My Darkest Shadow

Chapter 22

"Oh! Is this a bad time?"

The implication in Maria's voice made me cringe. We must look misguidedly intimate, separated by mere inches when she burst through my door.

Kael turned his back to us. Either he was annoyed or he needed a moment to process my confession. It would seem rude to Maria. If she only knew the conversation she had interrupted, she would understand and leave us.

Instead, she stared. I offered a weak smile.

Bright red lipstick and tight leopard print told me she was still struggling to move on from Robert. This breakup had hit her harder than most. My shoulders slumped. I should have been here to support her over the last month instead of being cooped up at the embassy.

"Hi, Maria." I went to accept the hug that waited. "Do you remember Kael?" Maria's mascara-laden lashes flashed, her expression blank. I explained, "My friend from England. He's the one who chased off those robbers the night before your wedding."

When Kael spun he was smiling, not the creepy smile Cameron favored but the smile that was sincere and made few appearances. "Good to see you again," he offered.

"You're visiting Harper?" Maria looked between us. She didn't hate the idea. Any handsome man in my apartment was a win in her mind, but she would be confused since our last meeting had verified Garrett's status as my fiance.

Reaching to take her bag, I tried to break the trance she seemed to have fixed on Kael. "No just stopping by for a visit. We were having tea if you'd like some."

Maria's reply was slow. "Alright."

The focus she showed was unusual. She shifted her hips to the right to give her left foot a rest from the pressure of her stiletto pumps. "That night I was so upset. I think I hardly noticed you."

"Understandable." Kael leaned into the doorway across from the teas.

The initial two cups were potent from the bags being left in so long, but I added extra milk to compensate. Every minute I stood by the kettle I felt Kael's eyes on me and Maria's on him. We didn't make a comfortable trio.

Maria scratched a long manicured nail on my arm. "Hey. How do you know him again? Doesn't he remind you of someone?" Her voice was urgent.

I looked up. Maria's lovely face was pinched in a fearful expression as if she had seen a ghost. Across from me, Kael stood up straight and away from the wall. It was all I could do not to glance at him.

"No, not particularly," I replied, adding sugar.

"Really?" Maria ran her tongue over her lips, changing the shade from cherry red to pink.

Moisture trickled down my neck. I resisted the urge to wipe it away with a sweaty palm. Did Kael and Arthur look so alike that Maria would recognise the similarity? Surely not. But she had known Arthur when he was much younger, perhaps a few years older than Kael was now.

Kael didn't move from his spot in the doorway across from us. He injected with, "Who?"

I flinched, nearly sending one of the mugs on its side. He didn't look repentant when my wide eyes turned to his. I needed him to read my mind. Our suspicions must stay a secret. She couldn't know.

Maria gasped. Her hand cupped her mouth. "You're Arthur's son, aren't you?"

"What?!" I gaped at her. "You know?"

Maria backed away shaking her head. "Oh, no." More emphatically, "No! What's going on here?"

Kael and I followed Maria as she backed away, nearly toppling my ottoman in her retreat. I hadn't seen her so panicked since Arthur's accident when we both feared he'd die. Eyes wide, she looked at us like a caged animal eying her captor with hopes of escape.