“Is that so, daddy?” I shot back. Maybe I wanted a reaction. Maybe I was spiraling. Because I wasn’t stopping. “You wouldn’t know the first thing about punishing me and getting me back in line.” I always was one to go where my emotions led me, but this was different. This was taunting a dragon full of fire, one that everyone thought was asleep, but I’d seen the spark behind his eyes. Bastian had smacked my ass in the dark of the night like a man who owned the world even if he stood here now trying to appear docile.
Rage coiled around him. Every feature on his face hardened, ready to strike out at me. Still, he murmured, “Not here. Not today. You get this day, Morina.”
I bit back a retort, not wanting to make more of a scene than I already had.
He sighed and pulled a little glass bottle from his pocket. When he held it out to me and I didn’t move to take it, he gripped my wrist gently and set it in my hand. “It’s a mix of rose, lavender, and chamomile oil for healing and comfort.”
“You…where did you get this?” I stuttered. He’d only seen me use the oil on my food truck and he’d remembered like I mattered to him.
“I believe the oils are from Europe. They use sustainable operating procedures and it’s organic.” He cleared his throat and glanced around. “I researched it just to be sure.”
“For me?” I squeaked out, completely confused.
“For your grandmother passing, yes.” He straightened his tie as if he was uncomfortable. “Anyway, I want to make sure this town is taken care of. Please don’t fight me on it, Morina. I’d like to see you at the reading.”
“This town can take care of itself. It isn’t ruled by anything but the people in it.” I said as I pocketed the oil, trying to forget our odd exchange.
“It’s a small town surrounded by a lot of big ones,piccola ragazza.” He rocked back on his heels, the name he called me in his native tongue suddenly felt like it was filled with condescension.
“Honestly, Bastian, I don’t care about this at all right now. I don’t care about the date or time or the will in general.”
“I think the will is a little more important than your grandmother made it seem.”
I stepped up to him fast, my boots clomping on the cement. “Are you calling my grandma a liar on the day of her funeral?”
“I’m calling her a caring woman who wanted to protect her only granddaughter a little while longer. There’s a lot of responsibility you’re about to take on.”
People didn't listen to their gut instinct when biology and nature was trying to tell them something. My heart pulled to Bastion in a way that it didn't with most men. I couldn't figure out if it was just attraction or something more. All I knew was that, although my heart was pulled to him, my gut screamed for me to run the other way.
The sun shone on him like some higher power knew he held more weight than the rest of us. This man walked in a dimension that I was not familiar with. And I didn't want to be familiar with it. I wanted to move with the wind and water and leave the multiple dimensions to men like him.
“You and your suit along with your security team”–I looked at Dante who was still in the car but stared at me with a look of remorse–“and your Rolls Royce can go to the will reading without me. Or shove the will up your ass for all I care.”
He started to say something, but my body veered off its natural course.
“I don’t want any part of this will. I don't want anything. All I want is the food truck and for you to leave.” I waved my arms about like a child, my bracelets jangling as I did. “This is completely unnecessary. They can mail me the information for all I care, Bastian. But the only place I’m going is home. I’ll be there for days. I don’t think I need to do anything after losing the person I love most in this world. So, you can expect whatever you want, but I’m not going to that will reading.”
“Morina,” His voice came out low and menacing, not at all gentle like it had been before. It was a warning, meant to snap sense back into the chaotic blood running through my veins. His eyes had darkened, his face changed. Gone was a man willing to negotiate. “Get your ass to that will reading tomorrow. Or I will personally be at your home to drag you to it.”
11
Morina
Iheard those words all through the night.
After tossing and turning for hours, I grabbed my phone to read the signs.
My horoscope was a freaking bitch.
It literally read, “Listen to the omen given to you yesterday. It will serve you well.”
Oh, shut up.
I purposely hadn’t set my alarm. I wasn’t going to wake to the sun or the waves either. I had every intention of sleeping in and missing the stupid will reading.
Still, something in the kitchen fell and woke me right at 8:30AM. If my grandmother wasn’t haunting me, she was at least trying to send signs.
I kicked off my weighted blanket. “Grandma, this is absolutely fucking ridiculous.”