Concealed (Unbound, Book 4)

Chapter Forty-Five

"So, you don't mind if I go out with Brant tonight?" Maible asked, looking down as she stirred her coffee that Luna had just refilled. "I bailed on lunch and haven't explained anything yet. I think he's getting frustrated with my excuses. Plus, eventually people are going to find out, and he should hear it from me first."

It had been a couple of weeks since Maible's heritage had been revealed. I'd ignored Devland—mostly—and spent my time with Maible, bonding as sisters rather than friends. While I held nothing back, explaining every painstaking story I could think of—good, bad, embarrassing, funny—Maible shared her childhood sparingly, all the while with a shadow overwhelming the spark in her eyes. I couldn't bring myself to ask how things had been at home between her parents, though I could see that she was tired, forcing herself to try to match the effort I was putting in. We spent most of our time at Calin's or Celestial Java, both points of neutral ground. I didn't even ask if she'd spoken with Devland.

I, for one, hadn't, but I knew it was coming.

Unfortunately, that didn't keep Devland from trying to speak to me whenever I came back to the Manor for clothes, though I hadn't spoken to him at all when I'd returned after visiting Luna to get my car. When Devland's attempts to talk didn't work, he'd started to leave presents for me in my sitting room, all of which remained unopened on a side table beside the door. I didn't need his guilt gifts, nor did I trust them. Not after what he'd done when my memory had been so elusive in order for me not to remember.

"Nora?"

"I'm sorry?" I narrowed my gaze and forced myself to concentrate on what Maible was saying. "You want my permission to hang out with your boyfriend?"

"I don't have to," she said quickly, finally looking back at me. "I just feel like I should try, you know?"

"Maible, you don't need my consent." I laughed loudly, then looked over my shoulder to see a few customers at the table beside us look over and blushed. Glancing back, I lowered my voice. "Go. Hang out with your boyfriend. We're blood. You know that means that you aren't going to make me not want to hang out with you because you wanted to spend a night apart. Heck, in a few weeks I'm sure we'll beg each other for time away from one another. Isn't that what sisters are like? A love-hate relationship?"

"It's still so weird that we're related," Maible whispered.

"Hmm, I know." I took a sip of my coffee and then nodded. "But I'm happy we are even if the way it came to be isn't fantastic."

"Me too."

I gestured to her cup and smiled. "Well, drink up. I'll drop you off and then you can get gussied up for Brant."

"Are you sure?"

"Jeez! Yes! I didn't face Devland to get my car back so I wouldn't use it," I said. "Besides, if he feels as guilty about abandoning you as he did me, maybe we can get him to buy you a car too. For now, think of it as sharing, which is nothing less than you deserve."

"I couldn't accept a car and face my father," Maible said. "He's hurt enough."

I pressed my lips together and stood. "Okay. Up. You need some quality time with Brant to cheer you up. Let's go."

Maible's laugh was forced, but she complied.

I put ten dollars on the table—the novelty of being served at a table was that Luna couldn't wave my money away—and raised my hand in goodbye to Luna as we left. I bit my tongue the whole trip to Maible's, forcing myself not to ask the questions I was dying to learn the answers to.

Had she spoken to Devland?

How was her dad?

Would she accept the gifts Devland was giving to me?