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“Best boss ever,” Lex remarks dryly, but Atlas’s expression doesn’t change.
“Doing what?” It’s a simple question, but it has the potential to unlock a door to the past I’m not sure I’m really ready to open. Because whatever they do is tied to the reason I’m stuck here. To this day, I don’t know how they saved my great-great-grandfather, just that whatever went down in New York could easily have cost him everything, including his life. When you’re dealing with shady businesspeople, nothing is off the table.
“Boring communications shit,” Lex answers, and I decide to leave it at that. For now.
“I’m a model,” Kade chimes in, “though you could probably have guessed that.”
I arch a brow at him. “And a humble one at that.” My sarcastic tone seems to please him because he’s grinning even as he continues to scroll on his phone. “Seriously, though. What do you guys do all day when you’re not kidnapping university students?”
Lex snorts. “We typically travel a lot for work. Between Washington and New York City mostly.”
“Right,” I say, “and what exactly does that entail?” I ask before adding, “If I’m going to be here a while, I think it’s fair that I get to know something about you guys.”
“What about us makes you think we’re fair?” Kade challenges, flicking his gaze in my direction.
“I just… Fine. Tell me something else then. Anything.”
“We built this house,” Lex says. “Atlas designed it.”
My eyes widen. “Wow.” I can’t help but sound impressed—I am.
“Yep. It’s a pretty fancy prison, don’t you think?”
I shoot him a glare, but choose not to respond to that comment and instead say, “So Atlas designs stuff. What do you like to do?”
Lex shrugs. “I like pain.”
I blink at him. “I don’t…” My eyes go to his tattoos; I have to assume that’s what he’s talking about because the alternatives are just too creepy to consider. “Oh. That’s… cool.”
“Do you have any tattoos?” Kade asks.
I’m still admiring Lex’s when I say, “Pretty sure you know that I don’t.”
Kade chuckles. “Fair point, though if they were on your back…” He trails off, and I roll my eyes.
“I don’t have any tattoos,” I reply in a firm voice.
Atlas remains silent through the whole exchange, drinking his coffee as if the rest of us aren’t even there.
When I finish the food on my plate, I down a glass of orange juice and push my chair back. “Do I need to ask permission to leave the table, or do I still havesomefree will around here?” I direct the question at Atlas—he seems to be the one the others look to—and hold my chin high when he glances at me.
“Watch it,” he warns.
I cross my arms. “You four have been watching me for god knows how long. You’d think you would have learned enough about me to know I’m not going to make this easy for you. You want a quiet, complacent human to boss around and bite?” I shiver at the last part, but quickly continue, “You chose the wrong person.”
Lex rolls his eyes. “Well, we didn’t justpickyou.”
I get up and step away from the table, very aware of the three pairs of eyes on me. “Yeah, well, you still chose to take me. I’m betting there was nothing in that agreement you made with my family that forced you to ruin my life, and yet here we are.”
“You’re being narrow-minded,” Kade says in an agitated tone. “Have you considered that this arrangement could be a good thing?”
I belt out a laugh. “Don’t fucking kid yourself. Thisarrangementis a death sentence. Four vampires and a single human in one house? Wonder how that’s going to turn out.” Maybe I haven’t looked at it that way before, but the moment the bitter words leave my lips, my pulse spikes, and I’m moving backward.
“Calla—” Atlas starts.
“No.” My voice cracks, and I cringe inwardly. “I… need to study.” I need somethingnormal.
Before they can say anything more, I grab my book bag and hurry out of the room. I don’t stop until I’m in the bedroom Gabriel showed me to last night, with the door shut and locked. It’s an almost laughable notion, that a simple lock could keep them out, but I do it anyway.
