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“Won’t we all. Now, I want all the presents under the tree by Christmas Eve,” she said as she consulted her list. “Christmas morning, it’s church, then brunch in the parlour with the tree. Presents. Lunch at the rectory. Then back here for drinks and dinner.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“And we must remember it will be the seven of us for Christmas day,” she said, and I frowned. “So, we’ll need two drivers.”
“Seven?”
At that moment, Kane Kincaid walked into the hallway, and I actually froze mid-step as it felt like my whole body went cold. Kane had seemed to be at the Estate too much lately. More than usual. And he always found me. Anyone else might have thought it was simple innocence that he found himself in the same place as me. I was trying to believe it and ignore the stalker vibes.
“Oh, Kane,” Frenella said pleasantly, much more used to this world to hide her discomfort around men like Kane.
“Mrs Callahan. Miss Vanguard.”
Kane’s gaze didn’t just linger over my body. His words lingered over my name. Like a caress, but one that made my skin crawl. I repressed the shudder and inclined my head to him.
“Archer and your father are out the back,” Frenella said as though he must have been looking for them.
I wished I thought that’s what he’d been doing sneaking around the hallways.
He nodded. “Ta, I’ll go and find them.”
He left and I wasn’t the only one breathing an audible sigh of relief.
“That one sends a frozen shiver down your spine, doesn’t he?” Frenella said.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Anyway,” she said like it was that easy for her to shake it off. “Yes, seven for Christmas. Valen’s staying this year and Apollo refuses to let him work. That will be nice, won’t it?”
Something about it was very nice. Something else about it was horrible.
But I smiled. “Lovely. I’m sure Apollo’s looking forward to it.”
“Oh, he is,” Frenella said happily. “He’s got a big surprise planned.”
She winked at me, and I felt like maybe the big surprise wasn’t for Valen, but that didn’t seem to make sense. Why would she have brought it up like that if the big surprise wasn’t for Valen?
Later that night, the men-folk were still busy and the women-folk had retired to their rooms to do whatever it was we did when the men-folk were away. I busied myself finalising my presents, all of which would be delivered in the next couple of days, so plenty of time for Frenella’s Christmas Eve deadline to be under the tree.
I hadn’t had a chance to really speak to Valen since we’d all arrived at the Callahan Estate so, when I happened to pop my head out of my room and he was walking by, I grabbed him and tugged him to my room.
He looked down at me as I used his body to push the door closed. “Can I help you?”
I nodded. “You can.”
His eyebrow quirked. “God doesn’t need his princess?”
I stepped back at the tone of his voice. The excitement I’d felt at having him all to myself, in my room, crumpled at my feet.
His face softened. “I didn’t mean… I mean, I did… Fuck!” he muttered, then reached for me.
I went to his arms, and he held me close. “How…?” I started, not sure how to continue.
“How, what, love?”
“How does it make you feel?” I asked him slowly.
“What?”
