say I want you to stay inside, that's exactly what I mean. You have no excuse for venturing out," Gael said.
I turned to face him, my eyes throwing daggers. "I don't appreciate the way you're talking to me. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not your child."
"I know that," Gael said, slowly. "But you have to understand I was worried about you. You're in a different country. I've been here before. Brazil can be dangerous, so it's for your own safety."
"Fair enough." I felt myself soften. He had a point. It wasn't his fault he couldn't express his concern in a less controlling way. I smiled and slumped down on the bed, regretting it instantly. I could only hope he wasn't taking it as an invitation. He didn't.
"Just stay inside," Gael said before leaving.
I stared after him, seriously struggling to make sense of his attitude. One part of me tried hard to defend him while the other knew there was no excuse for it. Whether I liked it or not, he was being a jerk. I had seen it before, the tiny signs that indicated a controlling personality, but I figured having a boyfriend was better than being alone, particularly when I still missed my sister. Maybe it was time to call in a break until I knew whether this relationship was indeed what I wanted.
Leaning against the pillows, I untied the shawl from around my waist and tossed it on the floor. When guilt nagged at me, I got up and stacked it inside one of the drawers. The noise of flapping wings started almost instantly. A few weeks ago, I would've turned the room upside down to find out where it came from, but now I just snuggled under the blanket and pressed the pillows against my ears to drown out the unnerving noise. It was past midnight when I finally managed to fall asleep with Kieran's mysterious eyes and warning still lingering at the periphery of my mind.
Chapter 7 - Thrain
When Cass and I arrived at the hotel, Amber and Aidan were already waiting. I could sense the tension between them. Ever since Amber had been turned into a vampire, she kept blaming it on him, which didn't surprise me. Most mortals glamourized our world and actively searched for us, but not Amber. Maybe because she had almost died at the hands of Aidan when he sucked her dry. As if that weren't enough, her brother, Dallas, had died after the Shadows helped a blood-crazed vampire, who happened to be Aidan's ex, break into Hell to retrieve the famous book of the Shadows. Cass had stolen it from the Shadows only a few weeks previously. Seeing it from this perspective, it was all her fault, which she kept saying over and over again. Several times I tried to tell her that it was fate and Dallas's death would've happened anyway, but she couldn't be consoled. And so I just gave up and listened instead, keeping my thoughts to myself.
Our hotel accommodation was a whole penthouse suite, courtesy of Cass's father. Groaning, I dropped down on the couch in our living room, wishing I could just do this myself. A bunch of people would just slow me down. As if on cue, Aidan started taking over.
"I say we split up to comb through the city. Amber and I start on one side, and Cass and you on the other."
I snorted. "You call that a plan? It makes no sense. For one, we're immortals. Why would we have to split into two groups when we could all work alone and be twice as fast? And second, I can pick up her scent in an instant."
"Why haven't you already then?" Amber raised her thin brows. "You need us, whether you want it or not."
"She's right," Cass said from her seat at the window.
"Which part?" I mumbled. That I still hadn't picked up her scent, or that I needed them to get this mission done. I pressed my lips shut and bit the inside of my cheek to keep back a remark. I had never failed to find someone. In fact, I had been the one to find and break into Shadow land, something no one else had ever done before me. If I could find my way through magic, then I surely could pick up the scent of a mortal. I snorted as I slumped deeper into my seat, rubbing my temple in desperate need of a plan.
"Okay, so the