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“About the world beyond that bed, apparently,” Anya mumbles.
Cora flushes. I shift forward to move between her and my sister. “You could have texted Yasha.”
“I did!” she argues. “He told me you were both busy.”
“And yet…” I gesture to her with both arms. “Here you are.”
“Yeah, but only because I have a surprise and it’s timely. I didn’t have time to wait for you to come crawling out of your room whenever it pleased you.”
“I loathe surprises.”
“Which is why it isn’t for you,” Anya says smugly. She leans around me to grin at Cora. “It’s for her.”
“Me?” Cora asks.
“Yep. Unless there’s another woman hiding in that bed somewhere…?”
“If there was, would you leave?” I growl.
She rolls her eyes. “Are you feeling up to it, Cora? I ask, but given what you’ve obviously been doing…” Anya circles a finger around the two of us and the bed, forming a heart shape in the air. “…I’m guessing you’re feeling a lot better than when I left yesterday.”
“Anya…” I warn.
She holds up her hands in silent surrender. “I’ve planned a little night out for me, Cora, and—”
“No.” The word is out of me almost before I can comprehend what Anya is saying. “Cora has left the house twice in the last week and been attacked both times. She isn’t going anywhere.”
Anya’s brows arch nearly to her hairline. “Okaaay. Or we could let me finish what I was going to say before jumping to rash conclusions.”
Cora lays a hand on my shoulder and slides closer to me. Her bare thigh brushes against my hip and my entire body tightens.
I don’t want her leaving this house, but it is painfully clear she has to leave this bed. One of us has to, anyway. All this time with Cora has my head spinning. I need to get back on solid ground immediately.
“I’m not sure I’m up for going out again so soon,” Cora says carefully.
Anya watches me with something like concern in her eyes before she shifts her attention back to Cora. “I completely understand that, but I think youbothshould hear me out. I’ve taken precautions.”
“Itook precautions,” I remind her harshly. “It wasn’t enough.”
Cora’s hand slides from my shoulder to my elbow and squeezes. A silent comfort. An attempt to ease the storm inside of me.
She has no clue she’s only making it worse.
I shift away from her, leaning back against the headboard. She pulls her hand back into her lap.
“Okay,” Anya says, ignoring my protests. “So I set it up at The Coop.”
“The Coop?” I snort. “Abso-fucking-lutely not. That place is massive and—”
“And closed for a private event tonight.” Anya bats her lashes at me rather aggressively. “Myprivate event. But Rooster said he’d double security as a personal favor to our family.”
It’s Cora’s turn to snort. “You guys know someone named Rooster?”
“He’s a really nice guy,” Anya reassures her. “Totally trustworthy. He’s been a friend of ours for years and he’s doing me a huge favor by closing the place down tonight for the event.”
“What kind of event?” Cora asks.
Anya hesitates for only a second and then sags with a groan. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but it’s obvious that is not going to fly.”
