Page 52 of Blood that Burns
Why is he constantly keeping me at arm’s length?
My head hits the pillow and I cover my eyes with my arm, trying to push these aggravating thoughts away.
That’s when it hits me. Law is private and he would never leave something personal out in the open for anyone to find. He’d be smarter. He’d hide it well.
I practically roll off the bed, falling to my knees on the ground, lifting the mattress.
Bingo.
My eyes narrow at the all-too-familiar thick white ribbon. I know if I open it, I’ll find a four-leaf clover tucked inside. One I found two years ago in Johnson Park.
He kept it.
But why?
“Maggie... dear... have you really lowered yourself to snooping?”
I bob my head, not finding it necessary to lie. I’ve been caught red-handed.
She sighs. “Well, you’ll be disappointed to know you’ve wasted your time. This is only a temporary room reserved for him for the rare occasions when he’s too piss-drunk to return to his own place.”
Wrong. But I won’t tell her that. This is too private. Too personal.
He saved it and hid it away, and that’s not something I want to share with anyone.
I sit back onto my legs, huffing in faux exasperation. “You could’ve mentioned that earlier.”
“And save you the embarrassment of being caught? Doesn’t sound like me.” She smiles and I cross my arms over my chest, pouting like a seasoned actress. “Now, hurry up. My friends will arrive soon, and we need to be in the sitting room to greet them.”
I’m suddenly not in the mood to mingle, but something tells me I don’t have a choice in this matter.
Katina and I made our way to the sitting room no more than ten minutes later. The place is a hideous wallpapered nightmare. The yellow-and-lavender flowers that are plastered over the walls match the chair coverings. It’s gaudy and the only room I’ve seen so far that has any feminine touch—albeit horrendously tacky in taste.
Katina and I have shared stories from Marina’s and my childhood over a pot of coffee while we await her visitors. She fills me in on what I missed that Marina hasn’t already caught me up on. The most interesting was that the Council was here while we were gone, and it was decided that they’d take down the auction tomorrow.
“You see, my sister Ratilda is the MC and HBIC at the auction.”
“HBIC?”
“Keep up, dear Maggie. Head Bitch. She’s the Head Bitch in Charge.”
I offer a lopsided grin. “Noted. So, you plan to take her on?”
“I have to. She’s evil. What she’s done to those girls...” She shakes her head. “Well, there’s no coming back from it. Marina is my sister by choice and Ratilda harmed her. I won’t forget it.”
I haven’t allowed myself to consider all the horrors that Marina faced. I prevented myself from asking for details, deciding to allow her to tell me in her own time. I can only imagine the trauma those memories could cause.
Katina was more than happy to fill me in. From being kidnapped to being forced onto a stage to possibly end up a blood toy for vampires, it was certainly terrifying. Thinking about my sister crouched in that field only steps away from home gives me bone-deep chills.
“Thank you for having Marina’s back, Katina. You’ll never know how much that means to me.”
She smiles. “I care for her very much. She’s a special girl. You both are, Maggie.”
I’m sure she believes that because of the legends. I want to press her for all that she knows, but chances are, it’s not any more than Julian and Law know. They’re still trying to uncover all that goes into the bond we all share.
“I hope to get to know you as well as Marina does,” I say instead.
“You will. There’s no escaping Ekaterina Anastasia Maria Savina.”