Eden's Playground: Graystone Academy Book One, BE Kelly [good short books .TXT] 📗

“That sounds serious,” she said. “I’ve admitted that I don’t have a lot of experience in the relationship area but isn’t that something you should say to me at the end of our relationship, and not the beginning?” she teased.

“Wow,” Duff breathed. “You’re already thinking about the end of our relationship, Eden?” he asked, feigning hurt.

“Anson was the one who brought up having to talk,” she defended. “Don’t try to pin this on me. So, what do we need to discuss?” she asked.

“Your name,” Anson blurted out. Yeah—he needed to work on his delivery. He was never very good at breaking something “gently” to others. He was a cut to the chase kind of guy.

“My name?” she questioned.

“Yeah—if our father finds out that you’re a Graystone he’ll never give us the information that we’re looking for. To him, the feud between our families is very real. If you want answers, we’ll have to omit your last name when we introduce you,” Duff said.

“Or I could just use my mother’s maiden name,” she offered. “Her last name was Street. Just introduce me as Eden Street,” she said. He knew that she didn’t like the idea, but Anson was grateful that she was granting them this concession.

“Thank you, Eden,” Anson said. “I appreciate that you’re willing to do that for us.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I talked to my father yesterday and he said some pretty hateful things about your father. Even when I told him that not all shifters are bad, he insisted that didn’t apply to Kirkpatrick shifters. Whatever happened between your father and mine, it was bad. They hate each other and we need to find out why, after generations of Kirkpatricks and Graystones being friends, that streak ended with our fathers.”

“Okay, so you’re Eden Street for the next twenty-four hours and we’ll find a way to get some answers,” Duff said.

Anson chuckled and Eden looked at him as if he lost his mind. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Well, this is just a very strange way for the three of us to get to know each other. Hell, you only just agreed to give us a chance and here we are taking you home to meet our father,” Anson said. Their whole “relationship” if that was what it could even be called, was a complete shit storm.

“Will your father mind you bringing home a random friend from the academy?” she asked. Their father didn’t pay much attention to who they brought home or whom they were dating. Hell, he didn’t seem to care that Duff and he shared women. That was all too much information for their father and he’d have to be more involved in their lives to care.

“Not really,” Duff admitted. “We’ll be lucky to get ten minutes with the man. He’s usually busy with work or drunk off his ass, so fingers crossed we can talk to sober dad for at least a few moments.”

“The other thing is—no magic,” Anson said. He had noticed her using her magic here and there over the past few days. Most witches around campus flaunted their abilities, but not Eden. She seemed to quietly hide the fact that she was a witch. It was almost as if she didn’t like using her gifts, especially around other people.

“No magic?” she asked.

“It’s our father’s rule. When Duff and I were kids, he got sick of us being able to communicate with each other and me reading minds. So, we all made a pact—no magic while we are home,” Anson said.

“So you just gave your word and it’s a done deal—no magic?” she asked.

“A wolf’s word is his bond. We agreed and that’s that. We aren’t allowed to use our gifts in the house and I know Dad will expect the same from you,” Duff said.

“Okay—I agree. I don’t like to use my abilities anyway,” she admitted. “I didn’t get my gifts, as you call them, until later. In fact, my father worried that I wasn’t ever going to become a witch. As soon as I got my abilities, he started making plans to sign me up to Graystone so that I could follow in his footsteps.”

“Thank you for agreeing to our stipulations. I know that we’re asking a lot but it’s only for a night,” Anson said.

“No problem,” Eden breathed. “I just hope this is worth it and we can get some answers.”

“Me too,” Anson agreed. He worried that they were making this trip home in vein and possibly exposing their relationship with Eden. That was the last thing he wanted to do but if they didn’t get some answers, their relationship would be doomed before it even had a chance to take off.

He pulled into the driveway and he could feel his brother’s anxiety over being home. Even though they lived close, they didn’t get home very often because what was the point? Their father wasn’t around very much and they didn’t really grow up in the house. It didn’t feel like home—not without their mum there. Going home now felt empty and depressing, and he and Duff avoided the trip at all costs.

“Wow,” Eden breathed. “You’re family’s house is so big. It’s beautiful.”

“Our great-grandfather built the house,” Duff said. “He wanted to be close to the academy but far enough away to have his privacy. This place became his refuge and it’s just been passed down from generation to generation. We grew up in Scotland, but whenever our father was teaching at Graystone, we’d stay here, at this house.”

“So, you two will live here someday, then?” she asked. “You know when you’re teaching at the academy.”

“No,” Duff said. “Not while father is here, at least.”

“We used to love this place, but after mum died, we don’t come back here much. We have a little place just off campus that we share and that’s our home now,” Anson said.

“I’d love to see your place sometime,” Eden