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Things got a little complicated. I should feel better about not being at the beach house after what happened, but I don’t. I’ve never been to Magique City. With Royal Threads, I always went where I was sent in the European region. I knew about events here, but Xo always told me they were for minor events that the newer staff could take care of. I wouldn’t say this place is minor for someone like me.
Despite it being so late in the night, the streets are alive with people, and it’s more than obvious that they’re well off. I missed this–the crowds, the city, the beautiful shapes, sizes, and colors of the people around me.
Yet, as I look down at my son sleeping in his car seat, all I can think is that the three of us are out in the open. I look over at Ayrie. I’m met with her big green eyes staring right back at me. She hasn’t slept since waking up this morning. She just stayed next to Aizen when I tried to put them down for their nap. Is she thinking about my promise to stay put for a while like I am? It’s all I’ve been thinking about since my so–called uncle
came for a visit.
“Phoebe,” Mr. Knightly opens the door. I look around to see we’re in an underground
garage.
Knight watches me closely as he gets Ayrie out of her car seat. I get Aizen and follow after him. Mr. Knightly stays behind to sort something out. As we’re going up in the glass elevator, I can see the paparazzi outside. Dozens of them. Waiting.
“They know I’m here,” Knight says quietly.
“Doesn’t that complicate our situation?” I ask stiffly. He turns around very briefly, probably taken aback by my tone, but he doesn’t answer me.
We get into the penthouse, and he steers me into what will be the twins‘ room for the time being. It’s exactly as I thought it would be. Over the top with new toys and things for them to do. When Ayrie sees me put Aizen down, she no longer wants to be in Knight’s arms. She climbs into the bed next to me and begins to tug off her boots.
“Mommy, I like my beach house,” she says quietly. “You said no more moves.”
Knight visibly stiffens at the doorway on his way out. I reach for her to take her braids
out.
“There’s been a change of plans, Baby. Daddy is working, and I didn’t want him to be here alone,” I explain, shaking her hair out before reaching for the brush in her backpack.
“Daddy is going to sing?” she asks quietly. “I can go?”
“Not this time. He’s going to have a different job for a little while. One that lets him be closer to us for longer.”
“Oh, is it because we no have no packs?”
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“Something like that,” I laugh.
Fuck, she listens in on everything and I’m sure the kids at school let them know why they’re not really making any friends.
“I worried about you. Vous ne faites pas d’art.”
I have to swallow the knot in my throat because she’s right. I haven’t done anything other than sketch in my notebook since moving into the beach house.
“I’m going to tell you something. A secret between you and me.” I lift her up and tuck her into the bed next to Aizen. “Mommy wants to open her own store, and there’s a lot that needs to be done there first. But just because I’m not painting on the big papers doesn’t mean I’m not doing art.”
“I like that,” she grins. “You no do arts with Auntie Xo? Because you had a big fight?”
“Auntie Xo doesn’t want to do arts with me anymore. We fought because she’s a very big liar and was rude to Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa Shark. We’re not friends anymore.”
“I’m sorry, Mommy.” She caresses my face. “You’re still my best friend.”
“Forever,” I promise. She yawns and turns away to tuck herself behind Aizen. He immediately turns around to cradle her head.
“Mommy,” she stops me before I dim the lights. I look back at her. “Your store is going the be the bestest. Je le manifeste.”
“So it will be.” I agree.
I dim the lights and set up the baby monitor on the nightstand beside her. Before leaving the room, I make sure I can see them both and hear the audio on my phone.
Knight is sitting in the living room with a glass in his hand. He seems upset, and honestly, I think it’s my favorite look on him. He’s spread out on the armchair, unable to look up at me as I get closer to him. He swallows hard when I take the glass and sit on his lap. His now empty hand moves to my lower back without hesitation.
“I’m sorry,” he says without meeting my eyes. I reach for his face, trying to soothe the tension of his locked jaw.
“The thing about kids is that they’re only upset for a bit and are easily steered from it,” I try to reassure him.
“Not adults,” he finally looks up at me. “You’re also upset with me.”
“I’m not upset with you. I’m upset with everything. Every time I feel like I’m catching up, we get slammed with something new. I don’t like feeling like I have no control. I haven‘ t had any since finding out what I’m supposed to be.” and I’m fucking livid. For me, for him, for my kids. I’m the last one to find out and I can’t stop thinking that I’ve been nothing but a joke to these fucks.
“I don’t know how to fix the way you feel right now,” he says quietly. I tilt his head up
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the way he and his father always do when I feel like I’m monumentally failing.
“We’ve been doing things your way from the start. I understand that you’ve been doing this shit alone for a long time. I might not know a lot of how things work with the higher rank shit, but I don’t exactly have my arms tied behind my back.
“I don’t know about you, but I fucking hate losing. Lately, all we can do is turn away from the problem. I want to help. The faster you-” he covers my mouth and nods. He drops his hand from my mouth and pulls me closer so I can turn around and straddle him. I lay my head on his shoulder and just take in his scent. “Whatever it takes, Knight. We have to do this together, or we’re going to keep stumbling around in the dark. Just tell me what we need.”
“I need you to trust me.” his hands slip under my hoodie. It pulls it up and takes it off. “I‘ m going to do some things that will make you question me, but I want you to know that I’m out of options, and this is the only way.”
“You scare me when you say things like that.”
“Good,” he grips my thighs and lifts me up as if I weigh nothing.
He takes us to our room, for now, and I’m just blown away by the view behind the bed. The entire back wall is tinted glass, and it offers the most beautiful view of the city. He sits on the edge of the bed, with me still on his lap. I look down at him and laugh.
“Holy shit, Magique City is beautiful,”
“You’re going to have time for that later,” he grins and lifts a remote. I press my lips together when the glass turns pitch black.
His teeth graze my skin as he moves over my chest. My heart begins to beat rapidly the closer he gets to the scar on my neck. I can feel Midnight pushing against my skin the more I get excited. It’s been happening more and more lately, and I don’t know how to control it. She says she doesn’t know why it happens but that he’s the only one that gets that reaction out of us.
Knight lays back when I toss his t–shirt aside. The low grunts and growls he gifts us are driving her insane. When I get to his neck, I feel the ache in my gums as her teeth come out. I pull away completely, getting off of him to catch my breath and get a hold of myself.
“I’m sorry,” I pant and step away from him. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” he whispers, placing his hand over the spot where I had almost attacked him. He looks genuinely hurt, but he has no idea what I want to do. “I don’t-” he pauses and lets out a heavy sigh before picking up his shirt off the floor. “I have some things to finish. I’ll be in the study if you need anything.”
