Page 34 of Cruelly Fated (Princes of Avari #1)

Thirty

KYON

T his fucking sun.

I pressed my eyelids shut and dropped my forearm across them. Why the hell hadn’t I installed blackout curtains or, better yet, automatic blinds? Yeah. That’d be the next step in making this place feel more like home. Mine and Allie’s…

With my other hand, I patted the empty side of the bed, intent on drawing her close. It felt wrong not to have her petite body curled into mine.

I stilled.

Shit.

I shot upright, eyes flying open as I scanned the sheets, hoping I’d simply missed her somehow.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I lunged for it, praying her name would light the screen. It didn’t. Grinding my teeth, I answered anyway. “Can’t talk right now,” I snapped, thumb already hovering to hang up.

Ever since I let him drink from me under dire circumstances we agreed not to speak of, Valor could track my biological rhythms somehow. He knew when I was awake or in distress. I tried not to think about what else he might know.

“She’s safe,” the vampire said.

That made me pause.

“What the hell. If you laid a finger on her—” I seethed.

“Ouch, you need to work on your trust issues. She came to me. I haven’t done anything to her. Breathe…” he said, maddeningly calm.

He was right. Valor wouldn’t stab me in the back. And Allie hadn’t exactly shown interest in him. So why? There had to be a reason. A logical one.

I exhaled, my lips flapping. “Go on,” I said.

“She called me early in the morning, asking if I had any affordable apartments available. Said her landlord-slash-employer kicked her out after some incident at work.”

I scrubbed my face. My stunt yesterday cost her not only her job but the new place she’d gotten. No wonder she didn’t want to talk to me. She probably couldn’t stand to look at me. I kept wrecking her life.

“And?” I prompted.

“I set her up in the studio complex near downtown. It’s clean, secure, not flashy like the rest of our properties. I lied about the rent—it’s more than she can afford, but I knew she wouldn’t take it otherwise. She insisted on paying.”

That sounded just like her. Fiercely proud, stubborn to a fault. I let out a long breath, some of the tension loosening in my chest.

“I’ll cover every expense. Just have your secretary send me a bill,” I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, secretly hoping this was all some fucked-up dream.

“Nah, man, it’s handled.”

“She’s not your responsibility,” I growled.

Valor let out a low whistle. “According to her, she’s not yours either.”

Steam rose from my nostrils. Friend or not, he knew how to rile me up and got a kick out of it too. His amused chuckle followed.

“She offered to pay in goods…”

My blood boiled. “What?!”

Laughter burst through the speaker. This dead bastard had a long-lasting death wish. A dragon’s scorch left wounds that took months to heal .

“Relax. She’s going to draw my portrait. After seeing her quick sketch, I’m convinced I got the better end of the deal. Your girl’s got real talent,” he said with awe in his voice.

I scowled into the distance, irritated that I hadn’t known this about her. I hadn’t been paying enough attention. I thought I had, but she’d been deflecting like a pro. A real conversation was long overdue.

“What’s the address?”

“She asked me not to tell,” he drawled.

“You’re taking her side over your friend’s?”

“I called you, haven’t I?” He cut the line.

I redialed immediately. No answer. Scumbag.

I tore the black satin sheets off and jumped to my feet, bare as a mountain peak.

I owed Allie an apology for how I’d acted last night.

Before I fell asleep holding her, after the kind of slow, lazy sex that calmed my dragon, I’d started plotting breakfast in bed.

I even planned to order flowers from the shop downstairs.

“Ah, damn it.” I paced in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the early sunrise cutting through at eye level, blinding.

What did he mean she’s paying for her new place with a portrait?

At least she’d turned to the vampire and not that flirt of a wolf.

I stopped cold. She had mentioned art school once…

My gaze snagged on a sketchbook she’d left on the kitchen bar.

I hesitated. She’d never told me not to look.

I flipped it open near the middle; stunning landscapes, vivid faces, and lifelike animals leapt off the pages, each brush stroke so skilled that they seemed to live and breathe within the bound paper.

What was the last thing she drew? I flicked more pages and sucked in a breath.

She had captured me sleeping, with one arm under my head, bare chest, sheets tangled around my waist and legs. A pencil sketch, but the resemblance, the proportions, tattoos, everything about the image was like staring in the mirror.

It hit me. She’d drawn this before she left.

How long had she been awake? Torn between staying…and walking out?

She had titled her drawing too… Elegant cursive across my chest read: Stupid dragon .

Huh. No one had ever dared to call me names before, but I guess I’d earned that one.

I snapped the sketchbook shut between my hands and returned it to its place.

It belonged here now. Just like Allie’s coffee cup by the sink—still sitting where she’d rinsed and set it.

Just like Allie herself. She made this place feel like home.

Without her, it was back to being a pristine, empty, curtain-less penthouse.

I turned in a slow circle, unsure what to do next. My brows pinched. I’d never felt this way. Without her, everything looked dull. Food tasted bland. I lost the motivation to chase whatever legacy my father was pushing on me now.

Ah, my father… We had a meeting this morning. Apparently, I was his favorite son again. The sudden shift in how he treated me was jarring. But he was still my father, the only stable force I’d ever known .

Until Allie.

She wasn’t a permanent part of my life yet…but if last night proved anything, if she could handle my rough mouth and still fall asleep in my arms, in my bed, then I had no doubt she wanted this too.

The dragon curled up inside me and purred in quiet approval.

Soon…