Page 161 of The Devil We Crave
“None,” she breathes.
“Good girl.”
31
YELENA
“It's going to be fine.”
My stomach knots as the elevator rises, but my fingers are laced with his, and when I turn and look at him, those dark devil eyes do what they always do.
Calm me.
Center me.
Over the last three weeks, those eyes have become a constant. A permanent anchor for me whenever I need them, never very far away.
Probably because I’ve pretty much moved into Achilles’ room.
Damiano was the first one to question my nightly absences from Morvaine Manor. I finally caved and told him I had a boyfriend, and then immediately giggled like a fool since that was the first time I’d said that word out loud as it related to Achilles.
The golden god with the devilish, inky center.My boyfriend.
Damiano pushed for the “who” but backed off when I clammed up about that part. Not, of course, that I actually think he doesn’t know by now. But he’s had the decency not to tell my father yet.
Dad does know I’m seeingsomeone. I couldn’t keep that big a secret from either of them. Mom freaked out and gushed, asking for “all the juicy details”.
Dad wanted his full legal name and address, social security number, his parents' names, his blood type, and his height “for sizing the coffin”.
Really.
Mercifully, Mom talked him down, telling him right there on FaceTime that his little girl wasn’t so little anymore, and that I was mature enough to be making decisions about who I spend time with.
I explained I wasn’t going to tell themwhoit was because I was worried Dad would scare him off. Which is, you know, accurate.
Dad then wanted to know if I was sleeping with this “walking dead man”. Mom punched him in the arm and told him it wasn’t the 1700s and who I chose to be intimate with was none of his fucking business.
In the interest of keeping his blood pressure in the healthy zone, I lied and told my dad that my mystery boyfriend and I were “taking it slow”.
Mom immediately texted me “LOL yeah, SURE. But as long as you’re being safe and he respects you, it can be our little secret. Love you.”
Normally, I’d feel guilty spending so much time at Kingsward and leaving Wren by herself. But things have changed since thenight when she almost died of alcohol poisoning. After that, even Wren finally realized that she needed help.
On the plus side, sheisgoing to be able to stay at Knightsblood. On the not-so-plus side, her parents have made the executive decision to move her off campus. So she’s now living with Laz at his house in Hawthorne Hollow.
She’s not thrilled about this. But her parents, and me, and everyone else, are allreallyworried about her mental state and her drinking, and this is the best option. It gets her away from the temptations of campus life and partying, and also allows her to see a counselor daily without having to go to rehab.
The elevator starts to slow, and my stomach churns even more.
“Yelena.”
I stare straight ahead as my throat tightens in anticipation of this dinner with Achilles’ family.
“Look at me, little prey.”
I shiver, blushing as I turn to look at him again, standing beside me.
Holding my hand.
