The Blackest Night (Dusk Before Dawn 3)

Noting the time, I hoped Kieran wasn’t in too deep a sleep to hear my mental call. I didn’t want to bother Athan since Selene was about to pop with their twins. Kieran responded after a few minutes, grumbling about interrupting adult time. However, about five minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. I swiftly crossed the room and opened it to find Thana standing in the hall with a tote bag and Kieran brooding behind her.

Thana looked like a cat that ate a canary. “I knew she was special the moment I met her,” she sang as she brushed passed me into the bedroom.

“Do come in,” I muttered, earning a warning glance from my brother. That was fair. They were doing me a favor.

“We kept her at the ball as long as we could, but as usual, you were late,” she frowned at me over her shoulder as she made a beeline for the bathroom. “I guess fate will always find a way!” Her laughter was drowned out as she entered and closed the door behind her.

“You owe me, brother,” Kieran stated as he threw himself down in one of the chairs that was situated in a little nook with a big bay window. “Do you have any idea how rare it is to find awesome alone time with a five-year-old and a two-year-old?”

“Stop being such a martyr,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Mom and Dad are with the kids, aren’t they?” Ronan and Elspeth had both been under the weather the night before—just minor sniffles, but enough to keep Kieran home with them. So the fact that he’d brought Thana here meant someone was with them, which also meant their “adult time” hadn’t been as stolen as Kieran would have me believe.

“Yes,” Kieran admitted, slumping in his seat and pouting like a kid who’s had his favorite toy taken away. Although, I supposed the analogy wasn’t that far off.

The bathroom door opened, drawing my attention and Thana exited and went straight to Kieran who pulled her into his lap.

Bronwyn followed after her with hesitant steps, her head down and pulling at the cream, cashmere sweater she was wearing as though it was uncomfortable. I scanned down her body, noting the designer jeans and boots, but everything looked like it fit. I closed the distance between us and took her chin between my thumb and forefinger, raising her eyes to meet mine. “Are the clothes ill-fitting?”

Her eyes darted to the side and she shifted again, looking awkward. “No, um, they are...I’ve never owned anything this expensive,” she whispered. “What if I spill something on it and ruin it?”

I laughed, loving how she could be so sexy and adorable all at once. But I quickly squashed it when I realized she was completely serious. “Angel, you don’t have to worry about that. If something happens to these clothes, I’ll buy you more. And I promise, Thana won’t miss them.”

Thana piped up with an agreement, but it faded out when a second later, they were gone.

“Come on, angel,” I urged as I curled my arm around her waist. Then I gave her a wicked smile when I added, “Let’s get this over with so I can get back to making you come.”9BronwynThe last thing I wanted was for Stephan to see where I was living, but there had been no talking him out of coming with me. Sexual promises hadn’t even worked. All I’d accomplished was getting myself hot and bothered, which had been awkward considering I was wearing borrowed clothes. I was already uncomfortable enough in Thana’s stuff since this one outfit cost more than all of the clothes I owned combined.

As we walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk leading from where Stephan lived, tension started to build in my body. He’d offered to teleport us to the house where I was renting a room, but I’d wanted to stall for as much time as I possibly could. From the curb, the place didn’t look too awful, but it wasn’t anywhere close to the kind of homes Stephan was used to. That wasn’t what I was so worried about, though. I had a hunch that keeping him outside the house was going to be nearly impossible, and I was freaking out over the possibility of him seeing what a dump the place was. I hadn’t trusted the gleam in his bright blue eyes when I’d said he could wait while I gathered my things.

I hadn’t missed the fact that he’d kissed me instead of agreeing, but I didn’t bring the subject up again until we were walking up the sidewalk toward the boarding house. “It shouldn’t take me long to grab my stuff. I don’t have much to pack, so I should be able to toss everything into my suitcases super quickly.”