving for Obsidian, I choose dark jeans and a fitted black T-shirt.

The outfit is entirely for her.

When I come downstairs, she’s standing near the sliding glass doors with untouched coffee in one hand and the purple throw draped around her shoulders.

Her cup pauses halfway to her mouth.

Her gaze catches on my shoulders, travels down my chest, and reaches my waist before she realizes I’m watching.

I smile.

Her eyes narrow because she knows I caught her.

“Where are you going?” she asks.

People usually ask when I’ll return, not where I’m going.