𝐒𝐲𝐧 ┃𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

31. 𝐿𝑒𝑡'𝑠 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝐴 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑒

May 7, 2023

Queen

I followed the GPS on my phone until it pulled into a trail in the woods and I glanced at Syn through the rearview mirror. "Umm, are you sure I'm going the right way?"

He nodded. "Just follow the clearing."

I nodded, taking note of his quiet demeanor since the incident a couple of hours ago. I assured him Saint and I were fine and mistakes happened, but he didn't let himself off the hook. His eyes were downcast as his face didn't give me a hint as to what was going on in his mind. I just knew something was severely wrong and I was beginning to worry.

Especially after Saint started crying whenever Syn made the slightest gesture to touch him.

I played it off like it wasn't a big deal so Syn wouldn't feel bad, but it was huge. Saint loved his father. Most times, he preferred his company to mine, but tonight he clung to me like he'd never done before. It made me think back to what he told me the last time I spoke to him.

"When I touch him sometimes, I feel like I'm falling. The feeling is brief, but it is powerful. Take care of him for me..."

I wondered if that phenomenon he described to me had anything to do with him avoiding Syn tonight. The more I thought about it, it did. But it wasn't like Saint had all of the answers. There was still the mystery of what was going on with Syn.

I just hoped that this week with him would provide some answers. If I wanted to figure shit out, I needed to start thinking as he did. If I could have a fraction of his perceptiveness, I'd get it within seconds...but I didn't. I was just me and even if I didn't have gifts that he possessed to make him so keen to observation, I had one thing.

Love.

That hopefully would be enough to light the metaphorical bulb dangling above my head.

"It's right there," he said.

I drove downhill, following his direction until we reached a large two-story cabin and I stopped the car. "Umm, I don't think so, Syn," I said. "A cabin in the woods? There could be serial killers out here."

"If we're being technical and going by human law, I classify as a serial killer, Queen. Shit, you probably do too," he said, the light in his eyes returning a little bit.

"False," I spoke up. "Serial killers have a pattern and I do not. Therefore, Queen," I pointed to myself, "is not a serial killer. I just have a few bodies." I shrugged.

"Sure." He crossed his arms, a small smile spreading across his pink lips. "A lot of serial killers say they're not serial killers."

"False."

"How?"

"I don't know. I just like disagreeing with you."

My phone rang in my pocket and I pulled it out finally. I'd been so busy in the past few hours that I didn't want to answer any phone calls. I looked at the contact, and once I saw Aiden's name, my eyes widened. "Fuck," I whispered, leaning my head against the steering wheel.

"I'll leave you to that," Syn said, his voice clipped with a tinge of amusement that usually wasn't there where Aiden was concerned. This time was different than those times before though because right now we knew that I was screwed. I had left the dinner party without a word and to make things worse, it was with Syn.