Her Broken Wings - FINALLY Completed

Chapter 4

"What the hell was that?" The question burst from my lips as soon as we were at the car.

"Nothing."

"That was not nothing." When she didn't answer I sighed. Letting it go I hopped into the car.

Zoey was quiet the entire drive back to the mansion. Normally I wouldn't have minded the silence, but it worried me. Usually I couldn't get Zoey to shut up for more than five minutes.

When we got out of the car, Zoey and I grabbed as many bags as we could and headed into the house. When we were finally finished putting the bags up in my room, we made our way towards the kitchen.

As we entered the room my eyes went immediately to Sam. His presence was like a beacon to my senses. His eyes drifted to where we stood in the doorway. For a moment they landed and held on me, making my heart beat erratically in my chest, and then they shifted to Zoey. Sam was out of his chair in seconds.

"Zoey." Sam's voice was commanding as ever, but a hint of concern was present as he took in his sister's tear stained cheeks. Walking up to her, he placed a hand under her chin, forcing her to meet his searching gaze. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." Zoey's voice came out in a muffled growl, but I still caught a hint of vulnerability in her tone. At Sam's sharp glare, Zoey shrugged. "I saw Nolan." Her voice cracked when she said his name, her eyes filling with tears. Sam pulled his sister into a hug, his lips moving next to her ear. I couldn't hear what he said, but Zoey's body seemed to relaxed and some of the tension that was in her shoulders slipped away. When they finally pulled apart, Zoey was steady on her feet and a faint smile was present on her lips. She turned and gave my arm a squeeze before walking out of the room.

Suddenly, I felt small. My stomach churned uneasily and I felt nerves begin to grow every second that I stood there in silence. My eyes shifted around the room, looking anywhere but at Sam. It was because of this that I finally noticed the unfamiliar man sitting at the kitchen table. His face was set in a friendly smile, but there was something about him that made me uneasy.

"Sam. You going to introduce me to your lady friend?" I glanced up briefly to see Sam's face harden in a scowl.

"Rose. This is Adrian, but if he keeps acting like an ass feel free to call him Meathead." I couldn't help my giggle. Never in five hundred years would I have told you that Samuel Grayson could tell a joke.

"Very funny." Adrian said with a glare in Sam's direction. Any remaining nerves were washed away by the familiar way that the two bantered.

I sent Adrian a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Are you hungry?" Sam asked. I shook my head lightly, but I couldn't help the blush that rose on my cheeks. Was he just trying to be nice, or had he noticed how thin I was? Insecurity was a real bitch. Shaking off the heavy feeling that had landed on my chest, I tried to put on a convincing smile.

"I could make ya'll some lemonade." My spirits brightened. There wasn't much you couldn't solve with a tall glass of lemonade. At least that's what my mom always said. Setting out about the kitchen I got out the lemons and the sugar. Sam went back to the table to sit beside Adrian but every few minutes I felt his eyes shift towards me, as if checking up on how I was doing. Having his eyes on me was both nerve wracking and comforting at the same time.

Making lemonade with only one hand was difficult to say the least. By the time I'd squeezed all the lemons and added water and sugar, my right arm felt like one giant sore muscle. Adding ice into three glasses, I let out a sigh as I heard the ice crackle when it hit the sour liquid.