“Be kind, Dex,” Emma said. “And do not, I repeat, do not let her know anything about why Tilly and Ashford did what they did. That’s up to them. Just use your amazing parenting skills to get her to go home.”
“I’ll do my best.” He grabbed her for another kiss before she headed into the shower. No, not even Ariana could spoil his good mood.
***
Ariana stood in the middle of a pile of discarded clothing, frowning at herself in the looking glass. “It’s shockingly short,” she said, tugging at the fifth skirt Dahlia offered her. She began to shimmy out of it when Dahlia held up her hand.
“Stop. It’s not shockingly short. It’s a little too short because you’re so much taller than me, but it looks fine.” Her face said otherwise but she shook her head. “If you keep changing we won’t have any time for breakfast and you need your strength to get through whatever torture Dex has planned for you today.”
Ariana gasped, arranging the skirt more firmly around her waist. At least the blouse she’d decided on was long and covered her nearly to her chin. She didn’t mind a good bit of décolletage in her own time, but that was when her legs were covered.
“Torture?” she asked.
Dahlia laughed. “He won’t waterboard you or anything, but get ready to be taken to some pretty unsavory places. I’d bet this ring of yours he’s going to make it so you don’t think too highly of this time.”
Ariana slumped, realizing once again she’d made a mistake. First in running away from her parents, then from running away from her coven. The bitter, childish part of her that seemed to be rapidly fading into the background with every hard life lesson she learned, wanted to flee again. But she knew now that she could never get away from herself. Or the music she’d have to face when she decided which home to go back to. It was clear she wasn’t welcome here. Would she be welcome anywhere after all the messes she’d made?
As they settled at the breakfast table, Dex had his head down, reading one of the tablets everyone was so attached to and sipping on a cup of tea. He nodded to her somewhat grimly at first, but then a smile almost reached his eyes.
“Well, you’ll fit right in, dear,” Emma said, placing her own cup of tea onto the table and slipping into her place across from Dex. “If you decide to stay, though, I think we should go shopping for some things that fit you a little better.”
Dex choked on his tea and seemed about to say something but Emma reached over and patted his hand.
“She runs away and gets to go shopping?” Dahlia asked, pulling a box toward her and pouring cereal into a bowl. “Ugh, do I have to eat this nasty stuff?”
“Thank you for the cereal, Dex,” Emma corrected mildly. “Criminals don’t get to choose from a menu in prison. I daresay they’re thankful for what they get.”
“I bet even prisoners get eggs,” Dahlia muttered.
“You go ahead and continue on as you have been and I’m certain you’ll find out.”
Ariana couldn’t suppress the small giggle at that rejoinder and received a death glare from Dahlia, but also a wink from Dexter. Dahlia saw the wink and scowled.
“You needn’t act as if you’re so mature,” Dahlia mumbled. She slopped some milk on the cereal and continued, angrily taking a big bite and crunching around the words. “An actual mature person wouldn’t have to run away.”
“She’s got you there, Ariana,” Dexter said. It felt like a betrayal and stung worse than any slap.
It emboldened Dahlia. “Nor would you live with some man your parents don’t even know.”
The stunned silence that followed caused Dahlia to blanch. She immediately looked contrite, but Ariana refused to forgive her as she burned with shame at Dexter’s and Emma’s horrified stares.
“What’s this about?” Dexter boomed, sounding alarmingly like her father.
“Come along, Dahlia. Time to leave for school,” Emma said at the same time, tugging on her daughter’s sleeve. Dahlia dug in, staying rooted to her chair.
Doesn’t want to miss the show, Ariana thought bitterly, fighting tears. “He’s not just any man,” she tried to explain. “We’re betrothed.” She was ashamed of the lie, more ashamed that she was glad it wasn’t true.
Dexter and Emma trained their gazes on her hands. Her ringless hands. She shot a look at Dahlia who immediately wrenched the ruby from her finger and flung it across the table. “I had no idea it was an engagement ring. Who gives away their engagement ring like that?”
With shaking hands, Ariana put the ring back on her finger, unable to look at anything except the beautiful gem. How she hated it. Hated everything at that moment.
“Do you live with him?” Dexter choked.
“Yes. But it’s not like that,” she said. “Not like what you’re thinking.” She burned with embarrassment and self-recrimination. She knew it was wrong, but she’d done it anyway. Why had she done it? For the life of her she didn’t know why. Almost worse than that, she’d bragged about it to impress that little snitch, Dahlia, and now she was paying for it.
“Why don’t you explain what it’s like, then?” Dexter asked. The words were reasonable enough but when she sneaked a peek at him, his jaw was set to the point she feared he might break a tooth.
Without another word, Emma put her hands under Dahlia’s armpits and dragged her from her chair. “School. Now, young lady. Say one more word and you’ll add another month to your punishment.”
“I’m sorry,” Dahlia hissed as she was dragged away. Ariana only shook her head at her.
When she and Dexter were alone, she rallied the only defense she knew. Anger. She stuck out her chin and glared at him. “I can’t say that it’s any of your business what I do. You’re only my cousin and I’m an adult, after all.”
“Adult? You’re seventeen!”
“Old enough to have
