Upstairs held more dark woods that somehow managed to seem as cheery as the downstairs had. There was a library with potted plants; he pointed at a closed door that he called his office—an office for what, I had no clue, but I really wanted to know. We passed one bedroom after another that had to have been decorated by a professional from how nice they were. There was a huge room with a big bed that I’d bet had to be his from the way he stood at the doorway and sighed, blocking me from looking in.
So this was where he lived.
I hadn’t seen that shit coming.
A brush at my elbow had me glancing toward the blonde woman right behind me, Leon just to her side. She tipped her head toward the hallway with a small, sweet smile that made my chest feel okay. I couldn’t kick the feeling that something about her seemed really, really familiar.
Was she related to Alex too?
We backed out and headed in the direction we’d come. They stopped in front of a room down the hall beside the epic library I was already hoping I could snoop around in at some point.
“If you want to shower and settle in, we can stick a couple pizzas in the oven,” Selene said, her sky-blue eyes crinkling. What was with these people and their amazing eyeballs?
I nodded and then hesitated, patting the sleep pants I hadn’t mustered up any embarrassment over at any of the gas stations we’d stopped at. Someone had covered me with a clean hoodie at some point, and I’d put it on, but… “I don’t have any clothes. Is there anything I can borrow?”
She nodded, and I purposely focused on her instead of the one who looked almost too much like Alex. “I’ll find something, and tomorrow, I’ll see what else we can do.”
“Whatever you can get me. I don’t mean to be an inconvenience,” I agreed, giving her my best smile and trying not to feel awkward about having to rely on her generosity.
Her smile was bright and warm. “You’re not.”
“I need to leave, but Selene is gonna stay,” Leon said, finally giving me a reason to glance in his direction.
He had his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his eyes set on me like he was inspecting me. Not mean, not judgy, just curiously. And if he knew about the Atraxia thing, that would explain it. It was obvious he knew about Alex, so why wouldn’t he know about me?
Speaking of him, Alex wasn’t necessarily better looking, but I liked the shape of his face more than his maybe-brother’s.
I wasn’t sure why the hell I thought about that randomly.
“Thank you both for everything. For coming to get us, for driving us… everything. If there’s something I can do to help, please tell me,” I offered, even though I didn’t know what I could give them or much less what I could do. My pride made me try though.
They’d gone above and beyond for a stranger. For me. These special people whose presence made my skin tingle on a lower scale than Alex’s did.
Why hadn’t my grandpa told me about his mom and where she’d come from? I wondered again, wishing so much I could ask him.
As if sensing my mind was on other things, they both gave me these watchful smiles before turning toward the staircase and disappearing downstairs.
They were at least a little like Alex. I could just feel it. How they were related to him though, I didn’t know for sure yet.
I headed into the bedroom that was heavy with blue accents as I thought about whether or not he would tell me more about his family. The room was pretty. The prettiest room I’d ever been in. A queen-sized bed sat up against the back wall with a beautiful but simple headboard. There was an opened door that led into a bathroom two times bigger than any bedroom I’d ever had. The shower stall had an intricate tile pattern, but it was the claw-foot tub next to it that stole my attention.
I found a couple of clean towels under the sink and hesitated when I didn’t see any shampoo or conditioner but didn’t want to bother anybody. The idea of getting my hair wet made a knot form in my throat as I stood there.
I could do this. I could use the tub. I was safe here.
I told myself that again, then again, and one more time, even as my skin prickled. I hadn’t been this worried about it at the first house we’d stayed, but I’d been desperate then. Filthy.
Now though, I wasn’t that dirty, maybe I could wait. I couldn’t smell half as bad as I had before, and he’d put up with me.
“Gracie?” a familiar, rich voice called out from the bedroom.
I held my breath and tried not to sound deranged. “Yeah?”
“You good?” Alex asked from what was definitely the other side of the bathroom door.
Slowly, I lowered myself to sit on the edge of the tub and squeezed my kneecaps. “I’m great.”
There was a pause. “I can hear your heart, liar. We already went over this,” he huffed.
Dammit.
“You’re fine. Nothing’s going to happen to you here,” The Defender assured me steadily.
I was fine. He was right. How much safer could I get than being in his home? I couldn’t even let my blood pressure go up without him sensing it. Why did that make me feel so much better too? “Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed, squeezing my kneecaps again. “I forgot.”
He didn’t say anything for so long that I thought he’d left the room, but suddenly he said, “I don’t want to smell your tears.”
It hurt, but I snorted. “Then hold your breath.”
Did he laugh? I think he might have. “Need me to sit out here until you’re done?”
I was starting to think he might be the nicest rude person in the world. I let go of my knees. “It’s okay. I was going to take a bath if that’s all right. I won’t fill up the tub or anything.”
“Do whatever you want.” There was another pause. “You’re safe though.”
I was safe, he’d said, and even though I hadn’t relied on anyone or trusted anyone other than my grandparents, it was hard not to listen to him and that bossy-ass superhero voice he wielded too perfectly for someone who never talked in public.
“Gracie, say it.”
I sighed. “Alex…ander?”
I was pretty sure I heard him sigh from the other side before he said, “You’re not saying it.”
I pretended like I didn’t hear him. “Do you think I’m ever actually going to be safe? Do you think they’ll stop looking for me someday?”
There was a thump at the door that made me wish I had X-ray vision to see through it. It sounded like he was on the other side. “I don’t want to smell your tears,” he started.
“I won’t cry.”
“You’re lying, but no, I don’t think you ever will be. If the cartel were to disband, there would still be someone who would remember.”
I couldn’t have felt any lower than I already did, at least, because I’d already known that was the case, but hearing him say it too, made it that much more real.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he told me in his Super voice, sounding so certain.
I nodded to myself. “Okay.”
“Are you going to be fine?” he asked after a long while.
I stared at my hands. “Yeah, I will.”