Book 2: chapter 25

Penny starts to wriggle in her lap, finally managing to escape with a triumphant squeal. Jade and I both laugh, watching her make a mad dash toward the abandoned pile of crayons. But my mind is only half on Penny’s antics. The rest is stuck on Alec and the nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, I’ve misjudged him.

“So,” I start, trying to sound casual, “how long did he keep tabs on you when you left Starfire Hollow?”

Jade shrugs. “Until they came begging for me to come back. He caught a lot of hell for it, too. Damien was pissed. You know how close those two are. I think my husband felt betrayed that Alec didn’t tell him, but my brother did what he had to do to look out for me. You know how persistent Alec can be. He wasn’t going to just let me deal all alone.”

“Persistent” is an understatement. But there’s a softness to his persistence now that’s hard to ignore. Every time he looks at me, every time he goes out of his way to help me, there’s a sincerity that’s starting to wear down