Breaking the News Ella I shriek when I hear the tap on the door, jumping up from the bed and dashing towards it, so excited to see my sister that I can’t even think about moving slowly.
Behind me, I hear Sinclair stand up and give a little growl. Without even looking, I know he’s standing with his arms across his chest, his feet wide apart, glaring at the door. But! That’s Roger’s problem. Not mine.
I fling the door open and immediately throw myself into my sister’s arms. ” Cora!” I shout, laughing. “I missed you!” “It was two days, Ella!” she laughs, shaking her head and hugging me back.
“Three!” I insist, frowning at her.
“Well, whatever,” she says, rolling my eyes. “We’ve spent longer apart than that.” “Yes well,” I say, pulling back and grinning at her. “I missed you. Don’t go away again. It was boring without you.” “I can’t believe that,” Cora says, frowning at me as we move into the room.
“Didn’t you go to the camps and work? That’s never – ” But I gasp, my hands flying to my mouth as soon as I see it.
Cora, surprised, turns to me with wide eyes and then starts to look around for whatever is wrong as Roger comes into the room as well, shutting the door behind him. Figuring it out first, Roger starts to laugh.
“What!?” Cora asks, looks between her mate and me.
“Cora!” I gasp, stepping forward and grabbing at the neck of her shirt, yanking it back so I can see – Her mating mark – right there! High on her shoulder, almost on her neck!
and blushing a little, reaching up to run her fingers over it and then sending a little glare Roger’s way. “Yes, he decided to put it in a very noticeable place, didn’t he?” “Damn right I did,” Roger murmurs, ducking down to give me a kiss on the cheek before moving over to
ignore them – and whatever boy fight is going to immediately ensue as I throw my arms around my sister,
eloped, instead of doing the wedding you planned!” “Cora,” I say, my shoulders falling in my disappointment, “I never cared about that – and even if I was disappointed, I’d never let it overshadow my happiness for you! This,” I say, gesturing again towards her mark, “is such a wonderful thing and you two waited so long and were so patient – ” Unable
days.” “I want to hear everything,” I say, pulling back. I open my mouth to ask for more details, but we
here, Roger,” Sinclair says, his whole body tense, glaring daggers at his
do this -” “Um,” I say, stepping closer to Cora. ” What do you say we steal the baby and go…somewhere else?” “You don’t want to watch the fireworks?” Cora says,
concentrate on you,” I say,
on.” Then, quickly, I cross the room again as quietly as I can, reaching for the baby, who is laying in his pack-and-play, messing with some toys. He gives a little happy squeak when I pick him
a door on this side of the room. Frowning, because she’s never been through it before, she follows me with curiosity. I watch her face as I open the door and we pass
and pointing towards another door, “there are more bedrooms, for the kids! So, we have like, our own little family suite here, which I think is really nice.” “I love it!” Cora says, laughing and sinking down onto the sofa, curling up her legs beneath her in a way that makes me smile, because she looks so cozy, and that’s precisely what I want. I know that we live in a palace and that there’s a sense of refinement to the entire place, but I really wanted to create a space within it where
against the pillows?
he can see his auntie as I sit down on the couch myself. “Tell me everything!” She does, then. Well, I can tell that she skips over some details that are more personal – just between her and Roger but my eyes predictably well up as soon as she starts telling me about how they went onto the beach, and the promises they made
“I’m going to stop telling you about my life if all it does is make you cry.” “You’d better not,” I cry out, sniffing
Cora says, sighing and leaning forward to take the baby from me so that I can blow my nose and pull myself together. I smile as I watch her settle the baby on her lap, grinning down at him and giving him a little baby talk that makes him
the baby, and then I lean against the pillows, not asking
curious, my eyes all dried up. “The whole story?” “Umm,” she says,
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Fd/+pc6VXuOz30/Pk6GFGxjvahWHI8q4u17qHBy3qizRaCjrehQ/HVEhhZ+E78ULdWkb7IxHzVYtz/lzKac2J46T+uMpI8yet7WFC3uhRRhTi1mSQfJ2uIwMKnPtBoGITS++zOybcX2oEe0SoxLglzElOzDGyeif3t8QKzSPQwyeHe+a4ICGyuOZGHIFD3cBo2iqd9QN/sV8DTwhi78r6/Yd7xVUb8iAX2RpVNfDoIS2T1D5w8UM2h2CDIC8fT/oCk34t7WZHfH5hXbAODZ+MMXUQbpwYZAxpZA9OskGbPKt5SFjiD27a+0lPIbTJPG4hpxu5Yt4WYOkn75+yE5Cyw==
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