Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Asher follows her in, his shoulders stiff as he scans the room. The place is old, but Nonna keeps it tidy. Ornate frames with chipped edges cover the walls, and the floors are in desperate need of a fresh coat of varnish.
My stomach grumbles as the smell of braised meat drifts through from the kitchen.
“Ah.” Nonna catches my look as Asher moves around the room. “Food will come, but first. Wine.”
She steers us to the kitchen, clay pots stacked beneath bundles of dried herbs hung from beams. This has always been Nonna’s home base. I wonder why none of us thought to come back here more often.
Nonna stirs the largest pot on the stove. “Asher. Grab us down some glasses.”
He flips the first cabinet open and does as he’s told, placing them on the counter.
She pops a cork off a bottle of Pinot, eying Asher with a smirk. “You’re rather impressive on a snowboard, Mr. Jameson. Tell me, is that a family trait?”
He hesitates, and I swirl the liquid around the glass.
“I guess you could say that.” His mouth splits into a wide smile.
All the air leaves my lungs. I hadn’t realized how badly I missed that smile until now.
I swallow a gulp of wine to drown the butterflies in my belly.
He leans forward and locks onto Nonna like she’s the only person in the room. Asher is good at that. At making you feel like you mean something to someone. The thought hollows me out.
More wine.
“You watched me?” Asher blinks, darkness lifting from his shoulders for the first time in… forever.
They must’ve been talking Winter Games while I was off ruining my own life in my head.
Nonna chuckles. “Of course. When Ivy told me who she was...” The corner of her mouth tilts up. “...smitten with. Well. I had to pay very close attention.”
I grip the stem of my glass. “Nonna!”
Nonna pats my cheek, completely unbothered. “What? Now, now. You and I both know that’s the least I could do.”
She’s playing right into Asher’s hands, and he has no idea she’s doing it on purpose.
He laughs, settling against the counter like his body already knows it belongs there.
Nonna winks at him. Fucking winks.
“He makes physics his bitch, Ivanya, that is impressive.”
I scrub a hand over my face and try not to smile. “Jesus, Nonna.”
She refills our glasses and turns back to Asher. “Tell me about the switch method. I don’t understand how you generate that rotation.”
He plants one palm on the counter and breaks down edge control and weight distribution. When his arm stretches over my chair, I freeze, the hairs along my neck lifting.
Nonna asks smart questions, cutting straight to the parts that matter. He meets her there, voice steady, hands moving, the stiffness in him loosening with every answer.
This is who he was, who he could have stayed if I hadn’t fucked him.
Nonna taps my wrist with a spoon and drags me back. “Ivy? Show Asher to your room, ma petite. You both need rest before dinner.”
He nods toward the stairs. “Lead the way, Venom.”
I step onto the narrow staircase with his heat at my back as I direct us up to my childhood bedroom.
It’s like walking through time. Pink and teal paint is chipped over the walls from where I’d rip down old posters I outgrew, leaving only the pressed flowers hanging in frames. They were my constant reminder to care for things after they die.
My feet carry me to the wooden bench seat below the large window.
Random quotes from the Codex are carved into the wood. Mainly the ones I struggled to learn.
The body keeps score of violence. Learn its language before you speak it.
Memories flash through my head.
Jord quizzing me and throwing chocolate in my mouth every time I got it right.
Leon teaching me how to break someone without touching them. He’d stay patient, making me do it again until my eyes stopped giving me away.
Asher sets down the bags and takes in the room, his fingers dragging over the photos tucked into my mirror. Jord and me at sixteen. Luce and me shooting. Leon and Punk laughing at something dumb.
Neither of us speaks.
“Funny.” I drag my thumb over the grooves carved into my bedpost. “The thought of ever bringing a boy into this room never crossed my mind.”
He glances over, brows lifted slightly. His jaw loosens as he starts to speak, then he clamps his mouth shut.
I keep moving, letting the room settle my head.
Tracing the edge of the picture frame, I whisper, “Nonna saved me. After...”
The words fade in my mouth.
I turn to meet his stare. “Asher.”
He steps past me, reaching for the door. “Don’t.”
He stops with his hand on the frame. “I need to shower before dinner.” Keeping his back to me, he lifts his chin. “She’s exactly what I pictured, by the way. When you talked about her.”