Redemption: Alchemy Series Book #4 (12 page)

I shrugged and crossed my arms. "Fine. Go ahead. Explain."

"I was afraid of what I'd do if I stayed. I was afraid I'd hurt you."

"Because you went so crazy? Yeah, I remember now. You look like you really went through the wringer while you were gone." It was an absurd statement, considering he was glowing in good health.

"I didn't know what I'd do."

"You were so afraid of hurting me but leaving was the most hurtful thing you could've done."

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Cormac, it's over. You and I are done." I just had to try and convince myself as hard as I was trying to convince him. Because I felt a lot of things right now: raw, hurt, crushed. But nowhere, in all of the emotions swirling to the surface, did I feel even the slightest bit finished.

I turned and headed into the castle with Cormac on my heel
s when it hit me, we were both headed to the same place. 

I continued to walk even though I had no clue as to what I was going to do and Cormac continued to follow me. I wrenched open the door,
and the smiles of the guards as they looked at Cormac with hero worship just made me more agitated.

I made it to the penthouse, Cormac silently following. When I walked in, and saw the door to the guest bedroom open, I remembered Dark had guard duty at the side entrance tonight. It was a relief to be able to fight this out in private
, if that was what it was going to come to.

I watched Cormac walk into the living room and relax onto the couch, like time had stood still. He'd already changed into his white shirt and pants and looked just like he had before he left.

"You need to find a new place to sleep." I tried to avoid looking at him as he folded his arms behind his head and crossed his ankles.

"Can't do that." His voice was in complete control again. Any weakness he'd shown outside was walled off. He was digging in and I could battle him or not, but I knew him well enough to know he'd set his course.

"Why?"

"Because you told everyone I was out searching for a place for them while I was gone. I've since informed them that this still seems to be the best location, which, by the way is truthful. How do I explain getting booted from
my
penthouse after returning?"

"I don't care. Make something up. I'm not giving up my bedroom."

"And even if I were willing, which I'm not, where would I go? This place is packed tighter than a sardine can."

"I don't care. You found somewhere to sleep for the last three months, go back there."

"No." He managed to shrug somehow while he was reclined.

"You gave it up. It's mine." I knew it was useless. Why was I even bothering? He wasn't going to budge.

He made a loud show of yawning as he stretched and got up.

"You aren't sharing my room," I said, seeing where this was heading and walked into the bedroom first, shutting and locking the door before he could come in.

"If you refuse to leave, you can sleep on the couch," I yelled it through the door. "And besides, when the hell did you start sleeping again, anyway?" I didn't get a response but was too chicken to open the door back up and see how he was reacting.

I collapsed on the bed, prepared to be awake for the rest of what was left of the night, knowing Cormac was on the couch. I fell asleep not two minutes later.

Chapter Nine

Bunkmates

I felt the arm around me, the body against my back and I stirred. The arm tugged me closer into its warmth.

"Burrom, I told you
-" my brain kicked into gear just as Cormac's yell filled the room.

"Burrom?" he roared as he leapt from the bed as if it had burned him. I hoped no one was in the living room. Maybe the whole floor,
‘cause he was loud, and also gloriously naked.

"Shhh! I don't want anyone to hear you."

"That you're fucking him?" He didn't bother lowering his voice.

I heard a noise by the bedroom door right before I heard Dark's voice. "You're fucking Burrom?"

I was out of bed with one hand on my hip and another pointed at Cormac. "See?"

Cormac, ignoring me, turned to inspect the stone wall and the wooden door.

"Dude, the walls aren't sound proof anymore," Dark said from the other side of the door. "We've got more of the vintage acoustics these days."

Cormac stopped by the door and swung it open. "Dark, you've got five seconds to get the hell out of the penthouse."

I couldn't see Dark's face, all I heard was. "Dude, you got it. All you had to do was ask."

Cormac slammed the door shut.

He stood unmoving, looking like he might burst a vein as it throbbed in his neck.

"I'm not sleeping
with Burrom," I said in hushed tones, not because I thought he deserved an answer but because I wanted to shut him up.

I toyed with the idea of letting him think I had been sleeping with Burrom, just for a little payback, but it wasn't worth the strife it would cause. I didn't want the entire place to think I was messing around with him. I knew there were already rumors
, with the amount of time we spent together.

There were other entanglements I'd prefer not to have any light shed on and it would be a lot harder if the entire castle was watching us all the time.

But that didn't stop me from adding, "Not that you have any right to care or say anything about it if I did."

"He's out of here. Today."

"No, he's not."

He wasn't screaming anymore. He hastily threw on his pants and walked out of the bedroom.

"Shit, can I ever wake up in peace anymore?" I ran out of the bedroom after him and had to go all the way into the hall before I caught up. At least he wasn't disappearing.

"Stop," I yelled at him as he was opening the door to the stairwell
, but he didn't listen to me. I rushed forward and grabbed his arm. I stepped in front of him, psychically blocking his way. He could have easily pushed passed me but he paused.

I dropped my hand quickly, self conscious of touching him, of what being this close to him did to me.

"I need him here. Even if I had slept with him, which I didn't, I couldn't allow you to kick him out. It's bad business."

He stared down at me, trying to read my face.

"I didn't sleep with him."

I saw his pulse start to slow.

I knew Cormac. When he didn't move forward and I saw the gleam in his eye, I took a deep breath in preparation for what was to come.

He took a step back from me, the last thing I expected
, and leaned a shoulder against the wall, crossing his ankles. Whatever had happened to him out there, one thing was obvious: he was still pure Cormac.

"Why do you want to keep Burrom here? If it's business, like you say, then tell me why you need him."

It galled me after all this time to have to explain anything to him but he had the entire castle at his back. If he wanted Burrom gone, he'd get it. So I pulled out my trump card. I needed to tell him anyway.

"I think my truce with the senator is at an end. We're going to need him."

"Doesn't mean he has to live here," he said.

"You aren't worried about the senator?" I'd expected a stronger reaction, at least something. Cormac wasn't the type to run around screaming the sky was falling
, but I'd expected more than this.

"We always knew he wouldn't be held at bay for long."

Plan B, "Well, there are other reasons. Burrom allows me an edge with certain things."

He shook his head. "Not good enough."

He pushed off the wall and started toward the staircase again. I wasn't sure if he was bluffing or not, but I didn't want to take the chance.

"Stop! It's in both of our best interests for him to be here
, but I can't divulge the details."

He stopped again, this time right next to me.

"With the fights."

"How did you know?"

"I was catching up yesterday while you were hiding from me and going to clandestine meetings."

"I wasn't hiding. And you don't know anything." Burrom never would've told him, and besides me, no one knew.

He smiled and continued. "I know about the fights. Not pretty, but I understand it. I also heard about some of the match ups. Colleen couldn't have taken some of them without a little help.

"From there it was obvious who would be willing and able to help."

"So you agree, he stays," I said, but might have relaxed too soon.

"I don't like his tinkering. So no, I don't agree."

"Colleen would be dead."

"But it's right that she killed others? Unfairly?"

"She didn't kill Evan."

"It's not right."

"Well, I don't care, because Burrom's staying."

"I don't agree with the manipulation. I didn't say I wouldn't agree to him staying, just that I don't like the tinkering. In times like this, honor is more important than ever. I don't want him manipulating fights
, but I won't insist on him leaving, on one condition."

"What?"

"We share the penthouse."

I chewed on my lip, thinking over my options. If I didn't agree, how was I going to get around
him?

"You don't have any other options."

I shook my head. It was an obvious deduction on his part but it still grated on my nerves, maybe more so because he was right. I still couldn't take him on and I knew it.

"Fine. We share the penthouse."

"And, Jo," he put his finger under my chin, tilting my head up when I would've ignored him. "No more tinkering. My orders."

I jerked my face out of his grip and returned
the favor by gripping his chin. "You don't rule the roost here anymore. You need to realize that."

He grabbed my wrist before he kissed my knuckles and let it go. He laughed, amused at my actions and turned his back on me as he strolled to the penthouse.

"We shall see who 'rules the roost' sweetheart," he said, right before he walked in.

I was the one staring at the walls and screaming now.

C
hapter Ten

New Friends

I was lying on the couch with an arm thrown over my head when Colleen walked in, her leg in an ugly cast. I'd slept there last night, when Cormac refused to leave the bedroom. It irritated me to no end considering he didn't even need to sleep anymore, and I was positive he was just faking it all night long. Score one for him. We were now tied for one night each claiming the bed. One him, one me. I had no intention of losing to his fake snoring tonight. Big jerk didn't even know that he didn't snore. 

"How's your leg?"

"Sucks. What's wrong with you?" She sat down on the end of my couch, smushing my legs, instead of opting for the empty one across from me. I knew she had a cast and all but there was all sorts of empty seating. Was it really necessary for us to sit together? People hogging my bed, now people hogging my couch. Did nobody appreciate personal space?

I'd never wanted a sister but I had a feeling this
was what it would have been like. If someone other than her had walked in, I would've at least put on a show of not being depressed.

"I'm not fun anymore," I said.

"Forgive me for asking, but did you used to be? That must have happened before I knew you."

I lifted my arm just enough to make sure she could see my scowl.

"Scowling at me doesn't magically rewrite the past."

"Fine, maybe I wasn't fun
, exactly, but I was funny."

"Okay, I'll give you that one. As much as I'd like to sit and wallow with you, I'm only here to deliver some correspondence."

I hadn't noticed the paper in her hand until then. The yellow crayon told me who it was from before I even read it.

Meet us out front at sundown.

"The bugs?"

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"Can't they find a pen?"

"I think they like the colors."

"So, are you getting up? What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? I figured you'd be nauseatingly happy now that your man is back. I planned on avoiding you for at least a solid week, until the edge wore off. You should've told me it was safe."

"Seriously? My happiness would've been that irritating to you?"

"I feel like the right thing in this situation would be to lie, but yeah, it would've been God awful. I might have even had to fight someone to take the edge off all that sunny joy overflow, even with the cast."

"Well then, you will be relieved to know I'm not overjoyed and have no plans for an abundance of happiness in the near future."