Page 104

Alex nodded again, but she paused mid-motion when her dad looked squarely at Kaiden and said, “Can we trust you to protect our little girl, son?”

An embarrassed sound escaped Alex’s lips before she could stop it. Where was a bolt of lightning when she needed one?

Kaiden’s response was as quick as it was serious. “With my life, sir.”

Eyeing him as only a father could, Jack smiled and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You know, I believe you mean that.” Glancing at Alex, Jack declared, “This one’s a keeper, sweetheart.”

Overcome with mortification, Alex now wished for not just a bolt of lightning, but an entire electrical storm to smite her where she stood.

Kaiden looked down at his boots while once again shaking with mirth, so Alex was able to spear awhat-the-hell?glare at her parents, but the conniving matchmakers showed no signs of remorse.

A strangled noise came from the back of Alex’s throat as she turned from them, grabbed Kaiden’s arm and stomped to the exit of the chamber. Only when she reached the limestone corridor did she halt and, with a sigh of frustration, turn to look back at her parents.

With all the danger circling around her, she wasn’t willing to risk storming out on a bad note—just in case—so she called, “I don’t like you both much right now, but I still love you. I’ll come back when I can. Until then, make sure everything that’s dead down here stays dead. Okay?”

Laughing like she was being funny—when she wasnot—her parents agreed and called out their farewells.

Kaiden returned their ‘nice to meet you’s and, to Alex’s horror, promised to visit again soon. Before he could commit to anything else—like, say, a wedding—Alex dragged him away and opened a doorway straight back to the underground cavern. Only then did she have the courage to glance at him, and he promptly burst out laughing at what he read on her face.

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled. “That was hilarious.”

Still laughing, he pulled her forward and, before she could react, pressed his lips to her temple in an impossibly soft kiss.

Her breath arrested at his seemingly natural show of affection.

“I think your parents like me, Alex.”

The air rushed out of her in awhooshand she came to her senses enough to glare at him. “Next time, I’m leaving you down here.”

He grinned knowingly. “Liar.”

He was probably right, so she didn’t respond, but she did continue glaring at him.

“We should go—it’s nearly curfew,” he said.

And just like that, it was as if nothing had happened. Nothing awkward, nothing embarrassing, nothing abnormal. In an instant, he’d somehow made her feel comfortable around him once again. Alex had no idea how he’d done it. But she was grateful. Because like he’d guessed a few days earlier, she couldn’t handle more complications in her life right now. So the fact that he was giving her exactly what she needed by not pressing her for…more… meant the world to her.

Because of that, she smiled at him, the only indication of gratitude she was capable of offering. But something in his face changed as he looked at her in the dark of the cavern, and when she summoned a doorway for them to return to the foyer, he reached out to keep her from stepping through.

“Wait,” he said. “Ignore what I just said. There’s somewhere I want to take you first.”

Brow crinkling, Alex said, “But… curfew…”

One side of his mouth hitched up. “What’s life without a little risk, Alex?”

Snorting at the overused quote—inanyworld—Alex asked, “What do you have in mind?”

“I’ve met your parents. It only feels right that I introduce you to mine.”

Caught off guard, Alex squeaked out, “Now?” The single word was shrill enough to echo around the cavern, causing her to wince.

“Now seems like the perfect time,” Kaiden replied, a strange emotion flashing across his features.

It was that emotion—the uncertainty he so rarely exhibited—that brought Alex up short. But she still said, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”For a multitude of reasons, she thought to herself. Her parents had been bad enough—but meeting his, too? She was certain it would lead to embarrassment the likes from which she’d never recover.

As if reading her mind, his lips twitched and he said, “I can guarantee they won’t say anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.”

Alex knew there was no way he could promise such a thing. But despite her misgivings, she was curious to meet the people who had raised Kaiden and Jeera.