The Gentleman by H.P. Mallory

Author:H.P. Mallory [Mallory, H.P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-09T16:00:00+00:00

NINE

Bryn

After the meeting, I needed some time alone. I stood on the veranda outside of my bedroom, under the bright moonlight and reflected on my life. I thought about where I’d been and where I was going. I also thought about Luce and his plot for revenge against us. And of course, I could only wonder if my vision were just a façade, an intentional transplant deliberately placed in my brain. On that subject, myriad new questions began swarming in my mind—frustrating me because I couldn’t answer them.

“Bête noire?”

Sinjin’s voice was soft, warm, and dare I say it? Sensual even. A smile pulled the corners of my lips up involuntarily, but as soon as I realized what was happening, I stopped it.

“Sinjin,” I answered without turning around to face him.

“Why am I not surprised to find you alone?”

“Ha, I guess you know me that well,” I answered with little or no interest.

But as soon as the words left my mouth, I was interested in hearing more. It did seem that Sinjin knew me too well. Maybe in some ways, he knew me better than anyone else here did. He seemed to understand who and what I was, as well as what made me tick, and why I felt the way I did. And I couldn’t say I was altogether comfortable with that information. That’s because I didn’t know Sinjin as well as he knew me.

At first, I thought I had him pegged as a playboy—charismatic and easygoing on the outside—but his attractive features were only an intentional distraction from his calculating and manipulative agenda. It was constantly brewing inside his head. But when he pursued the men who hurt me—he revealed a new side of himself I wasn’t expecting, much less prepared, to see.

It felt like my eyes were in the process of being pried open, and I was forced to view Sinjin in a completely different light. The more I considered it, the more I realized that I couldn’t figure him out. He wasn’t the character I perceived him to be. In fact, I saw a glimpse of something pure, passionate, and genuine in him. Yes, he was much more genuine than I ever imagined he could be.

“Do I know you well?” he asked, his voice sounding closer—like he was standing right behind me.

“I wonder,” I answered, suddenly nervous. I turned around to face him and instantly wished I hadn’t.

He was so close to me. His body was much closer than I previously anticipated. The bright moon rays cast an eerie glow across his face that highlighted the icy blue of his irises. His thick, black hair appeared almost navy blue in the celestial illumination, and I found myself holding my breath without even realizing it.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said.

“You can’t be a man,” I heard myself saying, although I wasn’t sure why. I wasn’t intending to say anything, least of all something so … personal. “Out here, under the moonlight, you’re as much a part of the darkness as the night itself.

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