AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I had to force myself to look away. Damn man and his magnetic pull on my senses.
“Nyx, couldn’t you have come even a few hours earlier? Your Papa was so worried you wouldn’t show up,”my mother admonished me in Greek before engulfing me in a tight hug.“The least you could have done is come say hello before hiding away in your cottage.”
One of the perks of this insane property was my garden cottage, which was essentially a small house with two bedrooms, a living room, and a full kitchen. It was originally set up as the home for the onsite gardener, but Papa had gifted it to me with the attached greenhouse when I’d gone to NYU.
In fact, all of the siblings had separate houses on the property. This was a compound of sorts, though none of us actually lived here full-time.
“I’m sorry, Mama. You know it’s better to keep a low profile after what happened at Christmas.”I responded back in Greek, knowing she stayed calmer when we used our native language.
During the week I’d spent with my family over the holidays, we had our annual Mykos brunch, where my many aunts, including Aunt Teresa, decided to give me lessons on life. It was a complete disaster.
The few positives I could say about the event were that the food was incredible, and I wasn’t the cause of drama.
Well, not technically.
“This is your engagement.”Mama shook her head.“There is no low profile. You are the center of it all. It is this idiot who needs to keep a low profile.”
She pointed to Tyler and glared. Okay, so speaking Greek wasn’t going to work.
“She deserved it,” Tyler chimed in as a crease formed between his brows.
I rolled my eyes. “I am very capable of defending my honor. You made the whole situation worse.”
“The old bat suggested you seduce the asshole to lock in the marriage. What did you expect me to do?”
“Not engage with a crazy person.” Evan added his two cents, which resulted in Tyler clenching his teeth.
Tyler would have completely lost his shit if he found out what had occurred the weekend before I’d come home for my visit or what would continue to happen for the next year.
Although everything ending in marriage would never, ever be in the cards.
I was no society wife, and Simon was too damn…ummm…Simon.
“Stop talking about nonsense and let me hug my baby girl before I have to hand her over to Drakos for the year.”
“Umm, Papa.” I hugged him and then whispered in his ear, “This is fake, remember?”
“Not as far as the world sees it. You have to make it look real.”
“What aren’t you telling me? Did something happen?”
He lifted his gaze to Tyler and Evan and then over to Nico, who’d arrived with Damon. “It is between Drakos and us.”
A sadness washed over Papa’s face that I couldn’t understand.
“Since when am I not part of the discussion?”
“Since you decided that you wanted out of the discussion and our world,” Tyler answered. “You can’t have it both ways, Nyx. You’re either in the business or not.”
“You don’t have to be a dick, Ty.” Damon came over to me and took my hand. “This is why we wanted you to come early.”
“No, I get it.”
They’d always be my family, but the world I grew up in wouldn’t be a part of my life once the year was out. I’d have to get used to it. No matter how much I hated the rules and annoyances, it was what I’d known.
“So, does this mean I have to act like the other princesses for the next year?” I asked Tyler with a smirk.
Relief washed over his face, and I realized he’d been worried about my reaction to the news. “The last thing any of us want is for you to be anything other than you.”
