Page 29 of Twisted Throne
“Hmm…I bet I’m right. I’m almost always right,” she stated firmly. “And trust me, nobody would give somebody something this fancy-schmancy unless they were super duper in love.”
She turned the pendant over again in her hands and then handed it back to me.
“Thanks for showing me. That is such an awesome keepsake!” Lucy looked at me expectantly, eyes sparkling. “So, what do you want to do now?”
“Um, I was just going to take a shower and go to bed pretty soon. I, it’s been a long day.”
While Lucy was bright-eyed and filled with energy, I still felt wiped out. All I wanted to do was relax under some scalding hot water to soothe my still-sore muscles and collapse onto the giant bed with its fluffy pillows and million thread count sheets.
“Ugh, you sound just like Elena!”
Lucy hopped up off the couch and grabbed my arm, hoisting me to my feet.
“Come on, let’s go raid the kitchen! We’ll grab some snacks and watch a movie or something. Have you seen Dashcam Demon 2?” She kept chattering away, not giving me time to either answer her question or protest. “Dashcam Demon 1 was so fucking good, but you don’t have to watch it to watch the second one, I can fill ya in, no prob! So what happens is, everybody gets possessed by this demon and their eyes get all gooey and–”
“I don’t really like horror movies, and I really need to get to bed,” I cut in.
That incident with Emilio had felt like a horror movie all by itself. I had no need for any more today.
“Giaaaaaa! Don’t be a stick in the mud! Come on, it’ll be fun, I promise!” She clasped her hands together in front of her and batted her eyelashes as she pleaded with me. “Pleeeease?”
How the hell could I say no to that? She looked like one of the kittens in those Humane Society ads.
“Okay, fine. But we’re not watching Dashing Demons or whatever you said.” I stifled a yawn. “And I’m going to need coffee too.”
“Yes!” Lucy squealed, then grabbed me by the hand and started tugging me toward the door. “And it’s Dashcam Demon 2. What the hell would Dashing Demons even be about? C’mon!”
“Hang on! I need my shoes!”
“No you don’t. Live a little!” She pulled me through the door and out into the hall before I could break out of her grasp, still chattering a mile a minute.
***
“Lucy, wait up! I have no idea where I’m going!”
My bare feet slapped along the cold, marble tile as I jogged to catch up with her. She had scampered ahead and was almost at the top of the stairs already.
“Didn’t Elena show you around?” She flipped her hair back and turned around to look at me. “That’s why they should have putmein charge of you. I would have made damn sure you knew where all the good stuff is. Like food. And guns and stuff.”
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how casual Lucy is about all of this. It definitely reinforced the vast difference between how I grew up with just me and Mom, and how I would have grown up had Mom stayed with Angelo.
“She gave me the full tour, but I guess we must have missed the kitchen.”
“Uh-huh. But I bet she showed you the formal dining room and the library and all of the boring places though.” Lucy snorted. “Did she even take you down to the basement?”
I thought back to the large training room Elena had shown me, with its array of not only a full gym's worth of exercise equipment, punching bags, and mats, but also an assortment of various weaponry.
“Yeah, I saw the basement. And I met that Bear guy.”
Lucy had become caught up in our conversation and had finally slowed down a bit when we started walking down the curving staircase that led to the entrance hall.
“Bear is so awesome! He’s funny as hell, and I heard he can break somebody's neck with just his hands!” Her eyes sparkled and a smile spread across her face. “He taught me all my good moves, and he gives really good hugs.”
“Hugs?” I shot her a look. I didn’t think it was possible for Lucy to hold still long enough to be hugged. It sounded to me like someone might have a crush.
“Ew, no! Not like that!” Lucy crinkled up her nose and smacked me on the shoulder. “He is so not my type. I don’t go for that whole lumberjack look, ya know? I go for tall, dark, and handsome, if you know what I mean. But he’s a good guy to have as a friend.”
We had reached the first floor and I followed Lucy across the foyer and through a set of arched doorways. Above them was a large, finely carved placard.