Page 23

23

Something in the Air

Annalise

“Is it just me, or has it been unusually quiet around here today?” Tabatha asks, pushing both hands down her dress as she stretches out on a bench near the rose bushes. We all agree the garden is far more magical at night, so it’s become habit to visit most evenings after dinner.

“I agree,” Guinivere concurs. “During lunch, I can usually pinpoint the number of times Creed and Dimitri will cross in front of the dining room entryway?—”

“Because she’s completely obsessed with both of them,” Tabatha laughs, cutting off a suddenly red-faced Guinevere midsentence. However, instead of defending herself, Guinevere sits there, mouth agape, shocked by how readily Tabatha broke her confidence.

“She’s… she’s lying. I don’t?—”

“Relax,” I say with a smile, gazing up at the moon. “I think we can all agree they’re devastatingly attractive. No one blames you for looking.”

I can’t believe I just uttered those words about Dimitri, but whether I like him or not, the one thing he has going for him is his looks. Everything else about him is absolutely hideous.

Guinevere takes a breath to refocus her thoughts. “As I was saying, things are definitely a little strange, although I can’t quite put my finger on why exactly.”

I hadn’t given it much thought before now, but I suppose they’re right. Cas has been noticeably absent. He slipped out of my bed while I slept, and I haven’t seen him since. I chocked it up to his schedule likely being busier than usual, but maybe it’s something else.

I lift my eyes toward the estate, thinking of a polite way to dismiss myself from the girls to go check in with Cas, but to my surprise, he’s already crossing the lawn. He’s heading this way, but his eyes are fixed on his phone, the pale glow of the screen brightening his handsome face.

A smile ghosts on my lips, and I don’t realize the girls have noticed until I hear them giggling beside me.

“Come on, Tab. I believe this is our cue to get lost,” Guinevere whispers. She stands, straightens her dress, and Tabatha does the same. They both flash warm smiles my way before heading back toward the estate, and a moment later, Cas is standing at my feet.

“Good evening,” he says, somehow seeming even more handsome when he smiles. “May I join you?”

Unable to fight a grin, I glance around at the grass surrounding me. “It’s not the most luxurious seat in the house, but by all means.”

With little regard for his expensive shoes and pristine clothing, he lowers to sit on the ground beside me. I expect him to speak, to explain why he sought me out, but… nothing.

Drawing my knees to my chest, I lean toward him, gently resting my head on his shoulder as we stare down the hill at all of New Eden, twinkling beneath the moonlight.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Cas tilts his head, letting his cheek rest on top of my head. “It is. But not half as beautiful as you.”

A huge smile causes my cheeks to tighten. “Always the charmer.”

“Always yours ,” he counters, and my heart skips at the truth in his words.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” I ask. “Did you just feel the sudden urge to admire my garden?”

He chuffs a laugh. “Well, that, but also… I hoped now might be a good time to talk.”

The gravity in his tone has my senses hyper-alert, but I quickly wrangle in my emotions.

“About what?”

Another long pause gives me time to panic, and I hate this.

“Well, in a nutshell… your freedom.”

My head lifts off his shoulder, and we lock eyes.

His breathing quickens, then he looks away, and I’m starting to think my first instinct was correct. There’s definitely cause for concern.

“I know this seems sudden,” he says, rubbing his jaw as he speaks. “And I know that word— freedom —might feel out of place, considering how we’ve evolved, but… I suppose I need to make this as plain as possible.”

I’m damn-near panting, waiting to see where this is going, waiting to see why he’s suddenly being so grave.

“You’re not a prisoner here. By any stretch of the word,” he adds. “From this day forward, if you remain within the walls of this estate, it’s because that’s what you desire.”

My brow tenses, as I study his face, as I take note of how he can hardly look me in the eyes. While I understand why he may have felt the need to define these terms, I think we both know I no longer feel as though I’m serving a prison sentence.

“Cas, I’m here because I love you. Even when I was pissed at you and wanted to claw your damn heart out of your chest, even that was because I love you.”

He smiles, and I do the same, feeling my eyes blur with tears.

“I just need to know that you understand your power here, Annalise. When I named you Alpha Regent, that wasn’t an honorary title. It’s your title, and no matter what happens in the future, I expect you to defend that title like your life depends on it. Like our people’s lives depend on it. Is that understood?”

He places a hand on my cheek, staring so deep into my eyes, I believe he sees my soul.

I nod profusely, wanting so badly to understand why this feels like more than just a casual conversation, despite Cas seeming desperate to convince me as such.

“Okay, I get it. I’m free. But what aren’t you saying? Has something happened?”

I sniffle as a few more tears fall, and he kisses them away, a faint smile on his lips as he grips my face.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” he says, but I don’t believe him.

“Cas—”

“Let me walk you to your room,” he cuts in, already standing to his feet.

I’m staring up at him as he turns, offering his hand. My palm warms against his, then I’m pulled to my feet with such ease I hardly put in any effort of my own. Cas’s arm slips around my waist, and as we draw closer to the estate, the sense of dread resting in my gut grows tenfold.

My bedroom door comes into view, and our pace slows. We nod to acknowledge my guards, then they venture further down the corridor to give us privacy.

“I love you,” he says, and I swear I could listen to those words roll off his tongue all day.

“I love you, too.”

My eyes fall closed when Cas presses his lips to my forehead, and I revel in the lingering kiss.

“Good night.”

His hand slips off my waist, and there’s a sinking feeling in my gut that I can’t shake as the distance between us grows.

“Wait. Aren’t you coming back?”

His steps halt, but he takes his time turning to face me. And when he does, the smile on his lips seems forced.

“I would love to, but… not tonight.”

And with that, his gaze slips from mine, and he continues his course down the hallway—head lowered, hands tucked inside his pockets—and then he’s gone.

I stare in the direction of where he’s just disappeared for several seconds, contemplating whether or not I should chase after him. But he seems determined to keep whatever’s bothering him to himself tonight. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about my alpha, it’s that when his mind is made up, he’s like a mountain.

Unmovable.