Page 31 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

But he hadn’t even realized it was Fall until he tooka stroll through the back property of his uncle’s home with his oldest cousin.Reds, yellows, dulled greens, and oranges littered the ground. The fallenleaves crunched under his shoes.

Calisto finally woke up from the several months’ longdaze he’d been in.

“What’s up with you?” Cynthia asked.

“Nothing,” Calisto replied, offering her a smoothsmile.

His cousin didn’t fall for it.

“Really? Because you’re looking at the leaves likeyou’ve never seen them before.”

“They’re bright this year.”

“Mmhmm,” Cynthia muttered. “You missed my whole Summer,Cal.”

Calisto frowned, knowing that was partly true. “Wewent on that trip to Niagara Falls.”

“It’s in the same state.”

“Still a trip, Cynthia.”

Cynthia crossed her arms, but kept walking besideCalisto. He could practically feel the girl’s irritation wafting from her. He’dpromised both his cousins that he’d make an effort to take them away for acouple of weeks over the Summer.

Instead, he’d been too busy avoiding Affonso when hecould, and staying the hell away from his uncle’s wife. Calisto didn’t need thetemptation of Emma at his fingertips, demanding his attention. More often thannot, he found himself worried about the woman, and before he knew what he wasdoing, Calisto would be asking his uncle how things were going with thepregnancy, just to have some sense of relief.

It was fucking stupid.

Entirely selfish.

Punishing.

To make matters worse, Affonso would answer Calisto’sseemingly normal questions with as much vagueness as he could. Sometimes, itfelt like his uncle was baiting him, like Affonso wanted Calisto to ask more,or maybe even come around and check for himself. Affonso had even tried, morethan once, to get Calisto involved in things. Driving Emma to moreappointments, dropping things off at the house, or whatever else Affonso coulddream up.

Calisto wouldn’t do it. Affonso posed the offersinnocently enough, but Calisto still wondered if there was more to it. Hedidn’t trust his uncle, he didn’t want to be too close to Emma, and hecertainly didn’t want to find himself inserted into Affonso’s day to day lifemore than he already was. Calisto would never be friends with his uncle—he couldn’t.

Somehow, Calisto managed to avoid Affonso’s demands byputting others in his place. An enforcer could take Emma to her appointmentwhen her own guard was busy. One of the family soldiers, someone Calisto knewhis uncle trusted, could drop things off at the house.

It didn’t have to be him.

Calisto wasn’t going to do what he’d once done again.

No way.

Beside him, Cynthia was still walking with her armscrossed, sporting an unhappy scowl, and staying quieter than normal. Calistolet his cousin have her anger. She was warranted it, after all. He had left herand Michelle to hang out to dry over the Summer in his attempts to stay awayfrom Affonso and Emma.

“I came today,” Calisto said, knowing it was a weakstatement.

One day was nothing.

“And I fly back to boarding school tomorrow,” Cynthiareplied shortly.

“I’m sorry.”

Cynthia’s straight back softened. “I know.”

“Doesn’t help much, huh?”

“Everyone is always sorry, Cal. Daddy can’t come outto see us dance, he’s sorry. We can’t take the trip with our classmates out ofthe country, he’s sorry. You spend the Summer avoiding him, and we don’t get tosee you, either, you’re sorry.”