Grey Blood - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

The ride from the police station was long.
After hours of questioning, paperwork, and tense silences, the officers finally released her to Alex Grey—her father.
The realization still didn't feel real.
As they stepped outside, the cold night air hit her skin, and she shivered slightly. The police station parking lot was mostly empty, but her eyes immediately caught sight of the car waiting for them.
Sleek. Black. Expensive.
She had never seen a car like it up close before. The polished surface reflected the dim streetlights, and the tinted windows made it impossible to see inside. Everything about it screamed wealth, power, and intimidation.
Alex opened the back door for her, his expression unreadable.
"Get in," he said.
Angelina hesitated for only a second before obeying.
The second she sat down, she sank into the soft leather seats. She tensed, unfamiliar with the luxury beneath her.
This was nothing like the cramped, rusting car her uncle used to drive—where the seats had cigarette burns, and the air always smelled of cheap alcohol.
This car was pristine, silent, and suffocatingly smooth.
Her brothers filed in after her, the tension thick as the car began moving.
She stared out the window as the city lights blurred into the darkness, feeling like she was leaving behind one life and stepping into another.
"It's a four-hour drive," Alex said. His voice was firm but not unkind.
Four hours.
Four hours in a car with a father she didn't know and brothers who were still strangers.
Angelina clenched her hands together in her lap.
She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel.
And so—she said nothing.
She simply braced herself for whatever awaited her at their home.
The drive home was long.
Four hours trapped in an expensive, silent car with a father she barely knew and six brothers who were practically strangers.
Angelina kept her gaze locked on the window, watching the blurred lights of the city turn into endless stretches of road. The further they drove, the more surreal it felt.
She was leaving behind everything she had ever known.
And yet—
For the first time in her life, she wasn't sure if that was a bad thing.
No one spoke for the first hour.
The silence was thick—not necessarily uncomfortable, but heavy. As if everyone had a thousand things to say but no idea where to start.
Jace, sitting in the seat in front of her, was the first to break it.
"So... what do you do for fun?"
Angelina blinked.
She hesitated before answering, her voice barely above a whisper. "I read."
Jace turned in his seat to face her, propping his chin on his hand. "What kind of books?"
She hesitated again.
It wasn't like anyone had ever asked her that before.
"Anything," she murmured. "As long as it's interesting."
Jace's lips curved. "Alright, quiet one. Give me your top three."
Angelina's fingers curled into her sleeves.
She didn't know how to talk like this—how to have normal conversations.
So she gave the safest answer she could think of.
"I... I don't have a favorite."
Jace groaned dramatically, flopping back into his seat. "You're killing me, Ange."
Ange?
The nickname caught her off guard.
No one had ever called her that before.
Before she could process it, Nikolai scoffed from the other side of the car. "Tch. Leave her alone, Jace. Not everyone wants to be interrogated the second they get in the car."
Jace shot him a lazy smirk. "She's gotta get used to us eventually, right?"
"Maybe let her breathe first."
Angelina glanced between them, confused.
They weren't fighting, exactly.
It was more like... banter.
Something about it felt strange.
Unfamiliar.
It wasn't tense like the arguments she had grown up with. It wasn't cruel.
It was normal.
And normal was something she had never had before.
By the time they pulled into the massive estate, Angelina was exhausted.
The mansion loomed in front of them like something out of a dream—massive, elegant, and overwhelming.
She hesitated as the car stopped.
Alex stepped out first. "Come on."
Angelina followed slowly, her legs feeling strangely weak beneath her. The air was cool, crisp, and eerily quiet compared to the endless noise of the car.
She barely had time to take it all in before Elias appeared at her side.
"It's late," he said, his voice firm but calm. "You should get some rest."
Angelina nodded silently.
She wasn't sure if she'd be able to sleep, but she didn't argue.
Damien was already heading toward the front doors. "I'll show her to her room."
Alex gave a small nod.
Elias lingered for a moment, his sharp gaze assessing her before he followed the others inside.
Angelina trailed after Damien, her heartbeat slow and steady—yet uneasy.
She wasn't used to this.
The concern.
The care.
The family.
And she had no idea if she would ever be able to get used to it.