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I gave a teary sniff, missing them so bad. It was hard, knowing they were just a few miles away but I couldn’t see them.
Suck it up, buttercup. You did this to yourself. It’s up to you to fix it.
Not my mom this time, but it worked.
Things would get better.
I had to believe that.
With one last sniff, I snuggled deeper into the covers and resolutely shut my eyes.
In the morning Rio brought me breakfast on a tray, and we took it into the enclosed garden outside my suite. It was sunny out, the garden’s weathered walls blocking the wind off the ocean. Autumn leaves still clung to the branches of the small fruit trees, and pots of cheerful mums, asters and stonecrop were scattered among clumps of golden ornamental grasses.
I directed Rio to put the tray on a small cast-iron table beneath an apple tree. While I devoured an omelet and home fries, he told me about his day so far. It turned out that, after I’d left, Twilight’s grandmother had moved into the castle.
“Her name’s Mrs. Park and she’s a freaking badass.” Rio’s admiring smile reminded me he was still a teenager and impressed by badassery. “We’re all a little afraid of her.”
“What d’you mean? Isn’t she like three times your age?”
“She could still kick my butt. William—he’s the castle butler or something—said she used to be a slayer.”
Okay, that was impressive. “Twilight’s grandmother?”
“Yep. And so was the prima—Twilight. It’s kinda the family business. They have a slayer in every generation.”
My jaw unhinged. “No way.”
“Way. Nathan told me.”
“Jesus Murphy.” My stomach sank to the soles of my boots. Shoving my plate aside, I put my elbows on the table and covered my face with my hands.
“Hey.” Rio put down his can of pop to pat my arm. “You okay?”
“No,” I said from beneath my hands. “Last summer, I did something bad. Something to do with Twilight.”
“How bad?”
“Bad enough. And don’t ask—it’s better if you don’t know. But now I find out the woman I messed with is the new prima and also a former slayer?” My voice went up at the end of the sentence. “I. Am. So. Fucked.”
Rio sat back. “What about Talon?”
“What about him?” I peeked through my fingers.
“Won’t the dude defend you? I mean, you’re his now, right? That’s what this blood-bond thing means.”
I snorted. “Because he knocked me up.”
“Nah, it’s more than that. He chased you all the way to New York, didn’t he? And he was seriously worried when you passed out. You didn’t see his face.”
“Yeah?” I lifted my head.
God, I wanted to believe Talon cared about me. Then I flashed on the woman in the Hotel Garnet and swallowed over the shards of glass that suddenly filled my throat.
“And he hired me, didn’t he?” Rio pointed out. “He didn’t have to do that.”
“You still don’t get it, do you? He brought you along for one reason—to put pressure on me.”
“Maybe,” Rio allowed. “But he didn’t have to hire me. He could’ve just dragged me back here. It’s not like I could’ve fought off all three of them. And I think he did it to keep you happy.”
