Thankfully, Gareth walks in, recognizes what’s going on right away, and joins me in breaking up the two most volatile cousins—in the ego department.
“You’re officially blacklisted from my next birthday party,” Maya tells Killian.
“Be right back. I’m going to cry into my pillow.”
Gareth and I manage to take each of them to the dining room. Then I go back to wake up Nikolai so he’ll join us.
He still looks at me weirdly, and for some reason, I can’t suppress my fear for Bran’s safety. Maybe I should warn him just in case?
The problem with Niko is that he appears aloof and only interested in violence, but, in reality, he can be secretive and impossible to read if he chooses to.
The five of us sit down for dinner, with Maya and Killian still bickering like children.
“Where’s Jeremy?” she asks as the food is served and points a fork at Killian, who’s taking Jeremy’s usual place at the head of the table. “I certainly didn’t come for your face.”
“Desperate doesn’t look good on you.” He smirks. “Besides, is it really Jeremy you’re asking about, blondie?”
“W-who else would I be asking about?”
All of us, aside from Niko, who’s busy eating, look at her.
“What?” she whisper-yells.
“You just stuttered,” Killian taunts. “I would’ve sworn you didn’t know how.”
“I did not.”
“I’m afraid you did,” Gareth says.
“See? Even Mother Teresa’s lost son agrees,” Killian replies and makes a show of smearing a piece of meat in blood.
Maya, a vegetarian, scrunches her nose at him and then focuses on Gareth. “Jeremy?”
“He said he has something to do.”
“Without me?” Nikolai finally gets into the conversation.
“Who knows?” Gareth lifts his shoulders. “Tried checking your phone?”
Nikolai does just that and his eyes light up. “I’m out of here.”
“Where are you going?” I sign.
“Nowhere you need to worry about.”
“I thought you insisted we have dinner together.”
“Dinner finished.” He gulps his glass of beer and kisses the top of my head. “Stay out of this, Mia.”
He kisses Maya’s head as well. “Don’t cause any trouble.”
Killian stands up as well and I meet his gaze with my questioning one.
He smiles a little. “Not your scene, baby Sokolov.”
And then they’re out the door, leaving the three of us alone.
“Were you left out, Gaz?” Maya asks with a dejected tone as she stabs her salad over and over again.
“I opted out. I have exams coming up.” He chews leisurely, not even bothering to check his phone.
I have a bad feeling about this.
We put on Maya’s favorite movie, Clueless, but I barely focus on it. I contemplate going to the haunted house, but Lan is probably entertaining his band of posh Elites.
Wait. What the hell?
Since when did I start to call him Lan?
This is so hopelessly disturbing.
By the time the movie ends, Maya is already fast asleep on the couch. Gareth offers to carry her to one of the guest rooms, but I shake my head.
She’ll wake up and will find it hard to fall back asleep.
So I cover her, sit on the floor, and continue staring at my phone.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Lan, it’s that he doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. It’s not in his DNA, vocabulary, or code of conduct.
The fact that he didn’t send any other texts or threaten to barge in doesn’t sit well with me.
He won’t do anything stupid, right?
22
LANDON
Due to the noticeable absence of my newest favorite toy, I had to content myself with beating up her brother.
What?
It’s not my fault she’s exceptionally bad at reading the room and keeping my beast satiated. It’s no secret that the situation morphs into absolute carnage whenever he’s left to his own devices.
His weapon for the night is undiluted violence. While it’s not particularly my favorite method, it does get the job done, and for a long time, it could’ve been compared to the physical climax shagging holes provided.
Small problem, though. I’ve been going at this for about ten minutes, and I’m closer to dozing off than any form of climax.
I’m being beaten up all right since, well, Nikolai is this huge motherfucker with a grudge about a certain incident that I might have caused.