Fates Entwined

26

"So?" he asked.

"It's all right," I lied.

Jordan leaned back, grinning. “Liar. You love it.”

“I do not,” I said. “It’s passable at best.”

Jordan made a noncommittal noise.

I glared at him. "Fine, it's probably the best chili I've ever had. Are you happy now?"

"Aha! I knew it!" He pumped his fist. "But is it spicy enough? Or do you need a little more...help?"

"It's the perfect amount of spice, thank you." "Good." He paused and watched me eat. "How is the book you're reading? What's it about?"

I was surprised he was asking, but he genuinely seemed to want to know. "It's a fae romance with two enemy royals. I haven't gotten very far into it though. Too much on my mind."

Jordan nodded. "I haven't had much time to read lately either. Or play video games. Or do anything fun. Being alpha is a lot of work."

"I bet." I glanced over at the giant TV on the other side of the room. "What kind of games do you like to play?"

"Everything. Adventure, puzzles, fighting, roleplaying... I used to play a bunch of games with my brother, but we haven't done that in a while. I know he wanted to play the new Star Wars game that just came out, but I've barely even seen him. And when I do, we just fight."

"Oh, I've been wanting to play that too! If he doesn't come around, maybe we can play together."

"Really?' Jordan asked. "You play video games."

"Sometimes, yeah. I used to play a lot with Kaden too. It's a fun way to unwind after a long day."

"Definitely."

We talked some more about games we used to play, laughing at how silly some of the old ones were and how much we loved them anyway. Before I knew it, I’d had a second bowl of chili and found myself really enjoying my evening.

And I realized I was starting to not hate Jordan. Not at all.

In fact... I kind of liked him.

The thought was terrifying.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The next day, Jordan took me to the fanciest house in town, a massive, gated mansion with a lush lawn that must have cost a fortune to maintain. As he clicked a little fob on his car’s visor to open the gate, I peered into the yard, where a large fountain of a lion sprayed as we passed it. The house itself was done in the same southwestern style as the rest of the town, but on a much larger scale, with huge pillars and several balconies along the second floor. I bet it looked gorgeous at night.

“Wow,” I said as we pulled into the circular driveway. “You weren’t kidding when you said your mom's place was big."

“It was my dad’s,” he said as he parked and turned the car off. We'd taken the red convertible today, and it was as much fun as I'd expected. “Only the best for the alpha. It passed to my mom when he died. Now it’s just her and Griffin. She offered it to me, but I want nothing to do with it.”

I hesitated to get out of the car, drumming my fingers on my thigh. I wasn’t excited about this at all, but there was no avoiding this conversation.

“You’re nervous,” Jordan said.

I tucked my hand under my thigh. “No."

“You are,” Jordan said. “You think I haven’t picked up some of your tells by now?"

“Fine, I’m nervous. Your mom was married to the man who killed my parents. For all I know, she was involved in that too, maybe even helped him.”

“It’s possible. My mother is a formidable woman. But she also had a difficult relationship with my dad. She was forced by the Sun Witches to marry him, but they were not true mates.” He smiled, but there wasn’t any amusement in it. He mostly looked sad. “Hence why my real father was actually the Cancer alpha. Griffin’s too.”

"Right," I said, remembering when Ayla had told me about it. "Let's just get this over with." Staying in the car would send a very clear signal, and I didn't want to appear weak in front of Jordan's mom. Especially after she'd healed me yesterday.

We walked up the huge steps together, and I reached out to touch a pillar. I couldn’t begin to imagine just how much this place had cost. Jordan pulled his keys out of his pocket and inserted one into the lock, letting us in with a shout to let his mom know we were there. Inside, the floors were all pale marble, and my shoes made a strange noise that echoed around the huge interior. Jordan didn’t seem ill at ease, but then he’d grown up in this house.

I braced myself as I heard footsteps coming from down one of the halls tucked away from the main entrance. A tall blonde woman appeared, wearing a cream-colored dress that showed off her impressive physique, even at her age. "There you are." She came over and kissed Jordan's cheek, placing her hands on his shoulders and studying him. "You look well, even after your fight yesterday."

"I'm fine," Jordan said. "I wasn't the one who got hurt."

She turned to me, studying me like she was checking over my injuries, but said nothing.

"Hi, I'm Stella," I said, trying to ease the awkward tension in the air. "Thank you for healing me yesterday."

"You're welcome." She spoke with a cool, almost haughty vibe. "You may call me Debra."

“Have you seen Griffin?” Jordan asked.

Debra's hands twitched like she wanted to cross her arms, but she kept them at her sides. “No. He’s run off again.” Underneath her frosty exterior, I could tell that she was frustrated.

“I’ll talk to him."

“Tell me, son,” she said, turning back to look at me. “Why did you bring the Ophiuchus-Moon Witch here?”