The front door swung open then, and Darien strolled in, tossing his keys into the wooden bowl that sat on the glass table. He was about to kick off his boots when he noticed Loren and Ivyana watching him from the island.
“What are you two troublemakers doing still up?” He forgot about his boots and began making his way into the kitchen, his footfall echoing against the walls.
“We could ask you the same thing,” Ivy replied.
“I was running an errand.” He winked at Loren as he retrieved a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the dispenser on the fridge door.
“What errand tickled your fancy this time?” Loren asked, twisting the end of her ponytail between her fingers. “Was it a demon, vampire, warlock…?”
“Demon,” Darien said. “A belua. It slipped through a weak spot in the forcefield and decided to terrorize some old folks in the Narrow Hills.” He downed half the water. “Though I wouldn’t exactly say it tickled my fancy to hunt it down and gut it.” He set down the glass, stepped up to where Loren was sitting, and smiled down at her as he gave her ponytail a playful tug. “Not in the wayyoutickle my fancy.”
Loren’s cheeks hurt from the smile that broke across her face.
Ivyana snickered. “You guys are adorable. You should get a room already.”
But Darien was abruptly serious as he looked his sister over. “You and I need to talk.”
Ivyana crossed her arms. “About the Blood Covenant on your arm?” she said. “You’re damn right we need to talk. Exactly how do you plan on dealing with that, brother?”
Darien waved her away. “Doesn’t matter.”
But Loren reached for his right hand and took it into both of her own. Beneath his tattoos, the skin was blackened and shimmery, as if with coal dust. “Darien,” she whispered. “Is there any way we can get this off of you?”
“It only goes away when I fulfill the oath.” Darien gave her fingers a light squeeze. “Either that or it’ll disappear when a taker of the Blood Covenant dies.”
Loren sucked in a sharp breath.
Darien gave her fingers another squeeze as he slid his hand out of her grip. “Don’t worry. I have zero intention of dying before he does.”
He was looking at Ivyana again, who merely cocked an eyebrow at him.
Loren took that as her cue to leave. She bid them both goodnight and made her way back upstairs, suddenly more tired than she was before.
As she drifted off, she remembered what Ivyana had told her; how she’d said Loren was the only girl who had the right to ask the question she’d voiced tonight.
It was a good thought.
A very,verygood thought.
—
As soon as Loren was up the stairs, Darien turned to face his sister, who merely lounged in her chair, arms crossed.
“Really, Darien,” Ivy said. “Howdoyou plan on dealing with that? The longer you go without trying to fulfill that oath, the more pain you’ll be in. And evenyouhave your limits.”
“I can handle it.”
Ivy tsked and shook her head. “He says that now.”
Darien waited to see if she was finished, to see if she was finally ready to talk about what had happened at Randal’s.
She sighed.“Just say it, Darien.”
Darien stepped closer to her, leaned on the kitchen island, and held her gaze with his. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Her voice was tight, and a muscle was working in her jaw.
“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because you’ve avoided me ever since we went to dad’s humble abode.”
