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Closing my eyes, I remember vividly how she looked curled up in my bed not so long ago. She had no idea that I didn’t leave after she passed out. That instead, I slipped into the shadows so she wouldn’t spot me immediately if she did wake again. That the sight of her twisted up in my sheets, searching for me in her tipsy sleepy state.
She looked so beautiful. Her red hair against my dark sheets was so striking, so mesmerising. The temptation to crawl in with her and pull her into my body was strong.
My need to protect her, to wrap her in my arms and stop anyone from hurting her is becoming a need almost too much to bear.
It’s been three days since I walked out.
I’ve heard nothing from her since, not that I was expecting too. And I’ve had nothing but grief from the girls about her lack of communication and my apparent inability to keep tabs on her.
My fists curl on top of the dining table, my short nails digging into my skin as I remind myself of the way she dismissed me the last time I visited.
As far as I know, she hasn’t left her room since I walked out. The girls in the dorm haven’t had anything to report. I have to trust that if there were something wrong that they’d alert me.
Is that a cop-out from going back and facing reality? Probably. But I don’t trust my ability to look into her eyes and not do the exact opposite of what she’s asking of me.
Slouching lower in the seat, I let my head hang back. The Chapel is in silence. I thought I’d like the peace and quiet without my boys here. But it’s becoming obvious very fast that being here alone isn’t half as relaxing as I hoped it would be.
Sure, the place is nice and tidy. I don’t get up in the morning to a sink full of washing up or random pieces of dirty laundry strewn around the place. There’s also no risk of walking in on any of them doing something they really shouldn’t be in a communal area. But fuck, I miss them.
Of course, I have no intention of telling them that though. It would only go to their heads. And their egos are already big enough.
Blowing out a long breath, I startle when a loud knocking starts on the front door.
“Fuck’s sake,” I mutter before shoving my chair back to see who it is. Although, it soon becomes apparent it was not necessary.
My stomach drops into my feet as the door slams closed and my father strides into the vast space as if he owns the place. He looks around with his top lip peeled back.
He made it very clear on his first visit here after we got the key that he didn’t approve of our chosen décor. But fuck him.
I was so over living in a sterile box like the home I was forced to grow up in. The Chapel’s days of being cold and unwelcoming ended the moment Scott’s reign was over.
We couldn’t rip this place apart fast enough.
“Father,” I greet, sounding about as thrilled as I feel about his sudden appearance. “You should have said you were coming.” I’d have locked the door.
“I had a meeting with Mr Porter,” he explains, finally turning his eyes on me.
He assesses me just like he has my home. And it’s clear that what he finds pleases him just as much as my interior design skills.
Grey sweats and a hoodie never have been a part of Johnathon Eaton’s approved wardrobe. The only casual item of clothing allowed is a rugby jersey, and only during a game.
“We were discussing the next academic year. Your successors,” he adds.
If he’s hoping to spark some interest with that comment, then he’s going to be bitterly disappointed.
“Right,” I mutter.
I probably should care about who’s going to take over this place once our year is done. But honestly, it’s the least of my concerns right now.
“We’re concerned that they’re not ready.”
“Then you should probably be talking to their fathers instead of me,” I point out.
Being an heir is a tradition passed down for generations. If Toby Middleton and his boys aren’t prepared, then that should fall on their elders shoulder for not preparing them properly.
Each of us have spent our entire lives preparing to rule All Hallows’ as Heirs, and then Saints Cross U as Scions.
Fuck learning to ride bikes or playing out in the woods or anything else normal kids get the pleasure of doing. We were too busy learning the way of our world while those above us threw their weight around because apparently, they’ve earned the right to.
