The Alpha And His Mate (Silver Hills #1)

Chapter 10

My stomach swelled. The dagger fell.

I woke up in a sweat. The same nightmare had plagued me since the first night. I had no idea what it meant, but it didn't seem to indicate anything good.

The guest bedroom in Richard's house was large and empty. One wall was completely glass, and it looked out over the woods. I didn't want to look at any more trees ever in my life.

Genevieve's pyjamas were ridiculously silky and scanty. I had no idea why she needed to wear such daring outfits to bed. I spent most nights in sweats. The black lace had dug into my leg and created a red mark. My fingers danced over the red pattern on my thigh.

It was far too hot in this room. I stood up and pulled my hair into a loose ponytail before creeping downstairs. I was extra quiet as I passed Richard's room. I presumed Genevieve was in there with them. My phone said it was past 3 o'clock. I'd been asleep for less than thirty minutes before the nightmares started. I was sure that wasn't normal.

I tiptoed into the large modern kitchen, planning on getting a glass of water. To my surprise, the light was on and somebody had beat me to it.

"Richard," I said softly. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake."

"For some reason I expected you to be awake," he told me, patting the seat besides him. I slid into the stool at the breakfast bar. "It must be hard to sleep knowing what you do."

I was silent for a moment. "I have nightmares," I admitted. "Bizarre ones. I can't work out what they mean."

He nodded. Understanding. "Eve gets them sometimes. She has her reason though."

My fingers traced a pattern on the marble table. I noticed that Richard looked more attractive in these early hours, when his blonde hair was in a disarray and his eyes were intense. "What's the deal with Genevieve?"

"That's her secret to tell I'm afraid." He looked at me for a few seconds, eyes tracing the shape of my mouth. I blushed slightly. "Your lips look sore," he pointed out.

"I'm sure you can guess why," I grumbled, ashamed to have it pointed out. "I went a bit crazy in the woods."

"The woods makes beasts of us all," he contemplated. "How about this?" He suddenly sat up, more alert. "I'll tell you something, but you have to promise to never repeat it."

I grinned, happy to be implicit in something. "I swear on my life."

"The real reason Genevieve doesn't like you is because in her mind you think your better than her."

My mind ran to a halt. "What!" I cried. "That makes no sense."

"It does, in a strange, twisted way. You've always been so clever with your books and your Harvard acceptance letter. The teachers and adults would scold her constantly as a child. They reprimanded her almost as much as they praised you. She also thinks you ruined Angel's high school experience." He shrugged and slapped his hands on the table. "So don't judge her too harshly."

"You're getting married to her," I said, treading into deep water, "but you cheat all the time. Do you really like her?"

I wasn't expecting an answer to that. Never mind an honest one. To my surprise, his shoulders slumped and he shook his head.

"Our engagement is built off mutual love. It's an arrangement between two important families. She has as many affairs as I do; she just hides them better." He looked embarrassed to be admitting this. I reached out my hand and clasped it in his without thinking of the consequences.

"Your family keep the secret of the supernatural creatures in this town," I recalled. "It must be heavy burden."

He sighed. "One I've carried since childhood. Sometimes the council meetings really get on my nerves."