Chapter 23
T he magnificent Trellani brownstone grew closer as we coasted down the gravel drive. Would Ordell’s ex Bella greet us at the door, or would it be her husband Dash who answered to us this time?
The last time I’d been here, I’d put my foot in it by pointing out how obvious it was that the triplets were Ordell’s. Not my finest hour, but I’d been pissed at the way Dash spoke to Ordell. He’d been dismissive and irritated with him for coming to see his own children when he should have been encouraging the contact.
I didn’t remember much about my parents. The fire had taken all mementos that might help me hold on to them, but when I closed my eyes and thought of them, I felt safe. Always safe. They’d loved me, I was certain of that much because I felt it, and the way Ordell spoke about his triplets, the softness in his eyes, told me he loved them dearly.
This luncheon was a time for the children to be surrounded by the people that adored them, and it felt like an intrusion for me to be here.
I shifted in my seat, adjusting the box of cakes we’d brought on my lap. “I know they invited me, but I’m pretty sure they were being polite. I shouldn’t be here.”
Ordell killed the engine and twisted in his seat to face me. “You’re the chapter leader, the person who’ll watch over the triplets if something goes wrong with our plan to get them mageri protection. Trust me, they’ll want to know you.”
“And what if they don’t like me?” Why had I said that? I mean, what did it matter if they liked me or not, right? My job was to keep them safe, not be their favorite person, except…I wanted them to like me because…because they were Ordell’s children, and Ordell mattered to me. A lot.
His ocean blues warmed in that way reserved just for me, and the icy grip on my chest melted.
“How could they not like you, Orina? In fact, I’ll wager that by the end of the afternoon, they’ll have fallen in love with you.” His voice was hushed and intimate. My stomach warmed.
There was something more about him today. An earthy lure that made me want to get closer, to climb onto his lap and press my nose to the base of his throat and inhale him. Today, Ordell made me want to purr.
His gaze darted across my features. “What are you thinking?” he whispered.
“Things I shouldn’t be thinking.” I shrugged. I missed our closeness. I missed his touch. I missed the way he could fold me in a hug and make the world stop for a while. It was insane how I could miss all these things so much when I’d had them for such a brief time. The impact this male had on me…
Regret spawned a storm in his eyes. “It will get easier with practice.”
‘It.’ All the urges. All the desires. All the wanting. He’d bundled them all up into an ‘it.’ “How can you be so sure of that?”
He half smiled. “Well, it’s a full moon tonight, and all I can think about right now is throwing you into the back of this van and fucking you senseless, and yet here I am, calmly having a conversation with you about it.”
All the moisture from my mouth seemed to gravitate to my groin, and the urge to do something decidedly wicked flared inside me. Thank goodness I had a box of cakes to hold between us as a shield.
He pocketed his keys with a sigh. “We should head inside.”
The doors to the mansion opened as we were climbing the steps, and Dash greeted us with a smile that barely touched his eyes.
Talk about feeling welcome.
It was chilly outside, but the Trellanis had a large conservatory that was lovely and warm. Decorated in greenery with artificial water features, it had an outside feel. They’d laid out a fabulous buffet-style lunch with everything from sandwiches to pastries, and although things were a little awkward at first, the presence of the triplets, and their enthusiasm for Ordell, soon defused the tension. Aidan, Aaron, and Ava were an energetic, mischievous trio, and over the course of the two hours we were there, I was roped into a game of darts, archery, and a round of tag in the garden beyond the conservatory. I discovered that Aidan loved drawing and was creating his own graphic novel, and that Aaron was an inventor of stuff, as he liked to call it. Ava, on the other hand, was a little more reticent, engaging but holding back and watching me, and it was only when it was almost time to leave that she seemed to warm up to me and brought out the vase she’d made in her pottery classes with Bella for me to admire.
“It’s a little wonky,” she said with a frown. “But Mother says that imperfections are what make us interesting.”
I glanced at Bella, who was watching her daughter with a proud smile. “Your mother’s right. This vase is unique.”
She held it out to me. “I want you to have it.”
I stared up into her hazel eyes filled with resolve. “Are you sure?” My words came out thick with emotion, and a small smile touched her lips.
“Yes. I’m sure. It’s a thank you present for being Uncle Odi’s girlfriend.”
My cheeks heated, and Ordell quickly cleared his throat. “Um…Ava, Orina isn’t my girlfriend.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Because you haven’t asked her yet. So do it now.”
The boys giggled.
“Ava.” Dash’s tone held warning. “Don’t be so presumptuous.”
“What?” Ava pouted. “Uncle Odi likes her; he has hearts in his eyes for her like you do for Mummy.”
“From the mouth of babes,” Ordell said gruffly. Then to me, “The cat’s out of the bag, it seems. Miss Lighthart, will you be my girlfriend?”
My pulse thrummed, heat staining my cheeks even though I knew this wasn’t real, that he and I could never be real. I smiled and inclined my head graciously, playing along. “Yes, but only if you promise to buy me ice cream whenever I want.”
Ordell pretended to think about this, tapping his chin with his index finger.
“Uncle Odi!” The triplets rushed at him, tugging on his shirt and climbing over him. “Just say yes!” Odi toppled to the floor with the children on top of him, his laughter rising from beneath the huddle like a bubbling brook, fresh and invigorating.
“All right, all right. Let me up,” he said between chuckles.
The children fell off him, then helped him sit up.
“Well?” I lifted my chin. “Ice cream or no deal.”
Our gazes locked, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was recalling our first trip to get ice cream together, when there had been a chance, however slim, that there might have been more between us. “Ice cream it is,” Ordell said softly.
“Yay!” the kids cried in unison.
“Okay, okay,” Bella said, smiling and shaking her head. “It’s time to say goodbye to Uncle Odi and his guest.”
This was our cue to leave, and Ordell’s eyes dimmed.
“No!” Ava cried. “Please stay longer, Uncle Odi.”
Ordell looked over at Bella, who shook her head ever so slightly. “I’m sorry, love. Next time.”
“When’s next time?” Aaron asked.
Once again, Ordell looked to Bella, and this time the children noticed.
“Mum?” Aidan asked. “When can Uncle Odi come see us again?”
“Soon,” Dash said quickly. “We can discuss it after the grand opening next week.”
“Grand opening?” Ordell asked.
“A new wing is being opened at the School of Creation,” Bella explained, her brown eyes lighting up with excitement. “There’ll be a recital put on by the students. The triplets are taking part.”
“Since when are they enrolled there?” Ordell looked to Dash. “I thought you were home educating.”
“I was, but work has been intense. Bella and I decided it would be best for the triplets to enroll.”
Ordell’s whole body tensed up, and the children must have noticed too because they exchanged wary glances.
“Ordell…” Bella stood. “We can talk about this on your way out.”
It was a clear fuck off now , and for a moment, I thought Ordell was going to tell her to shove it, but he reined in his anger and stood slowly, fixing a smile on his face for the children.
“Be good.” He ruffled their hair, then followed Bella from the room.
Dash’s shoulders slumped. “Say goodbye to Orina, children.”
I got hugs from all three.
Dash led me to the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, children. In the meantime, you can start helping Maggie clean up.”
Maggie, the maid, came hurrying in as if on cue, and the children gravitated toward her with offers of help as we slipped from the room.
“They’re good kids.”
“Yes,” Dash said. “They are. I raised them to be.”
The possessiveness in his tone wasn’t lost on me. “Ordell isn’t trying to take them away from you, you know that, right?”
He let out a rough laugh and turned to face me. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I would ask that you mind your own business. Respectfully.”
“Ouch.”
He exhaled. “I’m sorry, I…I know you’re trying to help, but this is something that Bella, Ordell, and I must navigate alone.”
I had to respect that, but I needed to say one more thing. “I know you want to protect those children, but they won’t be children forever, and there will come a time when they’ll realize who Ordell truly is and also reflect on how much time he was permitted to spend with them.”
Dash looked away. “I’ll consider my duty done if I can keep them safe until that time arrives.” He strode off, and I followed.
The sound of Ordell and Bella arguing reached us before we stepped into the entranceway.
“This is bullshit,” Ordell said.
“No. It makes sense for us,” Bella replied.
“There are other schools.”
“None as prestigious and secure as the School of Creation.”
“Where children are raised in preparation to be vampires,” Ordell pointed out.
“They aren’t going to be living there, and there are many other high-born children in attendance.”
Dash clipped toward them. “Enough. The decision is made. It’s not up for debate.”
A low, menacing growl spilled from Ordell’s lips.
Bella moved closer to Dash with a shocked whimper.
“What the fuck was that?” Dash asked.
Ordell cut off the sound, his eyes flaring in panic, and it hit me…They didn’t know. They didn’t fucking know what he truly was.
I stepped between them, drawing their attention to me. “We should be going. Thank you for your hospitality.”
I took Ordell’s hand, noting how warm and clammy it was, how tense. Would he resist if I drew him away?
He wrapped his fingers around mine, signaling his acquiescence, and we left.
Ordell didn’t speak until we were back on the road. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For stepping in there and diverting their attention to you. They don’t know about my condition. But I guess you figured that much out.”
“I did. I assume you haven’t told them because you don’t want them to freak out and think the kids might also be…like you. Am I right?”
“Correct. I’m cursed. They’re not. Bella and Dash don’t need to know. It’s not relevant to the children.” He took a left at the intersection onto the main road. “I’m more concerned with them studying at the School of Creation. That place gives me the creeps.”
“Do you want me to scope it out?”
He glanced my way. “How?”
“I’m going to the opening of the new wing with Kaster next weekend. I can do a little snooping if you like.”
“You don’t have to—” He shook his head. “You know what? Fuck it. Yes, please. Scope it out.”
I grinned up at him. “But you’ve got to buy me ice cream.”
I expected a chuckle, a lightening of the mood, but his gaze fell to the dashboard clock. “Not today, Orina. But definitely another time.”
Ah, the full moon. “No worries. Let’s get back to the stables.”
Tonight Hemlock and I would be staying at the chapter house, as far away from Ordell’s beast as possible.
“What did you tell Ezekiel about why you’ll be staying at the chapter house tonight?” Ordell asked.
“Nothing. He hasn’t surfaced from his quarters all week.” Yes, I was put out by that. We’d gone through some pretty epic stuff, and then he’d just cloistered himself away and ignored me for a whole fucking week. “If he wants me, then I’m sure he’ll find me.”
I’d been telling myself the same thing all week, and so far, he hadn’t come looking.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.