Page 26 of Claiming Starlight
Today was Saturday. Micah said that the vampir, her archon, already knew she was not where she should be. She had no reason to doubt him. But she couldn’t predict what the brood house would do.
She’d always been more valuable than Alexi. A willing female virgin sacrifice carried more power than a male to begin with. Alexi, as far as anyone knew, had no extra gifts for seeing through camouflage magic or recognizing blue-bloods. That family trait passed from their mother’s side.
Katya always told her that if Alexi didn’t behave, Sophie would get punished, and if Sophie misbehaved, Alexi would suffer a great deal.
The vampir used her brother to control her. Sophie hated that truth—just one more ugly thing, always in the background, never spoken out loud, but still a truth. When Alexi disappeared, only Sophie cared, and she wondered why. Wondered why for weeks too long before doing anything, deciding she couldn’t keep going alone.
The idea had not been solid in her head, but Sophie could see it now, a self-destructive impulse helping her make disastrous choices. She’d tried to protect Alexi all her life, he was her reason for living and for sacrificing; with him gone, what did she have left?
Why had they let him leave? Had she passed some test where they didn’t think they needed him? He likely discarded his vampir pass, but were the scrying skills of sorcerers suddenly useless?
The vampir charged to guard them, who raised them for toddlers, didn’t care. Katya acted as if Alexi’s disappearance was nothing. Even dared Sophie once to go and find him.
It made no sense.
There were too many things not to think about today. Sophie usually managed that better.
When she came out, the clothes were gone, but a pair of flat-heeled sandals that would go with the dress and a thin, lace-edged white cover-up waited for her by the unmade bed. Emerging from the partition wall of the closet, dressed in jeans and a well-fitting black tee, Micah went to the bedroom door. Seeing her girlish braids again, he smiled at her. “Make the bed and come on out. We have an appointment.”
Pointing at a pile that looked like clean sheets next to the crooked pillows, his lips softened the commands, curving into that smile of his. It instantly reminded her of his wicked expression after he kissed herthere.After suggesting she get a piercing.
A piercing. He didn’t mean it, did he? He said his piercing meant something. Would a matching one for her also mean something?
Why was she letting him do this? Dress her. Order her around. Scare her. Use her?
If she resisted, he would spank her. Throw her to his friends. Throw her on the street to the wolves. He was unpredictable. Just like Katya. Make him angry—he went scary. Please him, and he hugged her.
That hug.
Last night he’d made her eat and not made her feel bad about not having money. Made her wear his jacket and kept her from feeling embarrassed about her poor choice of clothing for the weather. Held her and shushed her when she cried.
Some of the tears were his fault. All the internal screaming was his fault.
But not those after-tears.
Stripping off the sheets, that overwhelming essence of him and the scent of what they had done together rose into the air. She ignored it. Ignored the effect of his smell and them together—a couple. She quickly stripped the sheets and made the bed. In the Hyde brownstone, they used city electricity for everything; washing sheets was no big deal. But on this side of town, energy could not be taken for granted.
Micah must be very rich and powerful.
Finishing the bed, hoping she made it the same way as before, Sophie found her way into the kitchen corner, where Micah talked with Jumper and another man who must be Dante. Taller, broader in his chest, and bigger in presence, Micah lounged against the sink, drinking something thick and brown. Not coffee.
He handed her a smaller glass. “Yours is peanut butter. Drink it all, baby.”
Taking the drink, Sophie stood away from the other two, close to Micah. Jumper and Dante’s eyes sized her up with curiosity. Micah said, “After you guys finish up your runs, then go to Avó’s.”
“Man, the food. You know the fucking food they will have? We will be late if we do everything today,” Jumper said.
“My shit before your shit. Shouldn’t even have to say it. And since you want to be there so bad, don’t bother coming back here for the next couple nights.”
“The fuck, man?”
Both of them looked shocked and outraged. Mouths dropping open.
“You can sleep in the dorm with the other mutts. I don’t care. But you heard what I said.”
They wanted to complain. Sophie could almost see the negative curse words clicking on their teeth. Instead, they moved away, footsteps heavy. Pouting.
“Finish that.” Micah said, tapping her glass.
