(Charlotte’s POV) I'm sitting stiff in the passenger seat, with my arms folded, as I stare at the blur of buildings and traffic sliding past the window. Damon’s got both hands on the wheel, his jaw is locked, and his eyes are fixed dead ahead on the road, like I’m not even here. We’ve not said a single word to each other since Evelyn clocked us in the hospital, arm in arm and lost in our breaths. I tried to explain to her that it was Damon who came at me. I also tried to apologise even if she didn't believe me. But I'll be honest, there's no one in her shoes who wouldn't be fuming at the sight of their best friend and their crush making out. I sigh deeply, burying my face in my hands as I realize I might be losing my best friend again. Worse off, Damon doesn't even care. He just never does. Still… it’s not just Evelyn's look that’s haunting me, but it’s the way it felt as her blue eyes tore through mine with that hurt expression on her face. Like she saw straight through me. Like
(Evelyn's POV)“Cam, why are we here?” My question hangs in the air.He offers no answer, only the gentle curve of a smile, with his arm extended in invitation. The movement is languid, as though he knows I will take it. Against the better judgement murmuring in the back of my mind, I slide my hand into his.Truth be told, I’m not entirely myself today. My thoughts are scattered, frayed from all that's been going on. Still, I follow him inside.Besides, it’s Cam. He’s always been like an older brother to me. This space between us, is safe and familiar.“Iced tea with syrup, yeah?” he asks, already moving towards the kitchen.I nod, faintly smiling as he disappears into the corner. My gaze drifts over the living room, noting how long it’s been since I last stepped foot here. I’ve been buried in the whirlwind of Lottie, Ruiz, and Falkon, so much so that I’ve neglected Cam.I wonder if he’s been lonely.The memory of Lottie draped around Ruiz, slaps me again and I shake it off immediatel
(Evelyn’s POV) I stand rooted to the spot, my eyes widening as the scene before me sinks in. For a split second, I think perhaps I’ve misread the situation. Maybe it's a trick of the light, or a fleeting hallucination. But no. There she is. Lottie, my best friend. Arms wrapped shamelessly around Ruiz, as though she owns him, as though she’s entitled to drape herself over him like that. And after swearing on the heavens, with all that wide-eyed innocence, that nothing was going on between them. Now here she is, clinging to him like nothing else matters. My heart shatters in a million pieces. Lottie’s never been a whore, which makes this far worse. Is all this just a performance to infuriate me? A calculated plan designed purely to rip me open, to strip away whatever dignity I’ve got left? A mix of emotions surge within me. Rage, shock, and above all, that suffocating blow of betrayal. I bite down hard on my lower lip, the bitter taste of hurt mixed with blood stings my tongue. She
(Damon’s POV) Charlotte’s mind's gone somewhere far from Uncle’s rambling, eyes glued to her phone. I don’t need to ask who’s on the other end. I can already picture the smug face of that uniformed pretty bastard. And it just irritates. It fuckin' scrapes along my bones, and sets my teeth on edge. I want to wrap my hands round his throat and keep squeezin’ ‘til the light dies in his eyes, ‘til I can feel his last breath seep between my fingers. The thought alone stokes something low and molten in me. I’m not even over the half-breed bit yet, and here I am, seething like a caged hound. Fuck, this is so infuriating. And the fact that I even care? That’s another thorn in my side. And Uncle is watchin' me out the corner of his eye, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. I give him a hiss as a warning, but he carries on enjoying his private joke. Let him laugh. He’s in the ring with me whether he knows it or not, and the bout’s barely begun. And that Luciano. Charlotte's nerve t
I whip round to Damon, hissing out the words. “I thought you said you weren’t a Dreil.” He just lifts a shoulder, lazy as you like. “Well, I’m technically not one.” “Then why the nickname?” Mr. Black stays quiet, his long fingers idly stroking the cockatoo’s crest, eyes glimmering like he knows something I don’t. Damon doesn’t even move as he responds. “Uncle just likes takin’ the mick,” he says, cool and detached. “Ignore him.” “Ohh…” I mutter, turning back away, though my curiosity’s gnawing. “If you’re not a Dreil, then what exactly are you?” The air stills, thickening with this tense silence. But before either of them answers, my phone pings. I glance at it. It's a message from Evelyn. I let it go dark again. Now's not the time for stories. Mr. Black finally breaks the silence, his voice deep as it hums through the room. “His mother’s a Dreil. Her brother, too. So the blood runs in him, but that does not make him one.” “That still doesn’t explain what happened at m
The air turns cold in an instant. And I can feel it creeping into my bones. Mr. Black’s smile dies immediately the words leave my mouth, leaving only the sharp lines of his face and those dark eyes on me. Damon doesn’t flinch, but I catch the way his fingers tighten round his mug, subtle as a twitch. His grey gaze slides over me, slowly assessing, like he’s weighing up the fallout before it happens. The cockatoo tilts its head, letting out this faint, questioning click, and I feel my chest lock up. For half a second, I stop breathing. Brilliant. I’ve probably just gone and asked the one question I was never meant to. Still, I've been really curious about it all, ever since Luke brought it up. I did stupidly promise that I was gonna help him, and I need information to do that. “Woah, woah there, darling,” Mr. Black cuts in sharply, leaning forward so his shadow falls over the table. His voice still carries that smooth elegance, but there’s a warning folded neatly inside it. “No