Page 46

EMMA

H e’s still asleep when I wake up.

I stare at him for a moment, wondering how I got so lucky. With every day that we spend together, he’s revealing new sides of himself. And the more I get to know him, the deeper I fall for this man.

My heart holds so many emotions right now that I’m afraid it’s going to burst.

I slip out from under the sheets and pad over to the window. It faces the lake, which glitters like a jewel under the morning sun. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.

But the man on the wooden dock grabs my attention.

I think I know him.

I quickly get dressed and make my way down to the dock. Dry leaves crunch underneath my boots as I walk. The morning is colder than I thought it would be. I stuff my hands inside my pockets, trying to retain my body heat.

When I reach the lake, I stop to look at him. He’s dressed in a light brown trench coat, still facing the water.

As I cross the distance between us, the soft rays of the morning sun fall on my face.

He turns around.

“Just the person I was hoping to see this morning,” Alaric says. “Hello, Emma.”

“Good morning, Alaric,” I say. “I didn’t know you’d be coming to Chicago, too. When did you get here?”

“Just last night. I thought I’d surprise you guys,” Alaric says, giving me a hug. “Klaus doesn’t know I’m here.”

Alaric has the kind of natural warmth that makes you want to trust him immediately. I’ve only met him once before, but it still feels like I’m catching up with an old friend.

When we pull apart, he studies me for a moment.

“I don’t know how to say this,” he says.

“Say what?” I ask.

“There’s a reason I’m here,” he says.

He hesitates, watching me closely. I fold my arms over my chest and wait for him to continue.

“There’s something I need to ask you, and I need you to be completely honest with me,” he says.

“Okay?” I say cautiously.

“What are your intentions with Klaus?” he asks.

“Pardon?”

“He’s my brother. I know everything about him. He’s a man who vowed never to fall for a woman ever again. But he went and fell head over heels in love with you,” he says.

Love.

That one word doesn’t feel sufficient to encapsulate everything I feel for him.

Klaus and I haven’t even said the words to each other yet, but everyone seems to be saying it for us. It’s more than a little overwhelming.

“I’m not a gold digger, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I say.

“Gold diggers aren’t a problem. They’re straightforward and simple. It’s the people we actually care about who have the power to hurt us the most.”

“Why did Klaus vow to never fall in love?” I ask.

A gust of wind passes over the dark embers in my heart, making them burn neon orange. I’m jealous of anyone Klaus has ever given his affection to in the past.

“Her name was Hannah,” Alaric says. “She was kind of his high school sweetheart.”

It’s unreasonable and petty, but I hate that girl.

“Back then, every girl in school had a thing for Klaus. He didn’t want anybody, so everybody wanted him. Hannah was the head cheerleader and spent all of high school trying to seduce him.”

I’m not entirely sure if I want to hear this. All of this was years ago, but the thought of Klaus with another woman makes me feel like my skin is on fire.

“Fast-forward to the end,” I say.

Alaric gives me a curious glance. “Are you jealous? You sound jealous.”

“No, I just don’t want to hear the details about how much he loved another woman,” I say.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it love,” he says.

“They were only together for about a month. He broke things off when he learned she was also sleeping with half the football team. It did a number on his ego, though. He’s always been closed off, but that was the moment he swore off all romantic relationships. ”

“And he’s never been in a relationship since?” I ask.

“He threw himself into work. He took the family business to new heights, and then he was in the service,” he says.

“I saw him through every stage of his life. I saw him turn into the ghost of the man he once was. Until recently. Until he met you. Which is why I want to make sure your intentions with him are pure.”

I look at Alaric. He was friendly with me when we last met, but his loyalty lies with Klaus.

It’s clear that he’s fiercely protective of his friend. It’s admirable, really.

“I love that you’re looking out for Klaus, but I would never hurt someone I care about,” I say.

“So you’re being completely honest with him?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

He’s looking at me like he knows something about me.

“If you’re talking about infidelity, that’s not something I’m capable of,” I say.

“That’s his Achilles’ heel,” he says. “Since he’s in love with you, it will bring out his jealous and possessive side. If he ever thinks you’re being unfaithful to him...”

“I would never,” I say, cutting him off.

I know Alaric is only looking out for Klaus, but it feels like my head is on the chopping block. I don’t like the insinuation.

“Did you really tell him everything about you, Emma?” he asks.

The way he’s looking at me makes me believe he knows something about me. Something I try to hide from the rest of the world.

Elysium .

I wonder if he knows I work at a gentlemen’s club on the weekends. I haven’t told Klaus about it yet, but it’s something he needs to know if we’re going to be in a relationship. It will be a difficult conversation, and it’s not something I wish to discuss with Alaric.

A gust of wind whips my hair around.

Alaric studies my face. I work to keep my expression passive.

“We’re still getting to know each other,” I say. “Of course he doesn’t know every little detail of my life.”

“We had a nanny before you,” Alaric says. “She came under the guise of being a caretaker for the kids, but she had her own agenda. I’m just doing my due diligence here.”

I take a step forward, looking up at him.

“I know what you’re trying to say, Alaric,” I say. “Just because I’m not wealthy like you doesn’t mean I’m trying to take advantage of Klaus. I couldn't care less about his wealth. I like him for who he is, not for what he can give me.”

“I never meant to insinuate anything of that sort,” Alaric says. “But I learned some things about you that I don’t think Klaus knows yet.”

My cheeks burn. The air turns stifling, too thick to breathe. Even my clothes feel suffocating.

He knows about the gentlemen’s club. I half-expect him to pull out a photograph of me in the skimpy uniform all the girls wear at the club.

“What did you find?” I ask.

“I know about your family background, Emma,” he says. “I know about your father.”

My vision swims at the edges.

“I don’t have anything to do with that man,” I whisper.

“But you can imagine why it raises questions, right?” he asks.

“I haven’t spoken to that man in fifteen years,” I say. “He was barely ever a part of my life.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that everything about you is a fabrication,” he says. “Emmaline Juliet Knight, heiress to the Knight fortune. You have millions of dollars under your birth name, but you refuse to touch a single dollar your father left you. Why?”

“That’s really none of your business, Alaric,” I grit out.

“You’re right,” he says. “But I know what love does to a person. It blinds them into only seeing what they want to see. Klaus may see you through rose-tinted glasses right now, but I want to see you for who you really are.”

This is the last conversation I want to be having right now.

But I see determination in Alaric’s eyes. He will do whatever is necessary to find out the information about me that I would rather keep hidden. And it’s better if he hears it from me.

“My father was a selfish coward,” I say. “He abandoned us when we needed him most. And I’ll never forgive him for that.”

“Can I ask what happened?” Alaric says.

I look at him. I really don’t know how to tell him the truth without breaking down.

“What’s going on here?” Klaus’s voice cuts through my gloom like a bright ray of sunshine. I turn to look at him.

He closes the distance between us and cups my face in his hands. His eyes frantically search my face before they snap to his best friend.

“What did you say to her?” he demands.

Alaric rolls his eyes. “Calm down. We were just talking.”

“Why is she on the verge of tears, then?” Klaus asks, wrapping his arm around my waist. I rest my heavy head against his chest. And with that simple act, everything feels right in the world again.

“I’m okay,” I say, pressing a kiss over his chest. “I just got a little emotional.”

“What were you talking about?” Klaus asks, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

I look up at Klaus. In this single moment, I see what everyone else seems to see.

I see a man in love.

I don’t know how we ended up here, but this affection between us grew until it became the single most important thing in my life. It’s become something I can’t live without.

“I was asking about her childhood,” Alaric says.

“Is that true?” Klaus looks back at me.

I nod. “Yeah. I just don’t like talking about it.”

“Don’t talk to her about anything that upsets her,” Klaus tells his friend.

“Okay, my bad,” Alaric says, looking at his friend and then at me.

There’s no animosity in his eyes, but I catch a hint of frustration. I get the feeling that Alaric has been burned by love in the past. He doesn’t want Klaus to go through heartache because he knows what it feels like.

“I’m sorry,” Alaric says to me.

“It’s fine,” I reply.

Klaus clears his throat. “When did you get here, Alaric? Also, why are you here?”

“Wow,” Alaric says. “It’s great to see you too.”

“Seriously, what are you doing here?”

“I don’t need this energy,” Alaric says. “I’m leaving.”

Alaric walks back toward the house.

“Where are you going?” Klaus calls out.

“I’m going to find Vera,” Alaric says. “And for your information, she was delighted to see me.”

“So was I,” Klaus says. “Just a little.”

Alaric flips him off without turning around.