“He’ll kill her,” I finished in a flat voice. “And everyone else from the Sinclairs who won’t join him.”
Grant frowned, as if surprised by my knowledge. “Yeah. And that’s why people have been leaving. Nobody wants to be associated with a Family that’s in as much trouble as the Sinclairs are.”
“So why do you stay?”
I tried to use my soulsight, but his gaze kept skittering away from mine before I could get a lock on his feelings. Although for some strange reason, his eyes seemed to darken the longer I stared at him, as if his black pupils were bleeding into the blue of his irises.
Grant wet his lips. “I stay because I—”
“I’m going out today, and that’s final.” Devon’s voice sounded in the hallway outside.
“You were attacked, Devon.” Claudia’s much calmer tone drifted into the dining hall. “And at least one of those people is still out there.”
Footsteps clattered on the marble, and mother and son appeared in the open doorway. Claudia wore another elegant pantsuit, this one a cool white, while Devon had on a black polo shirt and khakis.
“I know that,” Devon said, his voice harsh. “Believe me. I was there. And so was Ashley.”
I didn’t need my Talent for sight to see his fisted hands, the muscles standing out in his arms, and how tightly his jaw was clenched.
“I’m not going to hide in the mansion,” Devon said. “I did it enough after Dad died. I’m through sitting around. I’m not afraid of the Draconis or the Itos or any of the other Families, and I plan to show them that. I need to show everyone I’m not a coward.”
Claudia’s stern expression softened. “You aren’t a coward, but you’ve been through a lot this year. We all have.” She hesitated. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“It’s a risk I have to take, that we all have to take by being Sinclairs,” Devon said.
Claudia reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
“Besides, you know why I have to go,” Devon said, his voice taking on a sour note as he pulled away from her. “You’re the one who set it up, after all.”
Claudia’s mouth puckered. Devon turned and looked into the dining hall.
His jaw clenched a little tighter when he realized that everyone inside was watching and had heard every single part of their conversation. But he squared his shoulders and stepped inside the room anyway. I couldn’t help admiring him a little for that.
My stomach rumbled again, and I decided to make the most of the awkward silence that had descended over the dining hall.
“Well,” I said in a bright voice, getting up and heading back to the buffet table. “If I’m going to be on bodyguard duty today, then I’m definitely going to need some more breakfast.”
Claudia fixed herself a plate of food and stopped by the table where Grant and I were sitting.
“Grant, will you please make sure that Devon gets to his appointment?” Claudia said. “And Lila, too.”
She might be paying me to be her son’s guard, but she didn’t trust me. Not if she was sending Grant along to babysit me. Smart woman. Claudia gave me a chilly look before she left the dining hall. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at her.
Devon fixed himself a plate and took the seat next to Grant, focusing on his food and avoiding everyone’s eyes. A minute later, Felix wandered in, grabbed all the remaining bacon off the buffet, and plopped down in the chair next to me. The four of us ate in silence for several minutes.
“You know when we went to pick up Lila yesterday, I’d forgotten how cute your new bodyguard was going to be, Devon,” Felix drawled in his typical, flirty voice. “Please tell me that you don’t plan on keeping her all to yourself.”
Devon’s hand tightened around his fork, but he didn’t respond to his friend’s teasing. Instead, his lips pressed together and his face looked even grimmer than before. His eyes met mine, his guilt punching me in the chest. I wondered if it was because Ashley was dead—or he knew that I was going to end up that way, too.
“Maybe I’ll just have to steal her for myself.” Felix winked at me.
Grinning, I leaned closer to him and dropped my hand down behind his back. “Do you not remember how easily I kicked your ass yesterday, pretty boy?” I said in a sweet tone. “I could slice you up like a pizza before you knew what hit you.”
I leaned away from him and tossed his wallet onto the table. “Besides, I don’t date guys who can’t hang on to things.”
Felix’s mouth gaped open, and he slapped his hand to his back pocket. “How did you do that? I didn’t feel a thing!”
“No, you didn’t,” I said in a smug voice. “Even if you did, you would have just thought I was grabbing your ass.”
To my surprise, Devon let out a low chuckle, which made his green eyes light up with amusement. It was the happiest I’d seen him. Despite my conflicting feelings, I found myself smiling back. We stared at each other, and his laughter slowly died. So did my smile. We both focused on our food again.
Felix kept up a steady stream of chatter all through breakfast, pointing out people and pixies at the surrounding tables, and telling me a bit of gossip about each one. I pretended to concentrate on my food, but I took in everything. I’d already scouted out most of the mansion, and now it was time to learn about the people inside it, too. Just in case things went badly for me here. Finally, though, Felix wound down, and the four of us finished eating.
“Well,” Devon muttered. “I suppose we should go and get this over with.” He looked at Felix. “You need to come, too. Especially since she’ll be there.”
I wondered who the mysterious she was, but I was polishing off the last of my hash browns, which was much more important than asking a useless question.
Felix rolled his eyes. Whatever Devon was plotting, he didn’t want any part of it.