Chapter 0005

The cake was wheeled away and taken to one of the tables to be cut into pieces by some of the hotel employees. Alex stayed with me, grinning widely from ear to ear.

“Are you surprised?” he asked me.

That was an easy answer. “Yes.” I didn’t want to tell him that I had thought everyone – including him – had forgotten my birthday. I was ashamed of thinking that now, after seeing how much effort he put into this party.

I should have known that even after the scandal and the distance and time that separated us, Alex would still be on my side.

“I know it’s early, but I’m not sure there will be time for a proper celebration on the day itself.” Some guilt flashed over Alex’s face. “Initially, I’d wanted to hold a grand Shift Ceremony for you on your actual birthday, but the elders turned up the pressure on me. They absolutely insisted that was the day I had to get engaged.”

“It’s okay,” I told him.

“It’s not,” he insisted, “But thank you. For now, the best I could do was prepare a small celebration here to wish you an early happy birthday.”

“It’s perfect,” I assured him.

He laughed, looking down. “You are being kind again. Too kind, maybe. I’m not sure I deserve all this forgiveness.”

He did, even if he didn’t realize it. Alex had always protected me; how could I not want to do the same? I didn’t have the strength and speed to protect him physically, but I could help to protect his heart and his feelings.

After a few moments, he looked back up at me. His gaze drifted over me as if he was trying to take me all in. “I can’t get over how different you look. When you were abroad, why didn’t you ever send any pictures or anything? You barely let me know anything about your life.”

I didn’t know where to begin. Even opening my mouth, I found it hard to answer.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, at that same moment, while I struggled, Nicholas walked over. He hand Alex a beer while keeping one for himself.

“Thanks,” Alex said, accepting it.

I tried to avoid looking at Nicholas, but when I dared a glance, I found him staring straight at me. He smiled, that same dangerous-looking smile he had at the pub, and my heart picked up speed again.

“I didn’t recognize you before,” Nicholas said. “You sure aren’t the same silly little sister I remember, who followed along in Alex’s shadow like a lost puppy.”

Indignation rose within me, but I pushed it down. After all, wasn’t he right? If I was honest with myself, a lot of my youth after Mom remarried was spent following Alex around. He’d been the only person in my new life who had showed me any sort of kindness and acceptance.

“You’ve grown up,” Nicholas said with a slightly deeper tone than before. This tone pushed all other thoughts from my mind as he entirely reclaimed my attention. His gaze had shifted too, ever so slightly, as if it was taking on heat.

My eyes widened in a mix of my own feelings. Anxiety was in there, and surprise, but also something else… Something that felt like my own heat…

Alex looked between us both. His brow furrowing, he said, “I feel like you two are hiding something from me.”

Nicholas immediately glanced away. “Nothing to worry about.”

Those words stung for reasons I didn’t fully understand or want to even consider at all. “Nothing at all,” I added, doubling down. Nicholas glared at me for a half-second before looking away again.

Alex continued to look between us with suspicion – at least until another friend of his, Edgar, walked over to us, holding his own glass of wine. He was drinking red, and it was mostly gone. As a waiter walked by, he waved them down to refill his drink.

“Leave the bottle,” Edgar said, and after taking the bottle from the waiter, placed it down on a nearby table. To me, he asked, “Did you want a glass?”

“No, thank you,” I said. After what happened earlier when I’d been drinking – and ended up kissing Nicholas – I wasn’t in a hurry to start drinking again, especially not in Nicholas’s presence.

Edgar nodded, though as he did, his gaze slid with interest up and down my body. Unlike with Alex and Nicholas, who had also looked at me – Edgar made me feel like a slab of meet. His gaze caught on my breasts and then on my thighs.

“Wow, Holly. You really have changed.” He sipped his wine. “You are all grown up… In all the right places…”

“Back off, Edgar,” Alex said, stepping toward him. “Stop eyeing my sister.”

Edgar scoffed. “You back off, Alex. You’re about to get engaged, yet you’re stopping your sister from being happy. What, am I not good enough for her?”

“You aren’t,” Alex said openly. “So knock it off.”

Edgar rolled his eyes as his friend, before slipping his gaze back towards me.

“You know, Holly. On your Shift Day, you’ll start to detect your fated mate. Are you looking forward to finding them?” Edgar asked.

Immediately, I thought of Alex, and it took everything inside of me to resist looking at him. I couldn’t give away my lingering feelings, not with absolutely everyone just waiting for me to screw up.

“I guess…” I said.

“What do you think they are like?” Edgar asked. “Handsome, I bet. Charming. Probably a wine drinker.” He lifted his wine glass.

Alex glared at him, while Nicholas seemed utterly bored by this entire exchange. Both Alex and Nicholas were drinking beer.

My perfect mate would have Alex’s traits, but if I mentioned too many qualities of Alex’s, his friends would notice. To throw them off my trail, I needed to describe someone with the exact opposite qualities.

I gave myself a moment to think, while everyone waited. Then, with a sigh, I said, “I like guys that are stubborn. Maybe they have a cold shoulder, but over time, they might thaw out some for me. Oh, and they have to be domineering…”

Alex frowned, looking increasingly uncomfortable. Nicholas gave me a flat look.

Edgar leaned back and uttered a bellowing laugh, nearly spilling some of his drink in the process. I inched away, not wanting to be caught in the splash zone.

“Stubborn, cold, and domineering?” Edgar said through his laughs. “Doesn’t that sound exactly like our popular Nicholas here?”

Everyone, including me, looked at Nicholas.

I felt very cold all over. I hadn’t meant to describe him! But what could I say now to undo it?

Nicholas swirled his beer around in the bottle and smiled again. Looking right at me, he said, “I don’t like kissing girls who are bad at it.”

Edgar glanced between Nicholas and me, confused but very curious.

Meanwhile, Alex was totally stunned. Then, as he slowly came back to himself, he gripped his bottle so tightly in his hand that it shattered.