Fracture (Chronicles of Discord, #1)

Fracture - Chapter 10

Astra shifted lazily under the covers, sliding her leg deeper into the cool sheets. Today, she decided, was going to be a good day, a better day than it had threatened to be last night. She turned her head on the pillow and opened her eyes, blinking a few times until they focused on her bedside table, or to be more precise, the contact strip that lay on her bedside table.

Leda’s contact strip.

She snuggled deeper into the warm cocoon of her duvet. She would doze here a little longer before dressing and going downstairs for breakfast. She sighed again. Thank goodness she had managed to retrieve that contact strip; if she hadn’t... Astra frowned and shook her head trying to get rid of the thought.

But it was too late.

The reminder of just how close they had come to disaster robbed her of the comfortable feeling of drowsiness she had been experiencing. Now she felt the dark shadow of Councillor Ladron engulf her again.

She threw back the covers and stretched her legs down the side of her bed until she felt the rug. Here at least, in this house, she was safe. More than that, she felt safe. She was humming to herself as she brushed her teeth and washed her face and as she came downstairs she was smiling.

“Good morning, my dear,” Uri Va Dic Toban looked up from his compu-pad and smiled at his stepdaughter as she stood behind his chair.

“Morning, Father.”

She kissed his cheek sliding her arms over his shoulders and linked them in front of him. Uri’s hand patted her soft skin absently, as she addressed the young girl sitting beside him up to the table, typing furiously on to her compu-pad.

“Petta, not again? Why do you always leave your homework until it’s too late?”

The girl didn’t look up but her fingers continued to move furiously over the keypad.

“I'm not sure, I guess I must like living on the edge.”

“I see you’ve got over it?”

Astra blinked at her youngest stepbrother.

“Got over what Penn?”

Penn exchanged a glance with Petta.

“Whatever it was that had you so riled last night.”

Astra blushed, embarrassed that her heated argument with Leda had been overheard.

“That’s enough, Penn.”

Penn was obediently silent at his father’s command.

“Where is Leda?”

“In the kitchen,” answered Petta grinning slyly, “and she’s got some rip company with her.”

Astra was surprised. While it was no secret that Leda had her admirers, most refused to enter the house. She registered the sound of voices as she pushed open the kitchen door.

She knew it was him, even before he turned, but some vague hope remained that she must be mistaken.

“Hi Astra, did you sleep well?” asked Ben.

He’d been imagining this moment since he’d realised that it had been her that had broken into his room the night before. He could tell she hadn’t even considered the possibility that he had called Leda last night and arranged this little visit. Maybe it was childish of him but he had wanted to surprise her, to shock her, to force some kind of reaction out of her.

And she was shocked. She was white with shock. So white that Ben thought she might faint, and suddenly he wasn’t amused any more. Because coupled with the shock was fear.