Celia approached her and kissed her cheeks just like she had in the bakery. She said, "It's so good to meet you, darling. I'm Celia, Mikael's sister."Kiera looked at him in surprise. Suddenly, she didn't quite know what to say. She had told Mikael about meeting her but she didn't say a name. How would she tell him now that the woman she called strange and 'scary' was his sister? Her cheeks flushed and she looked back at Celia. If she mentioned that they had met before, it would be much easier for her. But Celia kept looking at her in a way that, quite frankly, suggested that they had never met before. She didn't know what her game was but she had to get through this first stage successfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said. "You're beautiful. Absolutely stunning." Celia fluffed her hair. "Thank you for the compliment. Coming from a woman as gorgeous as you, it's sincerely flattering!" Kiera smiled but it felt strained. Mikael was watching her intently and she'd give anythi
"So, Kiera," Caroline began after the table had been cleared. "Tell us more about yourself. We're all very curious. You're all Mikael seems to talk about lately."Kiera blushed and stole a glance at him. She couldn't say that the question didn't catch her off guard, especially since it was the only thing any of them had asked her. Throughout dinner, nothing was said directly to her, and so she simply listened and savored her meal. She didn't like talking about herself and the fact that they were all watching her intently made her even more uncomfortable. There was nothing remarkable about her life that she felt like sharing with these strangers.She cleared her throat to speak nonetheless. "Well, I work as an editor for an emerging publishing house. We publish speculative fiction and—""I meant about yourself," Caroline interrupted "Not about your career."She heard a chuckle and gulped. "My career is a big part of my life and so it's all I have to share with you. I don't think you wa
Kiera sat on the unmade bed and waited. She didn't know what she was waiting for but going downstairs felt wrong for her somehow. She walked out on them after all. The evening didn't end on a positive note as she had expected. She didn't regret her decision but it did make things awkward. So she would wait for Mikael to fetch her. It was eleven so she was sure he'd check up on her soon. Only, he didn't. She ended up making the bed and as she did, memories of the night they spent together flowed through and left her red and sweaty. It was the best night of her life, there was no debating it. She felt strongly toward him and the feeling was reciprocated. He was...oh, he was a dream. There were no doubts in her head. He had his flaws like every human being but he cared about her. The tender affection he showed her was proof of that. He made sure to touch every part of her. Kiss every part of her. He was in no rush and it was obvious. He wanted to spend time with her. He enjoyed every
"No!" Kiera heard. The word was so sharp that she stepped back involuntarily. Her heart began racing and she thought of returning to her bedroom. The momentary rush of anger left her body as swiftly as it had come and she felt ashamed for trying to listen to a conversation that didn't concern her. She heard more arguing and remained rooted to the spot. "I make the final decision," Mikael was saying. He was speaking in a tone that she had never heard him use before. It was authoritative and demanded to be obeyed. Even she felt the need to agree with whatever he was saying. "This isn't how it works, Mikael," someone said. She heard a masculine voice. "We've been waiting for this moment for years. The time to attack is now. You promised us three weeks!" There were agreements but she didn't hear his voice amongst them, naturally. It was clear that someone didn't agree with Mikael's thoughts. She wondered what they meant by attack. Attack what?There was a long silence and even Kiera f
Kiera followed him silently. She wiped her cheeks as they made their way downstairs and tightened her robe. She mentally prepared herself to see everyone gathered downstairs. They didn't disappoint. They were seated around the small coffee table in the living room with rather unsympathetic expressions. Their eyes watched her coldly and a shiver ran through her. She didn't know what they had heard since she and Mikael were upstairs. She felt that she had been screaming. Mikael stopped in front of them and she stopped as well. She was a safe distance away from the whole group. There were a few new additions. There were two men she had never seen before. She asked herself why she was allowing them to put her through this and 'them' included Mikael. She could go home. Nothing was stopping her. This was, by far, the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her. Mikael could have discussed it with her in private. He didn't have to bring her entire family, which was beginning to
Kiera drove back home with a heavy heart. The weekend was a disaster and she wouldn't try to sugarcoat it. Mikael's family was strange and she couldn't say that she wanted to see them again, and because she intended to be with him, avoiding them entirely would be difficult. There were good moments. The lunch she had with him on Saturday was one of them, and the night she spent in his arms was the highlight of the weekend. But Saturday evening changed a lot of things for her; she was no longer in a hurry to get to know him. She discovered that what she wanted was space, but perhaps that was only because of his family and she was judging him too harshly. Yes, he followed her all the way to the hotel to apologize which she found strange but understandable, but he didn't stay the night and he didn't try to persuade her to return. What did that show her?She couldn't say she was happy with how everything turned out.Kiera opened the gate and drove inside. She left the hotel at seven so s
Kiera had been waiting for over fifteen minutes when he arrived.She didn't mind the wait. It helped her clear her mind and figure out what to say to him. Should she tell him everything? It was a weight on her conscience and she wanted to share the burden with someone else. She couldn't take the pressure. It would have been better if she didn't talk to him about it but she didn't have anyone else.It was strange, but it was the truth.Back in high school, she had a small group of friends. They were all like her but they got along well enough. None of them went to the same college, though, so they lost touch. Kiera spoke to a few of them occasionally on Facebook but it wasn't the same, evidently. Their lives led them to different paths. One of her closest friends, Miranda, was married with a kid. She seemed happy, but she was the one that Kiera didn't talk to at all. She didn't know where it all went askew. It's yet another thing she'll blame Jared for. He never liked any of her frien
The front door was wide open so Kiera knew that they were home. She held her breath as she parked the car. She released it only when she was locking it. Her feet were moving before her mind could process what she was doing or intended to do. She wouldn't let the matter go, though. She would confront the problem head on and take responsibility like the adult that she was. She walked inside and looked right. They where in the kitchen. Her impression was that they had been discussing something heatedly before she entered. They were staring at her as if she was a stranger. It made her feel bad but she held her ground. "Where were you?" she asked. "I thought you left for good." "Why would we leave for good?" Simone asked. "This is our home. And you, Kiera, are family to us. We had business to attend to. We left early so we didn't have time to inform you.""Business?" she asked. "What kind of business? Why aren't you specifying? Since when do we keep things from each other?" As she said