Blaze (Virtues & Lies 3)

“Go eat, Fleur.” I push the door softly as he murmurs, “Happy looks good on you.”

I’m not happy. At least I don’t think I am. I don’t know what I am, but I suppose this is the best I’ve felt in days.

I hold the doorknob as I open the door, turning to him as I walk backwards into the dining room.

“You’re acting all funny,” I laugh through my confusion. I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed like this. The sound feels strange coming from me.

He nods in the way he does when he doesn’t want to say what he’s thinking. Eyes darting behind me, he straightens, and I spin to find what he’s staring at so seriously.

Frozen, I stand staring ahead of me. My heart is pumping furiously in my chest.

Thump, thump, thump.

Casper’s sitting beside his grandfather at the end of the table, dark eyes boring into mine.

Thump, thump, thump.

I’m paralysed, reliving every single second of my dream. Except I don’t think it was a dream anymore.

I gasp for breath.

He stands.

I swallow down my confusion.

He rounds the table.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump…da-dum-da-dum-dadum…

Casper stands in front of me, hands on his hips, tall, broad, and lean. I can smell him with every sharp inhale, his scent permeatin

g through me. Making me feel. Making me ache. Making me want.

Yet, I can’t bring myself to look up at his face. I can’t stand to look at him with the anger sweeping through me.

“People don’t come back from the dead.”

He has the decency not to say anything at least, or maybe he knows there’s nothing he can say to make this any better.

My gaze flits around him to find Christopher’s and then Leo’s. Their gazes drop to the table.

“Look at you!” I turn to the open doorway where Cassie’s standing, tears lining her eyes and a wide smile cutting her face. She doesn’t waste time with the awkwardness in the room. She comes at me with open arms, wrapping them around me so tight that I have no choice but to hug her back. “I missed you so badly.”

I missed her too, but I can’t find my voice to say it. I’m overwhelmed by everything, and I wish it was all in a good way, but there’s this ball of anger inside me that’s morphing into an avalanche, and I can’t be in this room for another second.

Forcing myself free, I take a step back. I look about the room one more time, cataloguing every face, saving his for last.

“How could you?”

“Fleur—”

“No,” I stop him. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare make up some shitty excuse to make any of this better. You can’t.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but I can’t bear to hear anything he has to say.

“Let me save you your breath. You fucked up, and I don’t want to look at you or talk to you. So, if you’ll excuse me…” I don’t finish. Instead I push past Cassie and then Arabella and Georgina, who’re watching just outside the door.

I’m walking away when I recall how odd Ryan was acting when I came downstairs.