EVIL QUEEN - Rebel Hart Page 0,72

how the session would last days, and he said we could tag out for breaks in between. That was when I really started to suspect it, but I didn’t ask.”

“So, you think he’s bi?” I asked.

Avery opened her mouth, but it was Alistair who responded. “I get more of a pansexual vibe from him. I just don’t really think Kyle cares as long as there’s an attraction.”

Nikita scrunched up her nose a little bit. “I guess we need to address the bigger issue, then. Is Kyle attracted to Brayden?”

Everyone looked off in their own directions as we pondered it. Kyle hadn’t had a ton of dating history, but those few people he had been with were all incredibly beautiful. It wasn’t that Brayden was unattractive, and maybe I just didn’t know how to gauge it, but Brayden didn’t seem like Kyle’s type.

“I don’t think Kyle likes Brayden like that,” Avery said. “I mean, for a while, he couldn’t stand him. Even when he slowly started to tolerate him, it was still like everything Brayden did sort of pissed him off. I always felt like he was just dealing with Brayden. Even recently, you’ve been going through all your stuff, Nathan, and Kyle’s such a wonderful guy. I think that’s why Brayden was talking about when he mentioned pity back there. Kyle is just showing Brayden an unusual level of friendship because he feels bad about the ground Brayden’s lost with you.”

That killed me. Not only had Brayden felt like he’d lost a friend in me, but Kyle had to step so far outside his comfort zone just to clean up my mess. Again.

Alistair leaned around and kissed Avery’s cheek. “Let’s go, gorgeous. I’m exhausted. Let’s get some dinner and go to bed.”

Avery nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

They stood up, said goodbye to Nikita and me, including a warm hug between Alistair and myself, and then they walked off toward Alistair’s car. Nikita walked around to face me, tilting her face back to look up at me and looping her arms around my waist. Our relationship, if that’s what it could be called, was still new and undefined, but Nikita hadn’t been big into PDA so far. That day, however, there was something totally new. Her mood had been good since the beginning of the day and had only improved since lunch.

I didn’t ask about it. I figured we’d get around to discussing her feelings at some point, and I was too afraid that if I brought it up now, it’d ruin the moment. I leaned down and kissed her instead, relishing in how easy it was and how amazing it felt. It was awful that I’d denied us one another for so long. I would never be able to repay her for all the pain I’d caused her, but if she’d let me, I’d spend the rest of my life trying.

“I spoke to Sicily earlier,” she said. “He’s seen the men following them too. That confirms Jaxon’s theory that they’re probably after Cherri and me. I told him what we thought and told him not to leave her alone. I also lightly suggested that they always stay within screaming range of The Royal Court, but I’m sure you can guess how well that went.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Still. Fuck. This has to be my dad. I swear to god, if they try and hurt any of you, I’m going to flip my shit.”

“Well, let’s not get too up in arms yet. We stick together, we look out for each other, and hopefully, Deon will pick up a scent soon.”

“Oh my god,” I said. “I completely forgot to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Deon’s missing. I mean, as much as he can be missing. The day after you got into that fight with Cherri, he called me. We were talking about what’s been going on, and he told me he thinks people are following him too. Then mid-conversation, the line just went dead. I waited for him to call back, but he never did, and I haven’t heard from him since.”

Nikita’s brow furrowed in concern. “How frequently had he been contacting you before?”

“Every week or so. Sometimes eight or nine days in between, but that was the max. It’s been almost two weeks now.”

Selfishly, I wished that I hadn’t remembered. It’d been such a good, borderline normal day, and all of a sudden, all my stress was back. It wasn’t a normal day. It was deceptively quiet. I rubbed my temples, and Nikita kissed