Chapter 69

(Emily's POV)

The next morning, I woke up to shouting. The sound is distant, but my eyes pop open all the same.

I'm alone in bed. Dimitri is gone.

I don't feel abandoned. For one thing, he left me in his room, when only a few days ago he chased me out of here in a rage. Things have changed between us.

I have no time to ponder on that, or to bask in pleasurable memories of the night before. I slip out of the bed, finding my panties and the nightgown. That's ripped past repair, so I pull on Dimitri's discarded shirt instead. It comes down to mid-thigh and smells like him, like cigarettes and mandarin oranges.

I hurry out of the room, and down the hallway, but the argument is already finished before I can catch what it's about. I see the doors of the billiards room thrown open, with Amy and Cleo stalking off in one direction, and Lucio walking away in another.

I don't see Dimitri at all, but I'm guessing he's still inside.

I hurry down the stairs, barefoot. I'm sure my hair is a tangled