Chapter 12
Madden
EVERY MUSCLE IN my body is burning from the extra practice today.
With a conference meet right around the corner, Coach is pushing hard with extra practice times in the pool.
Usually, I don’t mind. Our team needs to be in top shape for our meets, but knowing what I have to look forward to this evening, the whole day has felt like a chore.
Another family dinner. Only this time, Skully will be there.
I have yet to see the object of my bad mood since returning for the semester.
She’s been keeping under the radar, probably too afraid to show her face.
As long as she keeps her distance from my friends and me, I have no reason to seek her out.
Unfortunately, family dinners will have to be the exception, where I’ll be forced to see her.
At least after tonight, I can make sure she’s still breathing and make sure she knows her place now that she’s back home.
Running my hands through my hair, I stop at Heath’s closed door and wrap my knuckles twice. The door swings open a second later, and my younger brother stands there with a toothbrush in his mouth and his shirt half on.
“I still have five minutes,” he grunts through a mouth full of toothpaste.
I wave him off, and he heads back to his bathroom.
Looking around his room, I’m reminded once again why the swim house was a better option than dorms or sharing an apartment.
I like having my own room and space rather than sharing with my brother who can be a slob.
My phone vibrates once in my pocket, and I pull it out quickly to see a message from Aero.
AERO: Deck later?
Groaning under my breath, I type out that I’ll meet him after this family dinner we’re obligated to go to.
As a rule, we usually never choose to hang out at the Deck.
It’s a local hot spot, where we’re often descended upon like celebrities.
But tonight I’m willing to get lost in the crowd and to get out of my head.
“Okay, I’m ready now.” Heath comes back into the room, wearing his t-shirt this time, before grabbing his leather jacket.
“Nothing like waiting until the last minute.” I jab at him, and he gives me a cocky smile.
“Just because you’re pissed we have to see Gavin again so soon, doesn’t mean you’re going to ruin my mood, brother.”
Scoffing, I run my hand through my hair again, frustrated with the whole plan for the night. “I’m not pissed I have to see Gavin.”
Heath nods and glances at me sideways while following me out of the house and outside to my car. “Right. It must be seeing our dear, soon-to-be stepsister then that has you fired up.”
My eyes shoot to him with a glare that makes him chuckle harder. “I couldn’t care less if she’s there or not.”
Heath hums under his breath before sliding into the passenger seat. I can feel his eyes on the side of my face as I start the engine and back out onto the road. “I saw her.”
There’s a dull thrum in my veins, and my fingers fight the urge to flex, but I stay silent, keeping my concentration on the road. Heath laughs under his breath and adjusts in his seat.
“She looks…different.”
“Different how?” The words are out before I can stop them, which just earns me another laugh from Heath.
“Do you actually care?”
“Fuck no,” I bite out, the energy running in my veins setting me on edge.
“Right.” Heath, the smug bastard, just shakes his head, clearly enjoying my inner turmoil.
“Anyway. She looked, I don’t know. Before she dressed like, prissy.
The large bows, name-brand everything, the sky-high heels, so much makeup, I wasn’t sure if she was real or airbrushed.
And she could barely speak before. Like, full sentences were too hard for her highness.
Or speaking to us was below her most of the time. ”
My mind flies back to those days. It’s on my tongue to correct him, because I remember clearly, kneeling to help her out of those heels, and carrying her to my bed to relax.
My body can still feel the way she would curl into me after shedding her layers until she was wearing my sweatpants and t-shirt.
I remember the sight of her pale skin and how much larger her deep brown eyes were without makeup, which she called armor.
Instead, I swallow down the words to defend her like the sharp blades they are.
“She was wearing jeans. Like, real jeans. And she’s short.
She had on Jordan’s and barely grazed my chest when I bumped into her.
I’ve never seen her hair not perfect either, but the girl was just wearing it down, letting it get tangled in the wind.
It was weird. She’s actually hotter without all the makeup.
” He shrugs like he didn’t just throw my world for a spin.
“Oh, and she smiled at me. We had a conversation.”
“What?” I can feel myself glaring out the window at the road, trying to picture his interaction with her, and feeling my gut twist at the image.
“I asked her how living on campus was, and she said she’s adjusting. I haven’t seen her except that one time, though, which is good, right?”
“Right,” I answer on autopilot. My shadows surge and ripple under my skin, fighting to reach for my brother.
Thankfully, he’s saved from saying anything else that will plunge me deeper into a dark mood when we arrive at the manor.
We park and get out, my gaze swinging along the drive.
There are no other cars. I know for a fact that we’re five minutes late.
I can only imagine what Gavin’s reaction will be when his daughter arrives later than we do.
A wicked grin curves my lips, and I slap Heath on the back. “Let’s get this over with.”
Heath knocks on the door, and Simon opens it two seconds later. “Good evening, sirs.”
“Good to be back, Simon.” Heath claps him on the back, which only seems to make the older man exasperated. I simply nod at the man and remove my jacket, which he takes from my hands.
“Your mother and Gavin are in the dining room,” he says before walking off.
Heath turns to me with a sinister smirk. “Guess little Skully is going to be the one getting her ass chewed tonight, not us.”
I scoff at him before heading to the dining room.
Heath trails behind me, and I let my mask fall into place before entering.
My mother looks up, a small, practiced smile on her lips.
Gavin simply takes a drink of his wine and cuts another piece of the meat on the plate in front of him without sparing us a glance.
He’s eating without us, which just goes to show he’s irritated we’re late.
Heath slides into his chair and peeks around the table. “Are we not waiting for little sis?”
I take my seat, and my lips twitch, knowing how much Gavin hates any endearments toward his daughter. My mother hands me a bowl of rice, quinoa and vegetables, “Skallan is working this evening and won’t be attending dinner.”
My eyes immediately flash to Gavin, whose face is flushed red with anger while he swallows his chicken breast, his fingers gripped tightly on his knife. No one is allowed to miss a family dinner.
“That’s unexpected,” Heath says slowly, choosing his words wisely with the sudden tense atmosphere.
“Yes, well, she worked while in California. We decided it would be good for her now that she’s back to continue that independence. Hopefully, it will help keep her out of trouble this time,” my mother says in her most politician voice, as if she’s convincing us it’s what’s best for Skully.
“Where is she working?” My words are forced, almost gritted out between my teeth.
It’s one thing to never see Skully; it’s another to imagine that she is, in fact, going about her life on campus without us, without me.
I still have the mental image of her that Heath put in my head from earlier.
As if sensing that my control is slipping, my younger brother coughs, clearing his throat.
“Where did she work in California?”
Gavin glares around the table and forces another forkful of meat between his teeth. “Some library.”
I feel myself exhale, imagining Skully tucked away deep in the library on campus, pushing books between the stacks. Hidden. Good. The less she’s around the student population, causing chaos, the better. At least now I know where she’s spending her free time.
“Has there been any movement at the Gate?” Gavin quickly pivots to the real reason he wants these family dinners.
He wants to know about the ins and outs of the Gate at the cemetery, the rumors, and the truth; he wants to make sure we’re still under his thumb.
I feel Heath’s slight flicker of his eyes on me, likely thinking the same thing.
Gavin won’t lower himself to do the grunt work our designation is created for, but he looks for the accolades he can get by pretending he cares.
Only we know that Gavin doesn’t care about protecting the Haven.
He doesn’t care that something has attempted to disrupt the gates to the shade multiple times since the blast. He only wants to know that we’re protecting it and that we have a hold on the Gate.
The hounds have been keeping their noses to the ground, on constant surveillance.
All of it should spike worry, or at least further investigation, but Gavin won’t acknowledge it.
Acknowledging it would mean he would actually have to work and care about the people.
It would also mean that he would have to admit that we need to work more closely with other paranormals.
“The Haven is safe,” I tell him, my voice firm. I won’t give him the satisfaction of being able to claim the work we’ve been doing to keep it that way.
Gavin’s jaw works steadily while he chews, his eyes boring into mine. There’s a flush on his neck that creeps just above his collar, warning me that he’s reaching his boiling point. Still, I don’t back down. I don’t give him more.