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Sin was engaged in a conversation with Sophia and didn’t even look in my direction.
“I’m still sad I missed out on you at the last trial. Maybe I’ll have to arrange a little in-between treat.” Cal whispered in my ear before releasing me.
The kitchen door opened and a grinning Teddy walked in, his cheeks rosy, and Laura in step right behind him. The smile died on his lips when he saw Cal.
“Happy birthday, young man.” Cal skirted the table and shook Teddy’s hand.
Forcing the smile to return to his face, Teddy said, “I didn’t know you’d be coming, Sovereign. It’s an honor.”
“Whoa, look at the manners on this one.” Cal laughed and slapped Laura on the ass as she passed with a serving dish.
Teddy balled his fists but did nothing.
“Sophia, how are you doing these days?” Lucius smiled easily and poured himself a drink at the sideboard.
“Same old, same old, really.” Her voice was low and husky. I’d heard it before. A memory darted along the edges of my mind, but it was gone before I could grasp it.
“Jet-setting as much as you used to?”
“No.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. It looked effortless enough to be completely calculated. “Daddy didn’t like me spending so much time away. So, I’ve been assigned to the New Orleans office. I still manage to get in a trip to Europe every couple of months, and of course, I spend a great deal of time in New York with Mother.”
Lucius sipped his drink. “We’re glad to have you here for Teddy’s celebration.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” She scanned my decorations and the cake, her mouth turned down in distaste. “How quaint.”
Laura bustled back in with the final dish and backed away from the table to wait.
“Shall we?” Sin motioned for everyone to sit.
Cal took the head of the table as if it were his house. Sophia stood at his side and waited for Farns to pull her chair out before sitting down. Then Sin sat to her right. I followed Lucius and sat between him and Teddy, still trying to get my bearings on what was happening.
“You seem to have recovered well, Stella.” Cal lay his napkin in his lap as Laura began serving.
“Have I?”
Lucius gripped my knee.
“Yes, you don’t look quite as fresh-faced as you were at the ball, of course, but you are holding up.”
I darted my eyes to Sin. He ignored me and whispered something into Sophia’s ear. They were close, their body language telling me that they knew each other far better than just as friends—the way their shoulders touched, how he nuzzled into her dark hair, and the way she smiled at his every word.
“She’s been a bit more pliant since Christmas, I can tell you that.” Lucius slung his arm around the back of my chair.
“What happened at Christmas?” Teddy asked, his voice quiet and his gaze fixed forward.
“You haven’t told him about the fun?” Cal tsked and took a drink of wine. “That doesn’t seem very fair.”
“I tire of Acquisition talk,” Sophia said. “And frankly, I’m not certain why this one is allowed to eat with us.” She waved her hand at me. “I mean, really, are we going to have the hunting dogs at the table with us next?”
I held my tongue. Not for my sake, but for Teddy’s.
Sin laughed, his booming amusement like a knife twisting in my back. “We simply thought the Sovereign might enjoy a look at Stella.”
“If you tell a redhead joke, so help me—” She leaned in and kissed Sin, their lips meeting and taking my breath away. It was obvious this wasn’t the first time.
They were together. My mouth went dry as she gave him another peck and pulled away.
Cal sighed. “Fine, darling, if it’s going to bother you that much, we’ll send her out.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Daddy. It all clicked into place. Sophia was Cal’s daughter.
“Stella will take lunch in her room. Thank you, Laura.” Lucius kicked my foot.
I stood and squeezed Teddy’s shoulder before walking from the room. He needed to stay silent, to sit through the meal and pretend to be one of them. Despite his goodness, he had to know that a certain level of acting was necessary just to survive in the world of Sovereigns and Acquisitions.
Just as I reached the door, Sophia called, “How’s your arm?”
I turned to her, confusion and déjà vu mixing like a molotov cocktail in my memory. “What?”
Sin draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her closer, dropping a kiss in her hair.
She laughed, as if I were behaving like a silly child. “Your arm. Don’t you remember?”
“That was you.” She’d been disguised by a mask at the Christmas trial, but I recognized her voice and eyes. When I’d tried to dress for the cold and give Brianne my sweater, Sophia had hit me with a black baton. It took a month for the bruise to heal, for the bone to feel strong again.
