Kate Evangelista - Til Death

I wanted to tell him what he could do with his Heimlich. The smugness in his voice brought back the reasons why I hated him. But, by some miracle, I let the steam in me die down in favor of a more diplomatic approach.

“Why did they all leave?” I asked.

“Hell if I know. Just finish your breakfast.” He shrugged—a slight movement of his shoulders. “I’ll stay with you until you do. Chew this time.” He winked.

Normally, I would have been flustered by that devastating wink. However, the confusion provided far more discomfort. I had to know I wasn’t crazy. “Last night really happened…right?”

“If by ‘last night’ you mean your overdramatic exit from the living room after throwing a tub of glue at my head, then yes. It did happen.” He stabbed a piece of sausage hard. The fork tines clicked when they reached porcelain.

I moved chunks of egg around. He wasn’t going to let that go. I wanted to reply, but guilt choked it back. Fortunately for me, he was chatty this morning.

“If you mean the time after that when you were chased by five reanimated corpses, hurt your knee, and were saved by a dashing, sword-wielding guy, then yeah, it did happen, too.” He grinned before he took a bite of the sausage he’d skewered.

“ Excuse me? ” I dropped my fork with a clang. “If I recall, I was holding my own out there.”

“ Eat your damn breakfast . We have a diorama to finish.”

Picking up my fork, I said, “You’re just pissed because I had to hold you afterward.”

His cheeks flushed. Score one for me then.

…

We separated once the diorama was completed. Just a report to put together tomorrow and we were all done. Riona asked Kyle to run an errand while Constance followed her to the garden. Dillan left the living room without telling anyone where he was going. I personally could care less where he went. Having nothing else to do, I went back to my room and packed my stuff. I wanted to be ready to leave as soon as possible. I’d had just about enough of this freaky weekend from hell. My phone buzzed on the side table.

Penny:Killed him yet?

Me: :(

Penny: Deets pls.

Not having the heart to reply, I left my phone on the table and went back down stairs to check if Kyle got back yet. I wanted to talk to him about what happened last night and my knee. I didn’t want lies between us, no matter how unbelievable the truth seemed. If there was someone who would understand, it would be my best friend. At the foot of the staircase, snippets of someone speaking floated toward me like soulful musical notes.

“As just as fair…”

My heartbeat quickened. As if with a mind of their own, my feet steered me toward the voice.

“…had worn them really about the same.”

A beam of light streamed through the library door left ajar. The large space had three walls dedicated exclusively to floor-to-ceiling shelves. A rolling ladder taller than me rested near the door, used for the hard-to-reach books. I’d only been into this room once before. Years ago, Kyle showed me his favorite reading chair—his father’s chair. But he never spoke of him anymore. The death of his parents stayed a taboo subject, and no one who knew him brought it up.

“Oh, I kept the first for another day!”

I slipped in quietly, not wanting to disrupt Dillan. I was mesmerized by the cadence of his voice and wanted to keep listening. He sat by the large fireplace, drawing all my attention as he kept reading.

“I shall be telling this with a sigh.”

He leaned back, shoulders squared and comfortable, with his legs apart. He held a small book in one hand. With the other, he lazily stroked a Russian Blue cat, its eyes heavy-lidded while the end of its tail flicked in contentment. The lower half of the cat’s body lounged between his legs while the upper half draped over his thigh.

Unexpected warmth gathered in my belly. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, feeling like a spy, like I shouldn’t see this. But I listened anyway, in awe of the way his voice pulled me to him.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” He sighed like he tasted the meaning behind the words. The cat on his lap purred. “You like Frost, huh?” He glanced at the contented feline. “I know. The man can rhyme.”

I wanted to stand there forever, watching him read poetry to a cat with such a peaceful expression. If it could tolerate him, then maybe—a big maybe —he wasn’t so bad. The guy could be human after all.

“Stalking me again?”

The question startled me. I jerked and lost my balance. My shoulder collided with the rolling ladder. I winced, pain shooting down my arm. Nice. My smile wobbled when I steadied myself by grabbing the rail.

“Uh…um…why would I do that? I have a life. I was looking for Kyle.” A flaming blush spread across my cheeks. Lord, I was making a mess of myself.

The cat turned its head and stared at me with its stunning lime-green eyes. I quivered. Those eyes were almost too intelligent, as if to say: “Idiot.”

Dillan set the book aside, but continued stroking the cat’s steel-gray fur from head to tail.

“You made friends with Constantinople.” I pointed at the half-asleep cat. I swallowed, trying to stay cool in the presence of the heavy stares of a serious feline and a boy who made me feel hot and cold all at the same time. “He’s never good with strangers.”

Constantinople turned its head away from me and closed its eyes again, purring like a small generator. Remember that crazy part of me? Well, it wished, just a little, that I could take the its place. Even worse, I wondered how my skin would feel if his fingers decided to glide over it. Would I feel those tiny electric shocks again? Goose bumps rose on my arms and legs. I had to stop thinking dangerous things before I made a fool of myself.

“That’s your name.” He reached for one of the cat’s front paws. “It’s nice to meet you, Constantinople. Dillan Sloan, at your service.” He held the paw, and Constantinople gave him a warbling meow, which turned into a yawn. Mischief glittered in his eyes as he gave me a smile. “Never thought Robert Frost would send a cat snoozing.”

Who knew being in the presence of a playful Dillan Sloan was wickeder than being with the arrogant and annoying Dillan Sloan? One guy, two different people. It was enough to give me whiplash.

My heart sputtered. Damn, he looked good. I fought hard to stay focused. “I think it’s your voice.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I was there before I came here, but it’s not called Constantinople anymore.”

“What?” I reached for one of the rungs of the rolling ladder.

“Istanbul…I was just there.”

The change in his expression made me ache. He went from mischievous to lonely. He got so quiet, like he retreated into himself.

I let go of the ladder and stepped forward. “Why were you there? That’s in Turkey right?”

“Yes.” The gray cloud that settled above him lifted a little.

Without his usual, biting tone, he came off as vulnerable. I fought to concentrate on his next words in an effort to ignore the need to comfort him. Images of him in my arms while I whispered nonsense things into his ear woke flutters in my stomach.

“My parents are there on a yearlong dig just outside the city. They’re collaborating with Istanbul University and the Topkapi Palace.”

“And your parents took you with them?”

“My parents always take me with them when they’re on a dig.”

“But…what about school?” I took another tentative step forward and skimmed my fingers over the giant globe at the center of the room.