Ghost Perfume | ✔

Excerpt from book 2, Ghost Silk (Michael's POV)

Author's note: here is an excerpt from Ghost Silk- Michael's pov because Michael didn't get enough love in book 1 :) 

Her slight figure banged open the front door before we'd quite parked. She put her hands behind her back, watching us seriously from the top of the stairs. Sunflowers were just visible from behind the open door. Her hair was damp from a shower, curling freely around her shoulders. She wore the white halter-top dress that she bought recently, on a shopping trip with us. The light breeze ruffled the skirt around her thighs. She also had on a slouching and loose-knit pink cardigan, which I didn't think was enough to keep her warm.

"Password," the adorable thing said.

Simon's mastiffs nosed their heads out of the house and ambled to stand at her feet.

I was so happy to see her standing in the house I made for her, looking whole and happy and safe, I was briefly speechless.

Alexander scowled as he slammed the door to his car closed. "Don't I live here now?"

"Well, you left for ages for who knows what. It's my house now, so you better play by my rules," she threatened. "No password?"

Without any fuss, Lukas walked up the steps and bent to whisper in her ear. He spoke so low, cupping his hand over his mouth, even I couldn't hear.

I watched the blush suffuse the apples of her cheeks.

I couldn't tell if it was from his words or his proximity.

Either way, it was like he was just begging me to cut his lips off.

I hadn't failed to notice their accelerating closeness, and I understood that it was Lukas's mistaken, if instinctive, reaction after the nightmare with Adelaide, but it was bordering on unacceptable.

"You may pass," she allowed, moving slightly aside.

He walked inside, tossing back a taunting, "It may break your brain to guess it right, Alexander, I feel sorry for you ..." His voice got fainter as he disappeared into the house.

"The hell did he say?" Alexander asked.

She shrugged. The pink cardigan slid lower, revealing more of her vulnerable shoulders. I forced my eyes away.

"Come on, guess," she prompted.

"How can I? Narrow it down."

"Um ..." She shifted her weight from leg to leg. She was wearing over-large knit socks that bunched around her ankles. Her calves were bare.

"Look, I can't be expected to guess what your mind came up with. It's hard enough to decipher the things you actually do and say," Alexander continued.

"That's not true. I'm really simple."

He folded his arms. "Ghosts. Death."

"You're so creative!"

"Unicorns. Rainbows. Pink."

"I'm almost nineteen," she glared.

"Lovely Rose, I want to get dinner started for us," Gabriel said.

"That counts," she said, moving aside for him. He laughed.

Ah, I understood.

It was like a stab to my chest.

But I was distracted yet again as Gabriel brushed his lips over her temple when he passed her by. She blinked big doe eyes up at him.

What was this?

When did these people begin to blur all boundaries?

A few days ago he was weeping to have kissed her under Adelaide's takeover, and I had thought bitterly, if there was one silver lining, it was that Gabriel had gotten enough of a shock to step back from the minor in our care ...

Alexander threw up his hands. "Are you kidding me?"

She glanced nervously between us, rubbing her fingers together. I could see she was well and truly cold. That was enough.

"Of course the house is yours to take over, love," I said.

"You may pass," she said haughtily.

I passed Lukas going back in the hallway as I entered, both of us edging around the overabundance of sunflowers.

In service to his legendary vanity, he had reapplied his cologne, brushed his hair, and added many thousands of dollars worth of rings to his fingers.

I refrained from commenting on it. In recent months Lukas had finally stopped commenting on others' appearances, stopped throwing casual insults left and right ... I didn't want to do anything to bring back the enraging habit.

"Aw, maybe the dog has to sleep outside tonight," I heard him mock.

Well, I had never been able to stop his insults entirely.

"What was the password?" Gabriel asked me, taking a stack of tupperware out of the fridge.

"I love you, Rose," we could hear Alexander say.

"Oh," Gabriel snickered in understanding. "Do you see this? Even Alexander gets retrained ..."

It was no longer a mask, Gabriel's good cheer. He was truly happy now, with an energy I hadn't seen from him in decades. As if today was the very best day of his life. And his sharpness of mind was with him too, his ability to notice and analyze and negotiate diplomatically.

His mind was his again. The advisor I had so desperately missed having at my right hand.

"Do you love me?" we heard Alexander demand, closer, and the door shut closed. "If you do, kick this one out. I can't take it anymore."

Rose's squeal of laughter.

Lukas, sounding pathetic: "Don't let him get near me, he hasn't got his rabies shots yet."

"Still using human shields, you eternal child?"

"What?" Rose gasped.

I loudly called asking how her day was.

Gabriel murmured, though the smile didn't entirely leave his voice, "We are never going to keep up this charade for as long as you're hoping, Michael. Please, please reconsider."

I ignored him. He wasn't remotely of sound mind. It might be years till the fog lifted from him.

She skipped into the kitchen to give me a dazzling smile.

To be continued

what do you all think? do you like seeing other character's perspectives? do you think Michael believes that he's Rose's favorite in the same way that Lukas and Alexander do?