Chapter Twenty
Neith
It’s not going to bother me unless someone hits on them, then I’m going to have a problem.
I know, I know. Jealousy is ugly, blah blah blah. Honestly, I know myself. I may not be evolved enough not to get jealous, but I am evolved enough to know my limits, and someone hitting on my men, yeah, that’s a limit.
Not a ‘I’ll crazy murder them’ limit, but still.
Unless, of course, after they’ve all said they have a ‘me’. Side note, and off subject, am I their girlfriend? Are we calling me that? And if we are calling me that, then does that mean I get to call them my boyfriends? Because I’m not mad about that at all.
I like it.
What the fuck was I thinking about?
Fuck, yeah. If someone doesn’t back off after the guys have said that I'm theirs, then I’ll be taking fingers.
As I said, I’m not that evolved. Maybe one day I will be, but that day isn’t going to happen any time soon.
Just to be clear to myself, and I guess the Voices because they’re clearly listening to my thoughts right now.
I’m not worried that any of the guys would do anything with someone, it’s more about respect.
If they say that they have me and then the person carries on, then I have a problem because of the lack of respect.
Plus, ironically, I have never been good with sharing. The guys seem to be great at it though.
Thank fuck.
“Hey, you’re Neith, right?”
I snap out of my thoughts, which admittedly are making very little sense anyway, and look up at the guy who is standing far too close for my liking.
Taking a step away, and therefore further into the tree line, I smile, “That’s me. I didn’t get your name?”
“Joe,” he replies as he once again steps into my personal space and pushes me back even more.
Asshole.
“Nice to meet you, Joe,” I reply, giving him the benefit of the doubt despite the fact that I’m almost certain I know what he’s playing at.
He starts talking about the party, and I try to listen, but I feel a nudge on my mind, so I simply nod for the other guy while I open my mental link for Dimitri.
“Are you okay, Love?” He asks me with concern.
I frown slightly and then remember to fix my face, so Mr. lacks the etiquette on personal space, doesn’t get suspicious that I’m not listening to him.
“Yeah, I’m good, why?”
“You sent some feeling-trapped things through the link to me,” Dimitri replies. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“So are you with Griff?” I hear the guy ask, and I figure that I should probably answer that.
I leave the link to Dimitri open, so he knows that I haven’t just left without answering him, and look at the expectant Joe.
I nod, “Yes. I’m with Griff and actually . . .”
He cuts me off as he leans closer, towering over me.
Red flag.
An excited look enters his eyes as he sees me shrink away from him slightly. Oh yeah, he’s an asshole. I straighten my shoulders and my spine, and level him with a look that makes him smile condescendingly.
“A pretty thing like you could do with someone stronger, better to look after you,” he smiles, what I’m sure he thinks is a charming smile, but to me just looks slimy.
“Oh, and I suppose you think that’s you?” I scoff.
This guy is as dumb as fucking rocks, which I feel like may be an insult to rocks. One, he thinks I’m weak, and two, he thinks I’m only with Griff, which means he hasn’t paid attention to anything at all.
He lifts his hand reaching for me, and I knock it away. Anger flashes through his eyes, and quicker than I thought he could move, his other hand comes up and cups my face.
Not fucking gently either, his fingertips are digging into my chin.
Now, I know that I could kick his ass, but that doesn’t mean that his behavior doesn’t affect me, and for a split second, I freeze.
Before I can do anything about it myself, the air shimmers behind him, and Dimitri appears.
With murder in his eyes and looking hot as fuck.
Dimitri’s hand wraps around Joe’s neck, his eyes are his hellhound ones, and his voice is gravelly with a growl as he says, “Let her go. She’s taken.”
I smirk.
Joe doesn’t even argue. As he drops my face like it’s on fire.
“Dimitri?” River asks curiously, coming out of nowhere.
His gaze moves between me, the fading bruise on my face, and the guy in front of Dimitri, and anger clouds his features.
He immediately reaches for me, his dark, tumultuous eyes studying the bruise as he gently runs his thumb across it, and a deadly, threatening growl builds in his chest.
“What’s going on?” Van asks.
Suddenly, I find myself surrounded by a group of very pissed-off men.
Each one of them touches me in some way, offering me comfort.
Even Baz gently places his hand on my back, as I feel his very pissed-off presence behind me.
Something tells me that just like the guys, he’s having to hold himself in check.
As usual, because I’m not normal, I find it both intriguing because I still have no idea what kind of supernatural he is, and I also find it super fucking hot that he and the others want to crazy murder a guy for me.
Admittedly, I probably shouldn’t be so turned on by my men who are on the edge of losing their shit right now, but I am who I am.
“Dimitri?” Reed says, asking for an explanation with one word that Dimitri surprisingly understands.
“He touched her without her consent after she had already said that she was with Griff,” Dimitri explains with a growl, and his claws dig further into Joe’s neck, making blood drip in rivulets down his neck, soaking his shirt.
Dimitri is seconds away from ripping out Joe’s throat. His eyes connect with mine, and the murder in them dials back slightly as he sees River and the guys circled around me protectively.
Well, that’s a good sign.
Dimitri is territorial. Putting it lightly.
A low, threatening growl echoes through the trees, and my gaze snaps to Griff. His fangs have descended, and his eyes filled with anger as he steps in front of me, his wings snapping out, blocking me from view as he shifts.
“Oh shit,” Coen mutters. He looks up at Reed, “Quick question, is it still as bad as it used to be when Griff loses his shit?”
“Yes,” Van replies.
“What?” I ask.
Griff is motionless in front of us, as Dimitri grins at him.
“So Griff is usually level-headed, gets angry but not overly so, right? Well, there are rare occasions when Griff loses it, and he really loses it,” Doc explains quickly.
“We should have known that Neith being hit on by a douche canoe would have triggered it,” Ransom adds.
Griff lunges forward as Dimitri immediately lets go and steps around the angry gargoyle and makes a beeline for me.
Griff’s hand replaces Dimitri’s, except Griff lifts Joe up off the floor, and Joe’s legs kick fruitlessly beneath him as he grabs Griff’s arm and tries to get him to let go. He doesn’t even shift.
“Griff’s got this, Love. As much as I would love to spill some more blood, I need to get back before someone realizes the illusion isn’t actually me.
” Dimitri says with a smile as he steps closer, he studies my expression for a moment, and then grins.
He leans forward and kisses me quickly, and when he pulls back, although he’s smiling, there’s still a look of worry in his eyes.
Before I can question him, and with my lips still tingling, he salutes the guys with a smirk, and then he disappears, just like that.
Pouf, gone.
Huh.
Well, I guess that explains how he keeps suddenly appearing, although I know that he shouldn’t be able to do it through the wards that they have at the prison. Otherwise, what would be the point of the prison?
Raiden smacks Van on the arm and nods to the left, “We’ve gained an audience.”
“Shit. Alright. I’ll go and speak to the Chief, although he doesn’t look too concerned about what’s happening, and you guys see if you can end this without Griff playing with the fucker like a ragdoll and then popping his head off like a grape,” Van replies as he quickly makes his way over to Michael.
My eyebrows hit my hairline. Well, there’s an interesting image.
Griff clearly knows that we’re heading toward him because he pulls his fist back and launches it into Joe's face, as his other hand lets go of his neck. Joe flies several meters back. The crowd moves out of the way as no one tries to help him, and instead, they just watch stoically.
It’s a weird image considering the jolly music that is still playing.
Griff wastes absolutely no time. Launching himself into the air as Joe scoots backward, finally scrambling to his feet and backing up.
Joe shifts, although it seems to take him a lot longer than it took Griff. Griff reaches out, and then, as if it is absolutely nothing, he snaps Joe’s wing like it’s a toothpick. The sound echoes around the clearing as Joe screams in agony, and the other gargoyles wince.
“We need Griff to calm down, right?” Baz asks quietly.
Van nods and mutters, “Ideally, before he shows everyone how strong he really is.”
“And violence usually calms him?” Baz asks.
“Yep,” Ransom replies. “Like the rest of us.”
A blur rushes past us, and Joe screams in agony as he clutches a bloody, fingerless hand to his chest.
“What the fuck just happened?” Ransom mutters.
The shock seems to cut through the fog of rage that Griff is feeling because he lands looking just as confused as the rest of us.
“Baz,” River grins.
My gaze searches for Baz, and I find him standing off to the side, a dark grin on his face as he watches Joe scream. I squint my eyes to make sure that I’m seeing what I think I am.
Yep.
He’s casually throwing a fistful of Joe’s fingers up in the air and catching them again.
He’s a psycho.
I fucking love it.
The Voices start to cheer and mutter excitedly. Apparently, Baz has just gone up in their estimation, in fact, he might be their favorite now.
Why doesn’t it surprise me to find out that the Voices have favorites?
“Fucking awesome,” Raiden grins. “He fits right in with us.”
Baz strides over to Griff, and they have a conversation that we can’t hear. Eventually, Griff claps Baz on the shoulder with a smile, looking far more relaxed than he did a moment ago.
They turn their back on the still-wailing Joe and walk back toward us. Griff immediately pulls me into his arms.
“Are you okay now?” I ask him. My voice muffled since it’s buried in his neck.
“I am. I didn’t scare you, did I?” He asks.
I scoff. “You know you guys should really stop worrying about scaring me because you’re violent. I think it’s hot.”
He chuckles, and his lips meet mine in a firm kiss.
“Are you okay?” He asks me with concern.
“Yeah, I’m good. Honestly.” I pull out of his arms, but he grabs me and pulls my back to his chest instead. I am more than happy to be wrapped in his arms. Looking for Baz, I’m surprised to see that although Reed is talking to him, and he’s replying, his eyes are on me.
“Thank you, Baz,” I tell him.
Surprise flashes through his eyes, but he nods, “No one touches you without your consent. He’s lucky I only took his fingers.”
I smile, my heart beating fast as his words register, and I find them so sweet.
Ransom grins and holds up his hand for a high five, “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“Are there going to be any problems because of this?” Doc asks Griff. “Do I need to go and heal him? I will if it’s going to cause us more problems, but I would really rather not.”
Griff shakes his head as Van jogs back over.
“They’re going to take him to the infirmary, but he’s going to be under strict surveillance, and they’re putting an announcement out to see if he’s tried to pressure anyone else,” Van says.
He glances at Griff, “Apparently, it’s not normal that you can shift as you do.
It’s supposed to take you a lot longer, and you shouldn’t be as big as you are either. ”
In typical Griff fashion, he simply shrugs.
Van smirks and shifts his attention to Baz, “Nice touch with the fingers.”
Baz nods and looks pleased. It occurred to me that there might be a small part of him that was worried that he might have taken it too far. He doesn’t know us properly yet, but he’ll quickly pick up that none of us shy away from that kind of thing.
Quite the opposite, actually.