Ghost Silk (Ghost Perfume, Book 2) | ✔

20 - Choose me - Part 2 (Rose; Gabriel)

Rose (continued)

The door opened before we got there.

A darkness chilled my back.

"Going out?" Gabriel said merrily.

He took another step, bumping me against two people, whose hands steadied me without making way. Alexander and Lukas.

"Michael said to take over at Lotus," Alexander growled.

"Where is that, Lotus?" I asked, trying to look back at him. I wasn't going to let them get away with vagueness anymore.

But it was awkward to see them – Gabriel had tightened his hold, and they weren't moving either.

A bead of sweat pricked my neck. I became intensely aware of the throbbing feeling in my lip.

"We can show you on a map," Alexander said after the longest silence in history.

"Lotus is one of our largest cities. The border with Marcus's territory runs right through it, so only half the city is ours," Lukas said. He trailed a knuckle up my arm to wrap around a lock of my hair. "You're in a better mood, Rosie. We heard you laughing."

"Ah-ah," Gabriel said, flashing the wide smile that took over half his face. It didn't fool me – I could hardly breathe from the aggression in the air – but I'd just made him the promise not to interfere. "She's still processing. Give her space."

He stepped into the house, more or less shoving them out of the way.

I peeked over Gabriel's shoulder. Alexander's look back was hot, and Lukas's was somehow cool. Then the door slammed shut.

Gabriel's phone rang just as kicked his shoes off. He slid me down and checked it with a small tortured sound.

"Silver-called business?" I dared to ask.

"An adjustment to the allocation of land taxes. I can show you the spreadsheets when I'm done talking with the advisors."

"Okay."

Maps. Taxes. War.

All this had seethed beneath the surface of my idyllic existence the last few months.

Gabriel answered the call. As he mostly listened, he led me to the kitchen, where a gorgeous bowl held hundreds of ruby-red strawberries.

He pressed one to my lips and disappeared into the study.

I went to my bed. I'd only meant to close my eyes for a second, but I drifted off, the taste of strawberries on my tongue.

The bed shifted under a heavy weight.

It was Alexander, stretched out over my bed. His back crushed my other pillow.

He raised his brows at me, even though he was the baffling one here. I checked the time and saw I'd only been asleep for half an hour.

"Have you thought of any more questions?" he asked.

I sat up and flipped stray curls out of my face. "Weren't you going to Lotus?"

"I was held up. Such a shame, I might be terribly late. No more questions, Rose? Ask me anything."

"I don't know," I whispered. "I'm overwhelmed."

He waited, patient. I marshalled by drowsy thoughts.

"You knew about the Inezchet before I found out about them, right? The way you and Michael got so careful when we approached them the first time in that clearing – you knew what they were."