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I immediately stiffened, alarms going off in my mind. Alek had no reason to think anything was different about my blood. He was simply asking because of what he had heard.
Right?
I had to remind my body to relax in Alek’s presence. “Um, yeah,” I said. “My mother is very cryptic. She’s always saying things like that.”
If he didn’t believe me, he didn’t show it. He just nodded and walked across the living room toward the window.
He paused and turned back to me. “I don’t want to pry in your family business,” he started, “but you’re an adult now, Lyra. If your mother doesn’t treat you with respect, you can always cut her off. Leave. Start over. It sounds impossible, but it’s not.”
The blood rushed from my face. No, it wasn’t possible. But how could I explain that? How could I explain that my mother will always find me? Always control me?
I shook my head. No, that was just what she wanted me to think. If I could get far enough away, maybe—just maybe—she wouldn’t be able to find me.
“You sure you're okay?” he repeated.
“Yeah,” I said, following him to the window. “I’m fine.”
“Good,” he answered. The tattoo on his neck flexed as he tilted his head to the side. He reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear, the touch making my skin erupt in goosebumps. “Goodnight, Lyra,” he whispered.
And once again, I was alone.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Natalie was standing in my living room holding a duffel bag when I stepped out of the shower.
“What’s this?” I asked, flipping my wet hair over my shoulder.
“It’s a surprise.” She stood at me with a huge smile on her face. “You’re going on a small trip.”
“What type of surprise?” I asked. “And where am I going?”
She scowled. “If I told you, it would ruin the whole thing.”
“You’re scaring me here, Natalie.”
“Don’t be scared,” she said, perking back up. “This is a good thing.”
“Is this anAlekthing?” I asked slowly.
“Maybe,” she answered with a smirk that told meyes, this was an Alek thing.
Whatever it was, it had to be good. After the carnival, Natalie had changed her opinions about Alek. I didn’t blame her. She saw the side of him that he had been so, so good at hiding.
She saw his dark side. His demon side.
She shoved the bag closer to me. “I can’t go on a trip, Natalie,” I said. “What if Theia comes back and drops in again? What am I supposed to tell her when I’m not here?”
“It’s just one night. I’ll be here the whole time just in case she stops by, but she won’t. Because she’s with my mother in Japan right now.”
She pulled out her phone and showed me a text from her mother, confirming that yes, Theia was right there with her.
“It’s risky,” I argued.
“It is,” Natalie answered. “But everything up to this point has been risky, Lyra.”
“He doesn’t even care about me. He made that very, very clear.”
She took a long breath and walked over to sit on my couch. “I don’t know Alek as well as you do,” Natalie started. “I haven’t been there for all of it. I’ve only seen a few glimpses. But what I saw at the carnival? What I saw at the bar the other night? Helikesyou, Lyra. And it’s more than just whatever stupid deal you have together.”
