Things That Should Stay Buried - Casey L. Bond Page 0,56

me out of my room, making sure the door closed and locked behind me. “I wish you could’ve worn it to prom,” he said quietly as we walked down the hall. “Dad would’ve threatened to kill Xavier if he touched you, and Mom…”

“Would’ve snapped a million pics. I warned Xavier of both when he asked me to go with him.”

Our footsteps echoed around us and down the hall.

“Xavier is going to stare,” he said, a hint of warning in his voice.

I tilted my head. “Why would he?”

Kes raised a brow. “He asked you to prom for a reason, and it wasn’t because you were a familiar face.”

“He asked me out of pity, after all that happened with Brant.”

He argued, “Not true. Xavier’s had a crush on you since we were in middle school. He saw an opportunity and decided he wouldn’t let it pass him by this time.”

Was that true? I sifted through my memories, trying to remember anything that might indicate that Kes was right, but I couldn’t think of any.

“Aries will not appreciate it if Xavier seems… overly attached to you.” Kes chose his words carefully, but he didn’t have to do that with me.

“First, I can’t control what Xavier says or does... And second, Aries needs to simmer down. He needs to stop acting like he’ll shred any male who looks at me a beat too long.”

Kes inhaled deeply and shook his head. “This is going to be fun.”

I grinned as I walked toward a set of dark wood double-doors that had been propped open. The table situated in the center of the room was rectangular and stained darker than the doors. An elaborate golden candelabra sat in the center, the candlelight casting a cheery, warm glow over the two people already seated at the table.

Aries, seated at the head of the table, noticed Kes first, but I felt the exact second his eyes clamped on me. They flared as he took in my new hair, then his gaze slid down my face, down my body where the gown hugged every inch, all the way to my feet, tucked into kitten heels.

Kes and I walked closer, my skin flushing more with each step.

Aries never blinked.

He wore a new outfit, an even deeper shade of black than what he usually wore. His obsidian horns shone like he’d polished them. The flickering candles cast buttery soft light over his dark hair. It had been combed, but fell deliciously into his beautiful pink eyes.

His unblinking eyes.

Aries stood and waited as we approached the table.

Xavier’s back was to us, but when Aries stood, he brushed his bleached hair forward and turned to face us, his mouth gaping. “Larken,” he said breathlessly as he stood with Aries. Kes pulled out the empty chair next to Aries and pushed it in as I sat down, then took the one to my left. Xavier sat down again, seated across from me.

For a moment, awkward silence thickened in the room, making the large space feel too tight. They both stared at me; Xavier from across the table and Aries closer, to my right. I tried distracting them by asking Kes a stupid question. Xavier joined the conversation, but Aries remained silent, his eyes fixed on me. He kept so still I wasn’t even sure he took a breath.

Shifting in my seat uncomfortably, I refused to look at him for long, turning back to Kes and Xavier who were laughing at something I missed. Kes’s smile faded as he looked at Aries.

Luckily, two Guardians chose that moment to swoop in with plates of steaming food.

Oh my goodness. Pasta. I smiled. “This is my favorite.” Fettucine Alfredo was the fruit of the gods, as far as I was concerned. Mom rarely made it because of the fat gram content, but when she did… oh, mama.

“I know,” Aries said, looking down at his meal and away from me, finally. “Kes informed me that Xavier was supposed to take you out to dinner on the night of prom, and he said this would have been the meal you would have chosen if given the choice.”

That was… very sweet.

“Thank you.”

Xavier gave a wan smile, unfolding his napkin and laying it over his lap. Another Guardian poured glasses of water for each of us. Aries thanked him as he worked his way around the table.

I raised my glass and took a sip. It was hot in here, fueled by male ego.

Three musicians entered the room and set up in the corner,