Chapter 95: Temptation

Astrid

I stood alone in the corridor with the message still glowing on my screen, I’m serious, Astrid, my thumb hovering uselessly over the keyboard. I wanted to type back who are you, but something held me still. If I answered, would that tell whoever this was that they’d gotten to me, that I was scared? My stomach twisted at the thought of giving them that.

"Why do you look scared?"

Reed’s voice came from beside me so quietly that I jumped, my phone nearly slipping from my hand before I caught it and locked the screen against my side. Too fast. I knew it the second I did it, and Reed’s eyes dropped briefly to my hand before returning to my face.

"I’m not scared," I said, forcing my expression into something resembling normal.

He didn’t move. "Astrid."

Just my name, and somehow it made me feel worse than if he’d accused me outright. I shook my head. "Everything’s okay."

He studied me for a long moment, clearly trying to decide whether I was lying, and I hated that I was. But what was I supposed to say? That I’d seen his childhood friend standing over a crying Selene? That Selene had been on her knees? That right after, some anonymous number had told me to be careful who I trusted? I didn’t even know if the two things were connected, and after watching how naturally Estelle fit into their lives, I couldn’t imagine how any of it would sound coming out of my mouth. I don’t trust your friend. I think she’s dangerous. I saw something strange. Not without proof. Not yet.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes."

He clearly wasn’t convinced, but after a moment he only said, "All right," and I understood exactly what that meant. Not I believe you. More like I won’t force you.

Before the guilt could settle any deeper, Xander appeared, looking between the two of us with his eyebrows pulled together. "Why do you both look like someone died?"

I laughed despite myself. Reed didn’t answer. Xander looked at me instead and asked, almost casually, "Are you coming to the apartment?"

"Now?" I asked.

"For a while." He shrugged. "We haven’t had you to ourselves all day."

Something in me softened immediately. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed them until that moment, not just Reed, not just Xander, but the two of them together, their arguments, their voices, the strange imperfect life the three of us had built without ever quite meaning to. I didn’t hesitate. "Okay."

Xander’s mouth curved into a grin. "That easy?"

"Don’t make me change my mind."

"Too late," he said, and Reed’s expression softened as he watched us. I slipped my phone deeper into my pocket and followed them.

We hadn’t gone far when a familiar voice called out. "There you are."

Estelle approached us looking perfectly composed, beautiful and unbothered, that same innocent expression fixed in place, and my mind betrayed me instantly with the image of Selene crying. I forced myself to smile as she said, "I’ve been looking for you two."

"Should we be worried?" Xander asked.

"Not yet," Estelle laughed. Reed gave her a polite nod. "Did you need something?"

"No." She looked almost offended at the question. "Can’t I simply want to see old friends?"

"You can," Xander said easily.

She let her gaze drift between the two of them. "We should hang out sometime."

"Yeah," Xander agreed immediately. "We should."

My stomach tightened, only slightly. Estelle smiled again. "Properly, I mean. It’s been too long." She looked at Reed. "The three of us."

He gave a small nod. "We’ll find time."

I looked down, hating myself for the tightness still sitting in my chest. Estelle hadn’t done anything wrong. She was their childhood friend. Of course she wanted to spend time with them. And yet I didn’t like it, not one bit, and I told myself it was because of Selene, because of what I’d seen, even as a small voice asked whether that was really the reason or whether I simply didn’t like the idea of Estelle alone with my mates. I didn’t let myself answer that.

Estelle looked at me, her smile still pleasant. "Enjoy your afternoon."

"You too," I made myself say. Then she left, no threat, no strange comment, nothing at all, which somehow made me feel more ridiculous than if she had said something.

The moment we stepped into the apartment, I felt myself breathe easier without realizing how tense I’d been. My bag sat where I’d left it, one of Xander’s jackets hung carelessly over the back of a chair, Reed’s books were stacked neatly on the table, and every corner of the place carried some trace of the three of us. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it. Xander threw himself onto the couch. "Finally."

"You were in school," I reminded him.

"Exactly," he groaned, and I laughed while Reed gathered a few things from the table. Slowly the tension in my chest eased away. My phone, the message, Estelle, Selene, none of it mattered for the moment. "I’m going to sleep," I told them.

Xander looked at me. "Already?"

"I didn’t sleep much last night."

Reed glanced at me but didn’t push. I opened my bedroom door and looked back. "Wake me if I sleep too long."

"No promises," Xander said, and I told him he was annoying.

"You love me," he called after me, and I shut the door on his laughter without answering.

I told myself I would only close my eyes for a few minutes. Instead I dreamed of the brothel, the hallway darker than I remembered, my feet moving before I told them to. "Mama?" I called, but there was no answer, so I ran until I found her at the end of the corridor, her back turned. "Mama!" She turned, and her face was twisted with terror before her lips moved. "Run, Astrid."

I woke with my chest heaving, gripping the sheets until the smell of food pulled me back into my body. The apartment. My room. I had slept far longer than I meant to.

I found Reed at the stove when I wandered into the kitchen, and for a second I genuinely wondered if I was still dreaming. He glanced over his shoulder. "You’re awake."

I looked at the pan, then at him. "You’re cooking."

"That appears to be what’s happening."

"You cook?"

"Sometimes."

"I’ve never seen it."

"You’ve never been asleep at this time before," he said, and when I told him that wasn’t an answer, he said flatly, "It’s the answer you’re getting." I sat on a stool and watched him move through the kitchen with an ease I’d never seen, domestic in a way that felt strange and good all at once. "Where’s Xander?" I asked.

"He went out."

"Where?"

"Do you ask me every time I leave?" he said, and I crossed my arms and told him no, which only earned me a faint smile and a promise that Xander would be back.

A few moments passed before he spoke again, without looking at me. "Nightmare?"

I froze. He turned the heat lower and looked at me properly, and I hesitated before admitting, "About my mother." His expression softened, but he didn’t offer empty comfort. He only asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" and when I said not right now, he nodded and said, "All right," and something about that made my chest ache in a way I didn’t expect.

The conversation drifted somewhere lighter after that, until Reed asked, without warning, "Are you jealous of Estelle?"

I nearly choked. "What?"

"You heard me," he said, leaning back against the counter.

"No," I said immediately.

He watched me for a long moment. "Hmm."

"What does that mean?"

He didn’t answer. Instead he stepped closer, stopping between my knees without touching me, and lifted his hand, tracing the tip of one finger slowly along the side of my neck. I went completely still, my fingers tightening against the counter. "What about now?" he asked quietly.

My face burned. "Still no."

"Hmm," he said again, and I hated that sound more than I had a moment ago. My eyes betrayed me, dropping to his mouth just for a second, and of course he noticed.

"Do you want to kiss me?" he asked, his voice low.

"No," I said, even as every sensible thought left my head.

"Hmm."

Don’t kill me with temptation, Reed, I thought, as he leaned closer, still not kissing me, close enough that I could feel his breath against my mouth. "Don’t lie to me, Astrid," he said quietly.

My breath caught. I looked at him, then at his lips, and that was all the answer he needed. He kissed me, and my fingers finally slipped loose from the counter.