Kane’s body stills. “Someone is here. Stay in the kitchen,” he commands before walking quickly from the room.
I stand there for a moment, but like always, curiosity gets the better of me and I turn to follow him, hoping it’s not his sister. I wonder if he’d let her make me leave the house again. The thought hurts my heart. I stop when I see him at the front door, and I hear a voice I recognize.
“Dove?” I walk over to Kane and try to move him, but he’s like a statue.
“Juliet lives here now. She won’t be going back to your dorm. She’s mine, not yours.”
I peek around Kane to see Dove staring up at him. Her eyes are wide and she’s probably unsure how to respond to what he said. Even I’m shocked by it.
“I just wanted to make sure she’s okay.” Dove voice is whisper low.
“I’m fine,” I tell her, drawing her eyes to me as I peek out from behind Kane. I push on him, but he doesn’t move. “Kane,” I say, and finally he steps over, but only a little.
“When I woke up this morning you weren’t there, and then you were gone all day. I got worried. You didn’t even answer your cell when I called either.”
“Crap. I haven’t found it yet. I’m sorry. I came back here to get it.” I shrug.
“I can see that.” Her eyes bounce between Kane and me. “I had a feeling.”
“I’m sorry if I worried you, but—”
Kane cuts me off. “She stays with me. She’s mine.” I glance over at him. I don’t know how, but I can feel the tension rising in him. Almost like it’s my own.
“I’m going to be staying here for a few days,” I tell Dove, trying to get Kane to calm down.
“Forever,” he corrects.
“Okay then. Maybe call me later?” Dove says, looking nervous.
“I can do that. Sorry again if I worried you.”
“You have no need to worry for her. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.” My face heats because my dirty mind can only think of sexual things. Dove must be thinking the same thing because her face turns red, too.
“I’ll talk to you later,” she says, backing away from the door before turning to leave.
Kane shuts the door behind her and locks it.
“You are staying here now. Not in the dorms,” he says in his commanding tone.
“We’ll see,” I sass back.
Turning, I head back towards the kitchen. I’m just poking the beast. I actually don’t want to go anywhere. He grabs me and throws me over his shoulder, making me laugh.
“There’s no we’ll see,” he grunts, and I only laugh harder.
Ten
Kane
It’s been two days of complete and utter happiness. I never knew life could feel this way. Everything was colorless before she came along, and now it’s all vibrant and new. I thought I had said goodbye to the light forever when I was changed, but Juliet is my sunlight.
She rolls over and stretches, then laughs when I place a kiss on her side.
“That tickles,” she says, and I do it again.
“I feel like I haven’t seen daylight in forever,” she says as she looks outside into the night.
She’s gotten on my sleep schedule, but she hasn’t really said anything about it before. I know I’m going to have to confess everything to her, I just wanted to wait before I had to break the news. I also don’t know how to say the words. She suspects something is different, because I can feel her curiosity. I called the family a few hours ago and they’re all coming over. I thought it would be best to do it together, and this way if she has questions I don’t know how to answer, someone else might.
“I want you to meet my family today,” I say as I rest my chin on her hip.
She runs her fingers through my hair as she smiles at me. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Her fingers pause and her smile falters a little.
“Will Ravana be there?”
“Of course,” I say, and I feel her hesitation. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there by your side.”
“Okay,” she says, but she doesn’t seem thrilled.
“She was just shocked the first time she met you. I’ve never shown any interest in anyone before and she walked in and suddenly I was—” I want to say in love, but I don’t want to scare her. She’s already going to have so much thrown at her today, but I need her to know that my feelings are true. “I was completely knocked down by you,” I say, smiling.
“I kind of know the feeling.”
I stand up and carry her to the shower with me before anyone else gets here. Afterwards, I find another shirt she can wear until we can somehow make it out of the bedroom long enough to go to the dorm and get her things. Part of it could be that every time we touch I lose control. Thankfully, Mora washed her clothes, so she has a pair of leggings she can put on.