Monsters' Gift (Crude Hill High #2) - Sam Crescent Page 0,47
mouth, faking a yawn.
“I remember what you were like. You were nothing but a tantruming baby.”
“So? You have yet to tell me something I don’t know.”
“Why are you suddenly their best friend?” I asked.
“I’ve told you the reason I am the way I am. You don’t believe me. I’m not going to keep justifying my existence in their world. I’ve done my time, proven myself. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“What exactly have you ever done to have the loyalty of those men? As far as I can tell, you’ve done fuck all.”
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks, sweetheart, you’re not my type.”
I wanted to throw something at him. He wasn’t wrong. My arms had already started to get tired and he was pissing me off. I had a feeling he was doing this on purpose. He liked to torture me.
“You’re a dick.”
He got up out of his chair. “Go on then, princess. Tell me what exactly it is you’ve done.”
I stared at him. “You don’t know what I did?”
“Enlighten me.”
“I killed for them. I saved Gael from death. That’s what I did.”
“And now?”
“Now, nothing has changed.”
“You’ve changed, Emily. You just can’t see it. You’re too blinded by your love to see how much you have, but whatever, it’s not my place to fix you. Are you hungry?”
“What the hell do you mean?”
“Is your stomach hurting and you need food?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” I wanted to kill him. “I mean about me. What you said.”
“It’s not my place, and frankly, I don’t want to help you.”
“Just tell me. If not for me, then for them. Will that work?” I asked. I refused to beg him for help. I didn’t put it past him to try, though.
He stared at me for several seconds. “In high school, whatever you guys had, you knew it wasn’t going to last. Before it became anything real, you were gone. Now your men are kings, and they’re expecting you to be a queen. You know this life and you know that life. Which one do you want? We both know there’s only one outcome here. Will you hurt my boys, or make the sacrifice?”
He was gone and since I didn’t have a choice, I paused, shocked.
Drake was right. I knew the freedom of not being part of this world. Of not having assassins at my door. Of being completely free. Could I give up a life of safety to be with my men? Did I even want to?
Gael, Caleb, Vadik, and River, none of them could give this up. This was their life. I couldn’t ask them to, but did I want to be a queen of such an empire?
Chapter Twelve
Gael
I was tired.
Hungry.
Pissed off.
And thirsty for blood.
As I entered our house, the soldiers we’d put in place immediately disappeared. I paused as I heard soft music filtering the house.
Caleb, Vadik, and River stood frozen.
I couldn’t recall the last time I’d heard such soft and beautiful music. It was so sad and full of passion. Without going to get cleaned up, I followed the sound, opening doors to find the rooms empty.
The house was too fucking large. I hadn’t wanted to live in any of our fathers’ houses, but I knew the statement we were making was by far more important. Like now, we always had to consider our reputation.
I came to a stop with my friends and we looked into the main dining room that also had a dance floor and a piano. I stay perfectly still, watching as Drake played the tune and Emily sang as she danced around the dining room. There were no table or chairs since we’d had them removed. We didn’t intend to entertain and with each new threat happening, we didn’t want anything that could cause us a hindrance.
She spun around. I didn’t recognize the song, but it sounded so sad. Her voice wasn’t great, but she clearly didn’t care. Over and over, Drake played the same tune, and not once did Emily stop in her singing.
The last note was played and Emily came to a stop. Her head tilted to the sky, her hands clenched into fists. The silence almost heartbreaking after such beauty.
Caleb stepped into the room and the floor creaked.
Emily opened her eyes and spun around. The instant she saw us, she burst out laughing and rushed to all of us. Caleb got her first, lifting her up in his arms and spinning her around.
Drake put the lid down on the piano. “You didn’t find them?”