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I hold my breath as I take in the décor, completely ignoring the fact that he’s laid out half-naked on the top of his bedcovers. The walls are the darkest shade of black that I’ve ever seen, with tints of blue flecked through, and all of his furniture is simplistic in the same shade. His ceiling is the same color as his walls, and his large California king-size bed looks more like a double up against the vast size of his bedroom. The bedside tables are a minimalist dream, with handless entries and smooth matte black finishes. The carpet color is a daunting black charcoal, the rug at the end of his bed once again that same menacing shade. Everything is black. His curtains, his bedding—every single thing is some shade of black. His curtains are drawn closed, the silent vent the only sound moving through the room. It’s so cold in here.
So cold compared to the rest of the house.
When Hades starts moving into his room, I’m shaken back into the present. Tugging on his lead to carry on with what we were doing.
“I’m fucking surprised he even still recognizes me,” Brantley murmurs, his voice dripping in sleep.
“Sorry, I just needed to check why your door was open.”
He moves his arm above his head and peeks at me. “Is that unusual to you?”
“Yes.” I say, taking the two steps backward. “Go back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He pushes himself up and pats his bed, whistling at Hades. I release his lead so he can run to Brantley, which he does. Fast. Brantley’s smiling, rubbing behind his ear as Hades curls up beside him.
“I guess he hasn’t seen you much lately,” I say absently. And by lately, I mean maybe only a handful of times over the past couple years.
“Has that been a problem?” he asks, grabbing my attention back to his face.
I clear my throat. “For the dogs and Medusa? Probably.”
“Medusa is a fucking snake. Your snake. She’d eat me before she’d remember who the fuck I am.” He continues to rub Hades and I watch silently as he and his dog coexist. I’ve only ever seen Brantley smile the way he does when it’s at Hades. He loves that dog more than anyone. If he ever argued that he wasn’t capable of love, I’d show him Hades.
“Our snake, Brantley.”
“False, I bought her for you.” He ignores me, his focus solely on his dog.
I wonder absently if I should confront him about what Tillie told me last night. It has been stirring deep inside my gut since she told me the news, and I don’t know how to digest it without asking him. I’m not good with secrets.
“Saint…” he calls out, and I bring my eyes to his.
He’s in front of me now, handing me Hades’ lead. I tilt my head up at him, leaning it on the doorframe. His hair is scruffy, his lips swollen even more so than they are naturally, his pale skin slightly flushed around his high cheekbones from sleep. He blinks, and his ink-colored lashes fan out over his face, a complete contrast to his skin color.
“You zoned out. Again.”
“Just thinking.” I test the words on the tip of my tongue. Taste them, sample the syllables that lurk there. Will I still be able to swallow them well after I’ve said them? Or would I risk the chance of choking?
He’s silent for a few minutes before I watch his lips curl around his next words. “About?”
I hold my breath, tingles rushing to my cheeks as my fingers flex in the palm of my hand. He’s watching me too closely. His dark orbits are circling around my gray. Like a power struggle between good and evil. Tilting my head, I lose my train of thought as I drift closer toward him. Is he coming closer, or is that just me?
Kore yanks on the lead, slapping me out of my haze. I flinch back, shaking my head. “I better take them for a run or they won’t behave.”
Brantley shrugs carelessly, stepping backward while keeping his attention fixed solely on me. His eyes fall down my body—the second time I’ve noticed him do this—before coming back to my face. “I forgot about that hoodie…”
I reach for the hem of the oversized hoodie he put on me all those Halloweens ago. I shrug, unashamed. “I prefer it with my tights.”
He pauses, licks his bottom lip, and then if I’m not mistaken, the corner of his mouth twitches in amusement. Only slightly. If I had blinked during that moment, I would have missed it.
He taps Hades on the back and points to me. “Go with Mommy. Daddy’s got shit to do.”
I lean down and squeeze the lead in my hand. I want to say something, so I do. I’ve never had a problem asking questions. “Will you be around all day?”
