AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Listen to me, Ilya,” Paige insists. “Your uncle loves you very much. And he loved your father so much that he feels this big, huge, massive responsibility to protect the whole family. I don’t think he can rest until he’s made it safe for you and the rest of the pack. Even though Uncle Misha will never admit it, he’s hurting, too. He just has to keep up a brave face for the rest of us.”
How does she know all this? Who told her? Who showed her? Who gave away my secrets?
How has she managed to excavate the deepest reaches of my soul in just a matter of months?
Apparently, I haven’t been doing a very good job keeping her at arm’s length.
“Just give him some time, okay?” she finishes. Ilya nods and Paige gives him a hug. “I’m really glad you came today, Ilya. I enjoyed getting to know you.”
“Me, too. You’re cool.”
Paige grins. “Wow. High praise.”
“Maybe next time, you can come to our house?” Ilya suggests.
“I would love that!”
Cyrille gets to her feet and as they say their goodbyes, I slip into the adjoining room and wait for them to leave. I’ve never felt like an intruder in my own house before, but I don’t want them to know I was listening in.
When Paige comes back inside, I meet her at the base of the stairs.
She stops short when she sees me. “When did you get here?”
“A little while ago.”
She frowns. “Did you see that Cyrille and Ilya were here?”
“Yes.”
She shakes her head, her lips mashing together in obvious disappointment. “You are so damn lucky and you don’t even realize it! You have a family who loves you to death. A family who loves each other. But you’re so wrapped up in your own grief and your need for revenge that you’re not focusing on what’s really important.”
“Nothing is more important than revenge,” I snarl.
Her mouth opens, then snaps shut and she just stares at me helplessly for a moment. “You know what? No. Just… no. I don’t have enough sugar in my system for this.”
She whips around, but instead of heading for the kitchen, she walks straight through the front door. I glance at the time. It’s almost eleven o’clock, but Paige doesn’t seem even remotely concerned.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, trailing her.
“I need ice cream.”
“What?”
She stops in the entryway. “Ice. Cream,” she enunciates slowly. “It’s this sweet dessert. Normal people love it. Not sure about you, though. Anyway, I’ve been craving it for a few hours, so I’m going to go and get some.”
“We have two freezers stocked with everything you could possibly desire.”
“Yes, but I want the mint chocolate chip ripple ice cream from Ellie’s Ice Cream Parlor. It closes at midnight.”
I take a deep breath. “I can get someone to—”
“No! No, Misha. I don’t need other people doing my stuff for me. There are a ton of cars in your garage. I can drive myself. I’ll manage on my own.”
“Fucking hell. Fine.” I walk into the garage and grab from the key cupboard. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
She stops, frowning. “You don’t have to come with me.”
Like hell I don’t.She’s acting erratic and Petyr is still out there. I’m not letting her set one fucking toe over the property line without me at her side.
