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“I’ll come with you.” He starts to stand up, but I shove him back down by his shoulder.
“No. You won’t.” My voice is hard.
“What was that noise? And you just looked at something in your hand. A miniature tablet. What happened?”
“It’s called a phone, and it’s just some business I have to take care of. I have a life and can’t just babysit you all the time.”
He withdraws like I’ve stung him. “Of course. I would not expect you to. I am a grown man. Go do what you must.”
I cut off anything I’m feeling at having hurt him. This is my world. I am my grandfather’s pawn, and I always will be. I just explained to Layden how weak I am if I’m not in proximity to my grandfather while he feeds. I was pushing the distance I could be away from him at the cabin, and even there, I was starting to feel a little weak.
There’s no escaping Vlad, which means I will forever be under his power. This was the bargain I struck with the darkness.
I don’t see anybody in the hallways as I leave the compound, which is a good thing. Right as I swing a leg over my motorcycle, I text my grandfather back: On it.
I’m tempted to say something about leaving Layden alone, but knowing him, that might just goad him into action. Layden’s strong now, and seeing his runes again today, I trust him to be able to take care of himself if he needs to. He’s the one person in the world I think might actually stand a chance against Grandfather. If only I could survive with Vlad dead.
Even the fact that I’m letting myself think about killing him chills me. It’s a useless wish that doesn’t do anything except torment me.
I jam the kickstand loose with my foot and take off. The gates open at my approach, and then, finally, I’m free on the open road. Free but always at the end of my grandfather’s long tether. At least, though, when I come back tonight, Layden will be here.
Chapter Thirteen
LAYDEN
Present Day
When we pull into Vlad’s compound and Phoenix leads me downstairs to her wing, I can’t help but feel déjà vu. During the month we stayed leading up to the wedding, I kept to the guest wing with my family.
She even has another computer lab there. I’m pretty sure Vlad had it installed there for her to show anything to visiting dignitaries; he wouldn’t have to put up with leading them down her pink-walled part of the compound.
As we push through the double doors to her wing, though, I see things have changed since I was last here. “The walls aren’t pink anymore.” Instead, they’re a pleasant beige.
“I grew up,” she says shortly, all but stomping down the hall. When she shoves open the door, I’m glad to see at least the lab is still much the same.
“Hey,” I ask, reaching out a hand but not quite daring to touch her shoulder. I withdraw it. “Are we okay? After what… happened back there?”
“We’re fine,” she snaps. “Why wouldn’t we be fine?”
“Uh…” I just stare at her as she adamantly stares at the floor, then sits down and starts booting up the computer. “Because we just had sex.”
“That wasn’t us,” she bites out.
“Um. It sure felt like it. I remember everything.”
She swings around in the chair, all but kicking me with how fast she moves. “It wasn’t us,” she says again adamantly.
“If it wasn’t you that I was having sex with, who was it?” I demand. “Ammit? Because it was my first time.”
Her angry eyes soften, half in disbelief. “What? That was your fir—” She cuts herself off and looks at the ground again. “It just—”
“It just, what?”
“It can’t be like that between us.”
“So what happened earlier was nothing to you?” I don’t know why I’m pushing this. But I never could hide my cards with her.
If the sex truly meant nothing to her, fine. I’m not the man that pushes anything a woman, especially this one, doesn’t want. I’d throw myself in the sea first. I just need to know now before I get pulled any deeper into this. The way she looked at me while we— I just have to know.
