Plus, I wanted to talk to the Director about what was occurring. I really did have to agree that something about this felt off. I had been around humans for far longer than I cared to be, and everything about this attack smelled of distraction. It concerned me that there could be something larger in the works. Something that wouldn’t be nearly as easy to handle and could put my flower’s safety at risk.
After a few minutes of walking, I let my magic collapse over me as I appeared in the hallway outside of the office, immediately sensing two heartbeats. The Director’s was rather standard, but Arabella’s was light and fast like a hummingbird’s wings. I would be able to recognize it anywhere, and I found myself suddenly very eager to see her, wanting to assure her that nothing had happened yet.
I didn’t like how anxious she got about these missions and small attacks. Didn’t she understand that I would never let anything happen to her? I wouldn’t let anything happen to the others either, purely because I knew how much it would upset her… not because I had begrudgingly formed a friendship with them that I was still iffy about most days.
Frowning, I paused as I opened up the door, the locks disengaging easily with a small surge of my power and drawing the attention of… three sets of eyes? An annoyed groan broke from my throat as I realized what exactly was going on. Honestly, it shouldn’t have been all that surprising—it had been about fifty years, so it made sense that she would show up again.
Although today, of all days, it was hardly needed.
Before paying mind to the nuisance in the room, I crossed the space and instantly wrapped my flower into a tight embrace, burying my nose in her hair. I scowled, hating that she smelled even a bit like her father or anyone else that she had been spending time with. It was acceptable for her to have my scent on her, and that was about it. Maybe I should just start dressing her in my clothes each morning… she already thought I was crazy, so it probably wouldn’t faze her.
“Came to check in on you.” I pulled back as she offered me a wide-eyed curious look, her eyes dancing with confusion and a possible amount of anger and frustration. Fuck.
“No hello for me?” Eve laughed as I tucked Arabella against me and offered my little sister a narrowed, clinical glance.
“Out of all the times you would choose to show up, did you have to pick now?” I questioned, knowing that the Director was watching all of this but choosing to stay quiet.
I knew we probably needed to talk to him, or I did, about what Arabella was… but I should probably tell her first. Maybe he had already assumed. It did seem odd to me that he was so okay with so many nightmares being around her without him being aware of what made her so special.
“I didn’t plan this!” Eve frowned. “That little girl wanted out, so here I am.”
“You never told me you had a sister.” Arabella’s voice was muffled against my chest as I realized that Eve had probably already put her through the works.
There was far too much I hadn’t told her, actually.
I cupped her jaw and spoke quietly. “Honestly, she is in and out of my life so much, I didn’t even think about it.”
“Nice,” Eve huffed. “To think I thought you would be excited to see me.”
It actually was rather nice to see her… but just not today.
“We have bigger issues right now. What you are causing is chaos, and the humans have followed us back here because of—”
“Not because of me,” she pointed out. She walked over towards the Director, who looked up from the tablet he was on. He handed it off, watching her with a clinical interest. “In fact, I think Arabella is correct. I think that this is a distraction.”
I felt pride swell in my chest as Arabella’s face lit up a bit, clearly happy that someone else came to the same conclusion. Then I felt a surge of fucking jealousy because I had thought the same thing, but now if I said anything she would think I was bullshitting her.
“So what do we do?” she asked.
“We keep them talking and everyone on alert,” the Director explained and then looked at me. “I’m assuming you got bored with negotiations and that’s why you’re back here.”
I shrugged. “Amongst other reasons.” Like wanting to toss your daughter over my shoulder and take her back to her room where I can work out a number of my frustrations on her tight, sexy body. But yeah, sure. Boredom.
“I really would have never expected you to find your mate, Saint,” Eve said clearly as both the Director and Arabella seemed to look up at me to gauge my reaction. A sigh broke through my lips as I felt both exhilaration at the ability to admit that, because fuck, she had already said it… so oh well. But also a bit of unease when meeting Arabella’s eyes that were now shaded in confusion and hurt, because I had no doubt she was thinking of a million fucking reasons why I hadn’t told her. All of them were wrong.
“Mate?” James rang out clearly, his eyes narrowing on me. Unfortunately, her father did know exactly what I was, and not just that I had reaper death magic. No, I was far more than that, and fuck did it make all of this more complicated, because Arabella wasn’t aware either. At least not fully.
“Yes,” I hissed out. Arabella seemed to jolt at my tone. Before I could stop her, she stepped away and pinned me with a look, a range of emotions flashing across her face as she muttered something under her breath. Eve clearly had heard it, because she laughed at the fucking situation I was in now.
“Flower,” I hedged softly, reaching out to her again.
“I need a minute.” Arabella frowned as she walked towards the door, betrayal flashing across her face.
Hadn’t I been shitting on the others for keeping secrets earlier? I suppose I looked like the worst kind of hypocrite now. I let out a low growl as I pinned my sister with a look.
She shrugged, sitting down across from the Director. “You should go fix that,” she suggested.
“And when you get back, we are talking,” James leveled, shaking his head and looking back down at the tablet.
Motherfuckers.
Cursing up a storm, I walked into the hallway and flashed down the space, catching the elevator door before it sealed me away from my flower.
“What?” she growled.
Now how the hell did I explain to the woman I obsessed over that she was mated to Death without her freaking the fuck out?
17
Arabella
The elevator was quiet as my eyes narrowed on my shoes, feeling an odd range of frustration, excitement, and betrayal. I had already mentally gotten over the bullshit from earlier, but then to also find out Saint had been keeping shit from me? Multiple things? I just… I just needed a moment. And a moment I was not being given, considering he was currently bearing down in my space, leaning against the elevator wall and keeping me cornered despite my best attempt to ignore him.
“It wasn’t that I was keeping something from you… not exactly,” he hedged, sounding unsure of himself for the first time in… well, in all the time that I had known him.
I shook my head at his words, and when the elevator opened to my private floor, I walked ahead, needing to get some space. Oddly, and not in a very Saint-like fashion, he let me.