“Well he was.” I muttered reaching for the glass in front of me and forgetting what was in it. I took a gulp and quickly reacted as if I had just swallowed acid. I started coughing and spluttering in a very unladylike fashion and I felt a pair of hands pull me forward and start patting my back.
“Holy mother of Hades! What is that stuff, paint stripper and liquid nitro?! Jesus!” I complained as the large hand at my back stopped patting but instead continued to rub large, soothing circles around my back. I looked up, parting my hair and expected to see Vincent there as the one who had been helping me but couldn’t help but inhale sharply when it wasn’t.
“Hey,” Draven said kneeling down to my level and half leaning over me as his hand was still at my back. The feel of him touching me again was as if a live wire straight to my heart had been switched back on, jump starting it back to life.
“Hey,” I breathed making him smile.
“You good?” I nodded biting my damn lip again. He gave me a cheeky half smile and shocked me by taking my chin between his thumb and finger before giving it a playful, little shake then saying,
“You’re good.” He then stood up and shouted to Loz to bring me water and a bottle of what used to be my usual. I sat back up and gave his silent council a little embarrassed smile sending up a prayer that a certain someone was no longer at the table. I would have to remember to ask Sophia about that when we were next alone. What had happened to Aurora?
“It sure has been boring without you around, Keira.” Zagan said surprising us all…well everyone but Sophia that was. Draven frowned at him but he just shrugged his shoulders giving us a small glimpse of his pale eyes and tattooed scar underneath his hood. Sophia however beamed at him lovingly as though he was her hero for saying that.
“Then here’s to missed human entertainment.” I said raising my new bottle, forgetting about the water Loz had also placed before me. I then took a long swig letting the cold beer cool my burning throat and noticed over my bottle everyone else had raised their glasses too.
“Missed indeed.” I could have sworn that was what I heard Draven whisper over his own glass, the very one I had stupidly drank out of. Did he really say that or was I just imagining the words I secretly longed to hear?
“So, was it just a catch up?” I asked Draven.
“Something like that.” He answered after first needing to think about it. Sophia on the other hand snorted like I would have and once again she was having her name said in warning, this time though it was by her own partner Zagan.
“Alright, alright, I won’t mention anything about the fight.”
“What?” I shouted in response.
“Ooops.” Sophia said not looking sorry in the slightest.
“You had a fight with your dad…as in a fight, fight?” I asked and it was only when I put my hand on his folded arm that he looked away from Sophia but not before he said,
“We will be having words later, Sophia.” Then he turned to first look at my hand, making me quickly pull it away and then back down at my expectant face.
“We fought yes but it is not your concern.” Wow that stung, but I guess I now knew how he felt after what Alex had said to him.
“No…of course not.” I couldn’t help but keep the resentment out of my voice.
“Keira I didn’t…”
“Its fine, I mean you’re right…but, well I just hope you sorted it out with your dad.” He smiled at that.
“Let’s say that we came to a compromise.”
“That’s good to know.” I replied quietly, feeling shy again under his watchful gaze. This meeting was definitely going better than it had earlier that was for sure but still it felt weird. Like I was transported back in time, back to the beginning all over again and trying to find safe footing when it came to speaking with him. I was confused, I was intimidated, I was hot and bothered at being this close to him and I was angry that I was feeling any of these things at all. I always said that if I ever came across Draven again I would just act cool and play the emotionless ice queen. Well there went that plan out the window…Ha, me ice queen, what a joke. Yeah I think being caught in his chair, nearly knocking it to the floor and half choking to death was a sure way to burn that ice queen routine to cinders!
“So how’s the new job, Keira?” Sophia asked making Draven’s eyes widen for a moment.
“New job?” Ah so at least I now knew that like me, he hadn’t being keeping tabs on me via information provided by his siblings. Again I would be lying if I said that also didn’t sting but really, what did I expect? The guy had pretended to be dead and made sure every aspect of the life I had allowed to grow around me, thanks to his own seed planted, was dead too. That wasn’t ever going to be the actions of a man who also wanted to know about my wellbeing. Take last year for example, all those things that happened to me and where was he…where was his protection…it was dead by choice, that’s where it was!