Blood Tied by Jacob Z. Flores Page A

across his expression, but he didn’t speak. It only added to the awkwardness.
    “Well, alrighty then,” Charlotte said. “I think I’ll give the two of you some privacy.
    When she walked away, I had no clue what to say or do. Did I tell him Charlotte had too many bats in her belfry, or did I just play it off with a chuckle? Instead of playing it cool and doing either of those things, I got up and left the room.
     
     
    I DIDN’T storm out the front door like I planned. I plopped down in the antique Queen Anne chair in the hallway. I couldn’t leave, no matter how embarrassed I was. I had to stay and see what Drake might uncover.
    I buried my face in my hands and groaned. How could Charlotte have done that to me? She knew how guarded I was with my feelings. Hell, she was the only person until a few hours ago who’d had any knowledge I even dated.
    I kept my private life and my feelings to myself. They belonged to me. They were mine to deal with and work through. As long as I understood what I felt and processed it, I could keep myself under check.
    It kept those I loved safe.
    What Charlotte had done undermined all the precautions I’d taken. Plus, it was pretty bitchy. I’d expect that from Miranda but not from someone I considered a friend.
    “I don’t think she meant any harm.”
    Aiden stood over me. His earlier smile had been replaced with a thin grin that clearly communicated his discomfort with the situation.
    “I know,” I said with a sigh. There wasn’t a malicious bone in Charlotte’s body. She most likely believed she was helping me, pushing me beyond my comfort zone. But that wasn’t her place. “I don’t have many friends, so I won’t hold it against her for too long.”
    “Why is that?” he asked. He sat down on the blue carpet that lined the middle of the hallway.
    “Because despite the fact she sometimes speaks before thinking, she’s a good person.”
    “I have no doubt,” he replied. “But that wasn’t what I was asking. Why don’t you have many friends?”
    I shrugged. “Not really a people person. Too busy. More of a lone wolf. Take your pick.”
    He scrunched up his lips. “I choose none of the above.”
    Interesting answer.
    Aiden scanned me, practically piercing through the barriers I had erected. He was worming his way into territory no one but my mother had ever entered.
    “What are you doing?” I asked.
    “Seeing you,” he replied as if it were no big deal. “The real you.”
    “What you see is what you get.” I stood up. This conversation was making me uneasy, even more than Charlotte’s grand reveal. I had to get back to the library, where topics like shadow weavers and banshees were being discussed. Those made more sense to me.
    Aiden wrapped his fingers around mine as I tried to pass. He didn’t clutch them as if he was preventing me from leaving. If I wanted to leave, he wouldn’t stop me, but his soft lingering touch was asking me to stay. How could I say no to that?
    “Do you have something on your mind?” I asked, not withdrawing my hand from his. His warmth was too comforting.
    “There’s more to you than what can be seen,” he said. His big smile returned, and it lit up his green eyes like the sun. “I can sense it. It’s hidden behind so many barriers, though, it makes you a tough read, but it’s there like a seed waiting for the rain to set it loose.”
    Of course. Fire fairies dealt with emotions. They were not only good at kindling them but also sensing them in others.
    “I like to be mysterious,” I said with a wink. Perhaps a playful approach might put an end to this conversation.
    “It’s not mystery I sense, Thaddeus. It’s sadness.” His eyes welled, and a stray tear slipped down the angular lines of his face. While the fire fae weren’t empathic, they were sometimes affected by what those around them felt. “It’s overwhelming, and it’s what keeps you separate from everyone else. It’s what makes you feel so alone.”
    I