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“Nothing is going on,” Atlas snarled from behind us. “Sage is going to attend to some business, aren’t you?”
The fae advisor paled more and nodded curtly before disappearing out the back door. Luve had vanished into the massive house also, leaving me and Atlas alone in the kitchen. I eyed him warily.
“She looked really upset.”
“Sage is wound rather tightly,” he mused. “It’s not uncommon for her to wear an expression like that.”
I didn’t buy his explanation and said as much aloud.
“Did something else happen to one of your casinos?” I insisted. “Atlas, you can tell me.”
He sashayed closer to me, and I saw the veil over his irises. My gut had been right. Something was going on, something big.
Capturing my hands in his, he yanked me toward him, dropping his palms on my buttocks and driving my body against his.
“Let’s make a promise, all right?”
I already didn’t like the sound of this.
“What promise?”
“You don’t ask about business anymore, and I’ll keep my business out of this house. Sage has already been warned not to come firing through here like that again.”
“I want to know what’s going on with your business, your life!”
He smiled and kissed me softly.
“I want you to feel safe and secure,” he replied gently. “And that’s not going to happen if you’re dragged into the darkness of the gambling realm.”
I stared at him, wondering what he was hiding, what Sage had come to tell him, but I could see he wasn’t going to give me any answers.
He’s trying to keep you safe by keeping you in the dark. But how long will that last? Eventually, I will find out.
“Are we in agreement?” Atlas pressed when I didn’t respond. I had little choice but to nod.
“Okay.”
He kissed me again, this time deeper, the tip of his tongue dipping inside my lips. A light shiver rushed down my spine.
“I want to take you out tonight,” he murmured in my ear. “I want to dress you up and show you off. Surely you want to wear some of those new clothes you had the opportunity to buy, don’t you?”
I balked, remembering my promise to go running with Dahlia.
“What?”
“Dahlia asked me to shift and go on a run with her,” I admitted. “I wouldn’t usually mind rescheduling, but it’s been so long since she’s been well enough—”
“Say no more,” Atlas offered genially. “I’m glad your sister is feeling well enough to go for a run. The fresh air will do her good. We’ll go out tomorrow night. We have all the time in the world.”
His expression darkened some as the words left his lips, and I instantly recognized why. We didn’t have all the time in the world. Our lifespans were very, very different.
Just one more reason why Atlas and I were not so fated, after all.
* * *
As the lastof the sunlight slipped behind the horizon, Dahlia and I walked out toward the edge of the small ravine that edged Atlas’ lot. I’d had to beg and plead and promise Atlas that we wouldn’t venture past his property line on our run if he didn’t send his goons on our trail. I didn’t want to be watched by bodyguards in this private moment with my sister, and he finally relented, realizing how important it was to me.
“You sure you’re feeling strong enough for this?” I asked.
