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“Will you tell me about her one day? Micaela?” I ask gently, scrubbing my arm with a loofah. She has never mentioned Micaela before, but I had heard Brantley talk about the child they lost, though I don’t know the details.
“One day,” Tillie promises. “Just not right now.”
I continue to wash while changing the subject. “And you think they’re doing something tonight?” I ask, rinsing my hair out. Tillie moves across the room to grab a towel and stretches it wide. I stand, wrap it around my body and reach into the bath to drain the water.
“Yes. I don’t know what. The caterers and designers are already setting everything up down there.”
I tuck my towel between my breasts and swipe the fog off the mirror, reaching for my toothbrush in my makeup pouch. The more I learn about The Elite Kings, the scarier they sound. I scrub my teeth and put my brush back, turning to face her. “Do we have any other siblings?”
Tillie’s face turns pale. “None worth mentioning.”
I threw on skinny jeans, a white knitted cardi that rides around my belly, and thigh-high black boots. Tillie left to go find Nate, so I spent the rest of the time cleaning up the sheets, changing them, and getting ready for the day. I kept my makeup minimal because I know I’ll be going all out tonight, settling on no foundation and just a brush of mascara. Picking up my phone, I see a new text message. It must have been the message I got last night.
?: I’ll be the one in black.
I fire off a text back.
Saint: Are you going to tell me who this is?
Seconds pass until another comes through.
?: Isn’t it more fun this way?
Saint: Fun for whom?
?: … all for you.
I leave it. Opening up Instagram and checking my feed, I follow back Bishop, Tillie, and Eli, ignoring the fact Brantley hasn’t followed me yet even though he knows I’m on here. Which while we’re here…. my fingers move to the search bar before I can stop myself and I type in his name.
@brantleyvitiosis
2.2M Followers Following 10
2,378 posts
I sink into the mattress, clicking on his most recent photo. It’s Kore and Hades, sitting on the edge of my bed. He must have taken it while he was in my room. No caption. Move to the next photo. It’s him, Nate, Bishop, Eli, and Cash. They’re all shirtless, with Eli doing a backflip in the middle, snapped just in time. I scroll past the next photos—no girls—and find myself on one that looks to be taken in an ancient building. There’s artwork in gold, brown, and pastels painted over the walls and ceiling. I’m entranced in the extravagant art that’s delicately brushed over the inside of this room. An angel, reaching for the heavens, but a god refusing to take him back.
No caption.
I instantly pull up Safari on my phone, and type in the images on the photo. Italy, Rome, Paris. All places in Europe. I click on Roman architecture and my heart stops.
He was in Rome? Why…
The style is almost identical.
Pushing my phone back into my pocket, I make my way out of the room and down the hall to the stairs. I haven’t seen Brantley all morning, and I’m beginning to think it’s on purpose. Once I hit the kitchen, Bailey, her friend, and Tillie are at the table talking.
“Hey!” Bailey’s blue eyes light up when they land on me. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to chat last night. I’m Bailey Vitiosis.”
I pull out the chair beside Tillie. “I didn’t know Brantley had any family. Nice to meet you.”
She flicks her wrist. “Well, he has my mom, who is technically not his relation. She was married to my dad who was Lucan’s first cousin.”
“And then Bailey was a Swan, so she was caged up and—”
Bailey glares at Tillie.
“What, bitch?” Tillie raises a brow. “Don’t hide your past.”
Bailey’s friend rubs her temples. “I drank way too much last night.” She ignores her friend as her eyes fall to my neck. “Ah, so it’s like that, that, between you two?”
My hand is on the bite mark protectively. “No?” I don’t know what to say and I really wish she would stop prying. I’m comfortable with Bishop and Tillie when discussing private details about Brantley, not his cousin.
I watch as men carry heavy items from the driveway to the back of the house, where a white tent is already set up.
“Did I just see a chandelier?” I ask, looking back at Tillie.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised. The Fathers are coming tonight, too, so they will go all out.”
Bailey and her friend disappear upstairs, and in the back of my mind, I know I’ve been rude to her, but I don’t mean to. I just don’t know her.
“Where are they all?” I ask, stealing a piece of Tillie’s toast.
