Chapter 31 Aurora #3
“He cares more than you think, Thane. Especially about you. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a pretentious prick who’d rather gouge his eyes out than say the words, but he cares. Just … in ways that make you question your sanity.”
“I’ve known Ezra almost five years,” Thane murmurs, “and still feel like he keeps me at arm’s length. You’ve known him a week, and he actually lets you in. How the hell did you pull that off?”
“Oh, ya know. I screamed at him, pushed him, threatened him, taunted him. Standard stuff. But … sometimes the pull’s just too strong to fight.”
“Fascinating. Exactly what I hoped for.”
Without another word, Thane walks away to join the two manic-pixie dream girls in the living room.
What an odd thing to say.
Hoped for?
What exactly is Thane hoping for?
I mull it over, but the thought slips away as I whip the lemon mousse into submission.
When dinner is ready, we all move to the dining room, our conversation continuing loudly. Eve and Louie discuss local wildlife sightings while Thane tells me about some new antique books they recently received at the shop.
The conversation dies down, though, when everyone digs into their food. My mom believed a quiet table meant a happy table. I never really understood what she meant until this very moment.
Throughout dinner, Thane sneaks glances at Louie, and, of course, I immediately think he knows.
But I have to remind myself that I went through a lot in a twenty-four-hour period.
I’m exhausted, and let’s be honest, my mental health isn’t exactly at full HP.
I probably hallucinated his glowing eyes and that cryptic message at the bar the other night.
Thane devours his food in record time, sets his utensils down, then clears his throat.
“I would love to hear more about England, Laura. Do you live in London? Or one of the smaller villages?”
Lou glances at me, and I give her a subtle nod.
“Uh … yeah. I live in London, probably.”
Thane’s eyes glint with amusement. He knows exactly what’s going on.
“Oh! The city! Which neighborhood?” he asks a little too casually.
“Uhhh … Trafalgar Crescent?” Louie says, hesitating just enough to make my soul leave my body.
Trafalgar Crescent? That sounds like an Erewhon-exclusive croissant, hand-rolled by fairies and blessed by Nicolas Cage under a blood moon.
And yet, the hellhound smiles, way too proud of herself. Like she nailed it and didn’t just say something so objectively incorrect that reality itself is now unstable.
“Well, Laura’s an archeologist, so she hasn’t been in England lately. She’s been … um … in Egypt. For work. Digging … stuff. Obviously.”
This might be the dumbest fucking lie ever told. I sound like an idiot. But I’ve noticed the older underborne love ancient history. Hell, half of them probably were ancient history.
Thane nods and smiles. “Oh! Well, that’s interesting! I’ve never been to Egypt myself, but I’ve read a few books on Egyptian history and mythology. I’ve always been fascinated by Anubis. You know who that is, right, Laura?”
Louie perks up instantly. If she had a fucking tail, it’d be going full speed, knocking shit off tables.
“Yeah, I know Anubis. God of the dead. Well, sort of. He was for a while, then that prick Osiris came in and overshadowed everything he did! They downgraded the poor god to funeral duty. Embalming and shit. Such a shame. He’s a real nice bloke.”
“Ha! Laura, you’re a fucking riot!” I kick Louie under the table, and she glares at me with a barely contained snarl.
“Delightful! Another Egyptian myth fan! Anubis has always fascinated me. A god with a jackal’s head, deeply tied to death, guiding souls? It’s not too far off from some of the old hellhound lore.”
Shit.
Thane leans back in his chair and smiles at Louie, then at me.
Eve is on her phone, probably looking up Egyptian mythology to impress Thane, and completely misses the strange moment.
When I turn back to Louie, her skin is pale and her glassy, mismatched eyes are locked on Thane.
“Lou-Laura, are you okay? You don’t look well. Do you want to lie down?” I glance at my friends and say, “Jet lag’s a bitch!”
The hellhound’s eyes never leave Thane while I help her stand. Eve gives her a quick hug and reminds her of their plan to go on a hike soon. Louie just nods and drifts toward the stairs.
“Do you want me to come up with you?”
“Nah, you don’t have to do that. Have fun with your friends. But if you want to check on me after they leave, that’d be nice, I suppose.”
Louie’s voice shakes, and her hands tremble as she reaches for the railing.
What scares a fucking hellhound?
It’s not surprising Thane saw through my bullshit second-cousin story, but Lou’s response suggests she might know what he is.
I give the hellhound a tight hug, then return to the kitchen.
When I look up from plating the mousse, I spot Eve curled up in Thane’s lap. They’re deep in conversation, and her cheeks are glowing a deep, dark red I can see from here.
I’m so jealous … and so fucking horny.
No. Bad thoughts, Aurora. These are your friends. You don’t need to be that bitch.
So, I suck it up like a badass buttercup and serve dessert.
“Oh, you remembered! Aurora makes the most incredible lemon mousse. Even makes her own lemon curd for it!” Eve squeals, then dives into the fluffy, pale-yellow dessert.
“I hope your second cousin, Laura, from England, will be okay,” Thane says with a straight face.
“Heh. Yeah. She’ll be okay. Probably just needs some rest,” I say while absentmindedly poking holes in my dessert.
“Are you ready to come back to work on Monday?” Eve asks excitedly.
“Yes! I’m so ready! I appreciate the time off. I know I need to rest and reset, but shit, it’s been boring, even with Laura visiting,” I say, forgetting about Thane’s strange behavior for a moment.
“Have you heard from Ezra?” Thane asks. “He hasn’t been in touch with the shop, and his cell phone is off.”
“Nope, I haven’t heard from him. I thought he’d be home by now. I’m trying not to worry.”
I furiously fight off the tears threatening to fall, then run a hand over my chest, trying to calm the thread tugging violently at my heart.
“He’ll be back soon, Aurora. He does this now and then, and he always comes back. I wouldn’t worry too much.”
Thane wants to be reassuring, but even he looks a little concerned.
“Hey, Aury, where’s Louie?” Eve asks as she scans Ezra’s first floor.
Goddamn it. I really suck at this secret life thing.
“Lou isn’t comfortable here, so she’s been spending a lot of time in the woods. She comes here to check in and eat.”
Another lie that has the unpleasant taste of deceit dancing at the back of my throat.
Eve sighs, then drapes her arm over Thane, who leans down and kisses the top of her head.
“Dang, I was hoping to get some of her epic cuddles,” she pouts, snuggling further into Thane’s side.
“I bet she’s closer than we think,” Thane whispers to Eve, his mischievous gaze never leaving me.
Okay, seriously. What the fuck? He’s dropped too many hints to ignore at this point. But it doesn’t feel threatening, exactly. Just …
intentional. Like he’s deliberately nudging me toward something.
Fine. Let’s see what happens when I push back.
“Yeah, she’s always close. You’d be surprised how fast she moves when she smells blood.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Thane says easily, smiling warmly.
Well, fuck. Not even a blink.
Come on, my dude. Give me something.
Eve snorts, then says, “Aury, remember that time in college when some asshole came up to us on the street and flashed us while we were on a walk with Louie? She went into full guard dog mode. Almost bit that perv’s dick off.”
Thankfully, Eve seems blissfully unaware of the battle of unspoken words being waged in Ezra’s dining room.
“Yeah. Louie’s one of a kind,” I say with a smile and a shrug directed at Thane.
“After what happened, it must be reassuring to have her by your side,” he replies, his voice soft. “Listen to her instincts, Aurora. She’ll always keep you out of harm’s way.”
I wonder what would happen if I slammed my palms on the table and asked him just what the hell he is.
I’d lose my friends, that’s what would happen.
Crap.
“Well, my lovely daffodil, are you ready to go home? I’m afraid I’m still pretty hungry,” Thane growls in Eve’s ear.
Eve and I giggle like two girls who just saw their crush walk by. Despite Thane’s strange behavior, he’s still extremely charming and obviously adores my best friend. I can be concerned and enjoy their relationship at the same time, at least that’s the current lie I’m selling myself.
I hand Eve the leftovers as I walk them to the door, then wrap her in a big hug, promising to call her tomorrow.
Thane pulls me in for a hug, too. “Be well, Daughter,” he whispers in my ear.
I go completely still, ice water flooding my veins.
Daughter.
Not “Aurora.”
Not “kid.”
Not some vague, brotherly pet name.
He knows exactly what I am.
I force myself to step back, then convince my lips to curl into something resembling a smile.
“You too, Thane,” I say, and it almost sounds normal.
Almost.
But, as I remind myself for the hundredth time, Thane has had ample opportunity to hurt me. And unlike Harlan’s disgusting, rotting soul, which I could literally see at the bar the other night, I don’t sense that in Thane. It’s just … bright and calm.
By the time I remember how to move, he’s got Eve tucked into his side like nothing ever happened and they’re already halfway to the car.
I close and lock the door, then arm the security system. It may be a false sense of security, but right now, I’ll take it.
I stand on the basement steps for over fifteen minutes, lost in my thoughts, before returning to the kitchen. I wipe down the counters, run the dishwasher, and then drag myself upstairs to check on Lou.