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Sloane was talking to Royce,who’d forgiven her for costing him ten million dollars. He would’ve still been mad at her if it’d been his helicopter that’d gone over the tower’s side, but since it wasn’t, it’d only taken six months.
I had no idea what they were talking about, but it didn’t matter. When she saw me, she smiled with her whole being, and I ducked all the way into Ellum’s kitchen so she could see me smiling back.
“Did you want anything else to drink?” I asked her. I noticed she’d only been drinking water all night. Spider metabolism didn’t really work with alcohol so I never drank it, and it was icy out, which meant I was her ride besides, so there was no real reason for her not to indulge.
“Actually, I think I’m ready to go,” she said, giving me a grin.
“So soon?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s,” I said, herding her toward the doorway.
“But Ninnnnneeee,” one of Ellum’s other children shouted after me, realizing we were taking off as Sloane put on her coat. “I want you to throw meeeeee!”
“I think it’s someone’s bedtime,” Ellum said, coming up with one hand out. “Have a great holiday, you two!”
I shook his hand, Sloane gave him a hug, and then we were outside.
I picked her up before she had a chance to slip. There was one boot print I recognized in the fresh snow surrounding Ellum’s home, but I decided to let it slide.
I couldn’t blame her father for still being protective of her...and to be honest, she was so precious to me that I didn’t mind his help. I couldn’t follow her every minute of every day without her noticing, and once I realized Arcus had a team of bodyguards on her, I’d webbed one into an alley and had a little chat.
I told him his people were welcome to keep working, but if she ever found out she was being followed, I’d pullthem apart limb from limb and then dissolve them with my acids so their bodies were never found.
They were a little less noticeable to me after that, and Sloane had never caught on.
“You’re really good with kids, you know,” she said, distracting me from my thoughts.
“They’re fun.” Sometimes I did frighten children, but they seemed to get over it faster than adults, mostly because they were more naturally curious about everything.
Sloane squirmed in my arms. “There’s this thing I didn’t tell you, Nia’n’an.”
“Yes?” I asked, bending my head down.
“My dad asked me out to lunch.”
My clawed feet could manage the ice, but her saying that almost made me trip regardless. She’d invited him to our wedding and he hadn’t shown up—with the exception of her omnipresent bodyguards, he’d never given any indication that he cared.
“Are you going to go?” I asked her.
“It was yesterday.”
“Oh,” I said, continuing on, unsure how to feel.
“I didn’t want to lie to you,” she said. “But I didn’t want to worry you, either. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure up until the very last minute if I was even going to go.”
“You can make up your own mind where he’s concerned, Sloane. I just want you to be happy.”
“He...kind of does too. He believes we’ll last now, and I think he actually likes you—although, knowing him, you may just be a means to an end.”
We reached the entrance of our apartment building. “How so?”
“Well,” she began, and then waited until we were in the elevator together. “He wants grandkids.”
“I am not sure I understand.”
She used both hands to point at her own stomach repeatedly. “Like, from me. Seeing as I’m his only kid and all.”
