Page 38 of Born Reckless

I'm not really sure what to say to him. My natural instinct is to say something sharp and snarky. But something tells me that's probably not the way you're supposed to speak to a Council member. Especially to one you’re going to be working for soon, and is allowing you to stay in his city, knowing there is someone hunting you down.

So, I don't say anything. I press my lips into a thin line and simply give a nod.

Sebastian gives a smile, tipping his head down just slightly. The move is voracious, but it still sparks a little bit of warmth in my stomach. I’m only human, after all.

"Take care," Sigrid offers.

"It was nice to meet you," I say. And the words are genuine. She might intimidate me, and she might confuse me because I don't understand what she is, but at least she has been direct, and she has been kind. Neither of those are something I have experienced much of in my life.

Tabitha follows Elena out of the building, and side-by-side, I walk with Mason. Without a word, we all climb into the limousine and the driver aims us back to the Godfrey Tower.

My brain rolls through everything that has just played out in the last hour. I think of Roman and his intimidating nature. I think of Sigrid and all the secrets she must hold. I think of Sebastian and his suave nature.

Anger builds in my stomach. Elena would rather see me go to Dr. Vincent, someone I have a feeling is a habitual flirt, than see me get involved in any way with her brother, now that I’m a vampire.

She's the person who's loved me the most my entire life. And even she doesn't want me tied too close to her family.

The tension builds within the limo, but nobody says a word. The ten-minute drive back to the tower is taken in complete silence. It's a relief when finally, we park out front and all of us climb out.

We step inside the building and almost automatically, Elena and I glance at each other. There is no warmth in this look. There is tension and tightness.

So, I don't bother asking her where she's going when she peels off to one of the halls leading deeper in the building on the main floor. Mason and I head to the elevator, and we rise to the top floor.

"You did good," Mason says as the elevator doors close behind us. He shifts closer to me, almost imperceptibly, but with my vampire senses, it's obvious. "The Council can be intimidating. I admire that about you." He looks down at me and I can't help it that my eyes are drawn to him. "You're not intimidated by anyone. You don't let anyone plow over you."

Except his sister.

But I don't say anything. Silently, I slip my hand into Mason's. I lean against him and tilt my head to his shoulder.

Even this feels wrong. When you've come to depend on no one but yourself for your entire life, it doesn't come naturally to lean on anyone, literally, or otherwise.

The elevator opens to the penthouse level and he and I walk, hand in hand, to his door.

"What happened in there?" Mason asks as we walk into the living room. "I know things are awkward between you and my sister because of us, but something seems different."

I take in a deep breath and suddenly the world feels kind of suffocating. I cross to the huge sliding glass door that opens onto the balcony and step outside.

The night is surprisingly cool considering how close we are to summer. But it's refreshing. I place my hands on the edge of the railing and close my eyes for a second.

There are millions of people around me. Literally millions. It's why I like living in big cities. There are always so many people around.

Yet I always feel so alone.

"Until two weeks ago, Elena never would have let a man talk to me the way Sebastian just did," I say. My words try to catch in my throat, so they come out a little rough. "Sometimes, even my best friend doesn't want me."

"Juliet," Mason says as he walks up beside me. He places his hand on mine and I feel his eyes on my face. "Elena loves you."

"But she doesn't want me too close," I say. I know I'm being harsh. I know that I'm spiraling just a little bit. But when you've never had a firm foundation beneath you, it's easy to feel like the entire earth is made of quicksand. If you don't stay on your guard, you'll be swallowed up.

"Juliet, why is your last name Doe?" Mason asks with hesitation. But I hear in his voice just how genuinely he wants to know the answer.

I swallow once, my eyes roaming about the city. I think about the difference from where I am now to where I was so long ago. "I was born in Kansas. At least, that's where they found me." I fold my arms on the railing and lean against it. This is a heavy story. One I don't like telling all that often. Not that anyone ever asks. "Someone spotted us off the side of the highway and called it in to the police. No one is sure how we got there, but I was lying there, screaming my head off as it started to rain. Lying next to me, they found my mother, dead."

I've imagined this scene in my head over and over. It's something that rips the bottom of me out every time.

"Shit, I had no idea, Juliet," Mason whispers.

So that answers that. Elena never told her brother, because Elena knows every bit of this story.