“Come here,” he mumbles from my bed, his voice low.
I wince, and then make my way to my bed, slipping under the covers. He wraps his arm around my waist and yanks me into him. After a few minutes, we both fall asleep.
Tillie
“Wait!” Madison says, raising her hand to stop me from talking. She and Tate came over early this morning. “So you’re telling me that you guys slept together last night and then he left this morning?”
“Wow.” Tate rolls her eyes. “I’m so shocked….”
I don’t know why, but it annoys me that she said that. Like I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when it came to Nate, but it’s… well, it’s Nate.
I spoon some granola into my mouth and watch as Micaela grabs Madison’s mouth. “Yes, but like I said, this won’t change anything. I’m not naïve,” I glare at Tate.
She flips me off. “I love you too.” Chuckling and going back to her breakfast. She starts whining to Madison that she wants Micaela for cuddles.
“This is your fault!” I say around a mouthful, stabbing my spoon toward Madison.
Her eyes shoot to me in fear.
I clear my throat. “I was kidding…”
She relaxes and then laughs me off. “Oh.”
Why did she just act like that right now?
“Why did you just freeze up like that?” I ask, cutting straight to the point.
Madison gives me a soft smile. “Nothing. It’s just Bishop and I—nothing. Don’t worry. We can talk about it another time.”
I want to push her. I do. But I’m not a pusher, and she’s someone who is used to being pressed about everything, so in my head, the equation doesn’t seem justified.
“Well, at least school is done.” I roll my eyes. I can’t imagine having to tackle school right now. I mean, I left around the time I got pregnant and abducted, but for Madison and Tate at least they’re done.
“True!” Madison says, switching back on her charm. She looks to Tate before clearing her throat. “Ah, we’re going to check out NYU this week. I mean, I’ll be living with Bishop, but, did you want to come?”
I shake my head, already knowing my answer. “No. I won’t be doing the college thing.”
Madison chews on her bottom lip and I’ve come to notice this may be a nervous trait. The hell is going on with her?
“Hey.” I nod my head. “What were you going to tell me last night before Bishop came out?”
I watch as her attention slowly drifts off into unknown territory. “I don’t remember,” she mutters from behind her mug, giving me another smile. “Sorry, Tillz. I must have been so drunk. What are your plans today?”
Well, I don’t know, hopefully read a picture book that you know nothing about.
I put Micaela down for a nap and start cleaning up around the pool house. Nate made a mess last night, including smudging blood all over the sheets. I hate that I gave into him so easily last night, but at the same time, I know not to think too much into what happens with him and I. It just is what it is with him.
I toss the sheets into the wash in the main house and tell the maid to bring them back when they’re finished, which she agrees to do. It still feels weird bossing someone around to do something I could do since I was four years old, but whatever.
Sighing, I flop down onto the bed and take out Daemon’s book from under the mattress. I flip past the first two pages that I’ve already seen and go straight for CAPITULUM III. This image is strange. A simple drain with its lid slightly pushed off. Everything is smudged around it to make the grey blend with the lid. There are white words that are engraved into the lid. Perdita. I flip back to page one with the boy at the house and then to page two with the ice eyes.
Were these drawn on Perdita? Daemon was raised there, it would make sense. I flip the page again to CAPITULUM IV and see the numbers 446 shaded in the same grey pencil. The numbers take up the whole page in block font. “That’s odd,” I murmur to myself, shuffling off my bed to grab my water bottle out of the fridge. The number 446 was our trailer park number. Total coincidence, I know, but it is still peculiar.
I flick the lid off my bottle, flipping back to the first page. There’s something about this book that has the gears inside my head turning. Why would Daemon do this? There has to be a reason. Daemon was eons ahead of his age. I sip my water, looking closely at the second page. Everything drifts to the back of my mind as my eyes connect with the blue ones peering back at me on the page. “Who are you…” My phone rings, scaring me out of my trance. I quickly shuffle back to the bed, tossing the book underneath and answering before it goes to voicemail.