Page 11 of Night Fall
“Penny for your thoughts, little sister?”
Gregori’s sudden presence made her jump in the chair. Mya clutched her racing heart, and while a smile appeared on her older brother’s face, he did not laugh. That meant they were going to have a very serious and honest conversation, whether Mya wanted to or not. Still, she could at least try to speak half-truths.
“I am waiting for Erik to return home, that is all. Do you have any news on his arrival?”
“And who is to say he is not already here?” Gregori said with a smirk.
Mya’s eyes grew wide. “He is? He has returned?”
Gregori stepped to the window, staring out into the distance. “How odd. Before Erik left, he gave me a series of instructions and messages to give the staff. But none were for you.” He turned and his hazel eyes burned into her dark olive. “Why do you think that is?”
Mya’s back straightened. Her eyes narrowed, but she continued to gaze out of the window. “I do not presume to know why Erik does or does not do something. Just as I do not know why he is not home. But you seem to, brother,” she bit out.
Gregori took a chair and dragged it beside her, positioning the back toward her as he straddled the chair. The action was so at odds with their noble personas that it calmed her, even if she knew his seemingly relaxed posture was nothing but a facade.
Gregori crossed his arms on the top of the chair and rested his chin on them as he studied her. Mya refused to back down from the challenge and stared right back into his eyes. It was futile, though, as it always had been and likely always would be.
“I think you know exactly why Erik left, and if you do not want to tell me then that means it has to do with you.” Gregori straightened and grasped the chair hard in his fists, his posture reminding her of Erik. “What happened to you?”
Mya opened her mouth to speak, but her body betrayed her and she shuddered before the lie could slip between her teeth. It was only for a moment, but her brother saw it. His eyes grew just a tad in realization before narrowing. His nostrils flared as he asked again, “What happened, Mya?”
She shook her head. “Gregori, I love you even if you are a royal pain in my side, but this does not concern you.”
He glared at her, so she hurried to continue. “The only reason Erik knows is because he was there. I am not willing to tell you anything further. Please let this go.”
Gregori tapped on the chair, his movements growing stronger with each beat until she worried the wood was snap under his ministrations. Then he simply let go. His shoulders tensed and released multiple times until eventually he lifted his hand and ran it through his short brown hair.
For a moment he simply stared at her, eyes flashing between annoyance and disappointment, then he sighed.
“I do not like when you keep secrets from me. But you are old enough to know what is best for you. However, I need to know this. Was Erik the one who hurt you?”
Mya could not stop her brow from furrowing. “No, Erik would never hurt me,” she said without a moment of hesitation.
Gregori nodded then tapped on the chair again, his gaze turning to the window as he stood. In the silence Mya wondered if he believed that if he gave her time, she might tell him everything, but she would not. She turned to stare out the window too, curious as to whether Gregori had seen something, hopeful that perhaps Erik was just beyond her view.
“I see everything that happens here,” Gregori began. He glanced her way once more, then back to the window. “It is my job to see everything that happens here. It is my job to fill Erik’s role in its entirety when he’s gone.”
Mya looked up at him. She knew her brother took on the responsibilities of the house when Erik was away, but for the first time she wondered what all that entailed. Mya was so busy hating and questioning her place in this world that she had never stopped to question her family’s. Was Gregori happy? Were the responsibilities placed on him too much?
Again, she realized how much he looked like Erik. It was in his stance, his form. She knew Erik was a mentor and friend to her brother, but did Gregori feel like she did, obligated to play a role he did not want? What were his dreams, and when was the last time she had asked?
Gregori’s voice drew her out of her thoughts. “When Erik left, he gave me messages and instructions for the staff. He then asked me to make sure that you were well.”
His eyes roamed over her features before he crossed his arms and gripped them, fingers clenching a tad too tightly. “He would not tell me what happened to you, and you will not tell me what happened to you. I have to say, as your older brother I am quite hurt that neither of you trust me. But I understand that there are some things that even I cannot resolve.”
Mya opened her mouth to reassure him, but he silenced her with his next words.
“Erik and I have a pact when it comes to you.”
Mya tilted her head to the side, frowning. “A pact? What do you mean?”
“The day after we arrived here, Erik asked me for my permission to watch over you, to take care of you.”
Mya’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened.
Gregori chuckled. “I would have responded the same way as you just did, except I saw how he looked at you. It is the same way that he has looked at you for years, and the same way that you have looked at him. I see the two of you, the way you are together. You are constantly drawn together like a moth to a flame, back and forth, to and from.” He motioned with his fingers and sighed. “Although you never seem to act on that very apparent attraction, which saddens me. While I am incredibly protective of you, and perhaps slightly overbearing, I want you to be happy. It is for that reason that I gave Erik my approval, and it is the very same reason why I will give you the information I know you seek the most right now.”
He turned to her, and she swallowed, hoping to wet her dry throat as her heart threatened to beat out of its cage.
