Chapter Twenty-One
Neith
“Why don’t we head back to our cabin. I’m definitely done with peopling,” Griff suggests.
“Me too,” I mutter. “I’ve loved meeting your family and everyone else, but my feet hurt, and I want my comfy clothes and snuggles.”
“We can definitely do that,” Coen grins, as he pulls me close and I melt into him.
“Let me just go and tell everyone that we’re taking off,” Griff suggests. “I need to get directions to the cave as well.”
“Oh, shit, yeah, I forgot about that,” Raiden mutters. He looks at his watch. “We’ve only got a few hours before we have to be up to start the trek to the cave.”
Griff frowns. “If you head down that path there, I’ll catch up with you. It won’t take me long.”
“You got it, man,” Van says.
We all head in the direction that Griff sent us, and sure enough, he catches up quickly.
“What’s wrong?” Reed asks.
“Nothing. It’s just when I asked for directions to the cave, he said, I’d know,” Griff replies.
“Well, that’s annoyingly vague,” Baz points out.
“Yep, it’s not surprising though,” Raiden mutters.
Griff shrugs, “I guess we will figure it out tomorrow. I’m too tired to be bothered about it now.”
“Oh, this is cute,” I exclaim as we turn the corner and I see a little wooden cabin, complete with wrap-around porch, and a beautiful garden. Even though it’s winter, there are still some evergreen shrubs that look bright against the white blanket of snow.
It’s super fucking pretty.
“I didn’t realize how much of the chill those heaters and the fires were taking away. I wasn’t even cold over there, and I am freezing my balls off now,” River practically yells as he runs up the steps and launches himself through the door.
“This is our one right?” Baz smiles.
Griff chuckles, “Thankfully, yes. Although it wouldn’t have been the first time that River got cold and threw himself into the wrong house or room.”
River sticks his head out of the door, “You aren’t wrong, at least I didn’t get punched for it this time.”
“You would think that he had learned his lesson after the first time,” Reed grins.
“And definitely after the third,” Coen smirks.
River looks indignantly at them as we head inside, “Hey, what is this, crap on River day?”
“Well, there’s an image,” Van comments, making everyone laugh.
While they carry on giving each other shit, I look around. It’s spacious in here, but everything is one big room, which honestly, I really like.
At one end of the cabin is a big kitchen with all modern conveniences and a huge island in the middle. Then, separating the kitchen from the dining room is a big dining table, big enough for all of us.
Then there’s a huge sectional couch covered in throws and pillows, and a truly massive fireplace already lit and flooding the house with warmth.
“This is lovely,” I say, but none of the guys hear me because they’ve all moved on to teasing Ransom.
I smile at their antics and then spot my bag behind the couch. The gargoyles must have dropped the bags off here.
Nice.
Leaving the guys to it, I grab my bag and head up the stairs. There are only five bedrooms up here, but after a quick snoop, I can confirm that they all have en-suite bathrooms.
I definitely don’t mind sharing, and I’m pretty sure that the guys won’t mind either.
Picking a random room, I rummage through my bag, grateful that there are at least some comfy clothes in here since Griff helped me pack and we packed in a rush.
I want to have a shower, some hot chocolate, and then curl up on the couch with my guys and watch something that will turn off reality for a bit. Even if it’s only a short while before we really do have to get some sleep.
I need a little bit of time to decompress before I try to sleep, otherwise my mind won’t fucking shut up.
Plus, I have a couple of questions about what just happened.
A few parts of it, anyway.
I don’t rush in the shower, but even then, the guys are still pretty much exactly where they were, still taking the piss out of each other.
I roll my eyes as I chuckle quietly and head to the kitchen, and I start to rummage through the cupboards. I really hope that they have hot chocolate, I suddenly really need one.
Honestly, I think it’s probably the comfort that I want right now.
“Do you need help with anything?” Baz asks, making me jump and throw the cup that I was holding. He catches it and tries not to laugh. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.”
“What is it with people and sneaking up on me in the kitchen?” I reply. Zephyr did the same thing. Stupid supernaturals and their sneaking skills.
“Huh?” Baz asks, looking confused.
I shake my head and smile, “Never mind. Actually, I do need some help if that’s okay?”
“Of course, just tell me where you want me.” His eyes connect with mine as one side of his lips lifts into a lopsided smirk.
If it weren’t for that smirk, then I would have assumed that was an entirely innocent remark.
I grin, “Oh, there’s a question. So many options.” His eyes heat, and his chuckle is pure sinful desire that sends a shiver of unexpected desire down my spine. Refocusing, my smile widens as I add, “For now, though, do you think you could help me find the hot chocolate?”
“Of course,” he replies, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer before he starts to hunt through the cupboards with me.
Eventually, the guys seem to get bored with taking the piss out of each other, and all drift upstairs to take showers and get changed.
“I’ve found it,” Baz says triumphantly as he holds it up like a prize, with a huge, proud smile on his face that makes my own smile widen.
“Nice, well done. I could have sworn I looked there, but obviously not. Would you like one?”
“Yes, please, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a hot chocolate,” he replies, watching me closely. I don’t know why I am under such scrutiny from him, but I can’t say that I am not enjoying it.
I like being the sole focus of his attention, probably more than I should.
It doesn’t take us long to set everything up, and Baz helps me make the drinks for everyone, and then hands them out as the guys slowly reappear, all freshly showered, in their jammies and looking adorable.
When we’re curled up on the couch with our drinks, watching the fireplace, and Baz is back from taking a shower too, I try to just enjoy the moment. I’m feeling extremely cozy, so it should be an easy thing to do, but of course my brain starts to wander, and I can’t keep my mouth shut.
“Okay, questions,” I say into the peaceful silence. I look at Coen, “Did you know that Dimi could make illusions?”
Coen nods, “Yes, but I didn’t know that he could do it from so far away.
Then again, I think there are a lot of things that we don’t know about Dimitri and his magic.
That’s always been the case, I mean, we’ve always known that there is more to him and his magic that he’s filled us in on, but recent events have me thinking that what we do know is the tip of the iceberg. ”
“Fair point, I think you’re most likely right,” I admit.
Gathering my thoughts, I ask the next question that’s been bothering me, “Okay, next question. I know that the guy grabbed my face, but I could have handled it, and you guys seemed to take it a lot more seriously than I thought. He was an asshole, but he was flirting.”
The guys share a look, and then Raiden nods, “Alright, I’ll take this one.
” He moves closer and cups my cheek in his hand.
“First, he touched you without permission, it doesn’t matter to what extent that it was, it is not fucking okay, and he deserved to lose his fingers.
Second,” he steps even closer. “Only us, Neith. We’re jealous creatures, you are ours. End of.”
I swallow thickly. That was hotter than it should have been, and I should be pissed that he said that I belonged to them because I belong to myself, and I have always been adamant about that in the past, but actually, I am one thousand percent okay with it, and I know that he doesn’t mean it in a controlling way.
I like it a lot.
I’m not sure that there’s much that the guys could do that I wouldn't like. Within reason.
My eyes dart around at the other men who are watching me closely but are all clearly in agreement, and then they land on Baz, who’s leaning up against the wall, watching us all closely. His gaze meets mine, and he simply nods, sipping his hot chocolate.
It hasn’t escaped my notice that he was the one who took Joe’s fingers. In the most efficient and bloodthirsty way possible.
“I’m good with that,” I reply after a moment, and Doc smirks.
He knows exactly how I feel about their possessiveness.
“Good,” Van replies with finality. He then changes the subject, “We didn’t really get the chance to talk about the whole Griff and Neith potentially being true mates thing, and that they apparently haven’t existed for so long that it’s not even spoken about anymore.”
“That last part is probably the least surprising thing about that situation,” Reed says thoughtfully. He continues, “It seems to me like very few things that should be spoken about simply aren’t anymore.”
“Agreed. I find it more than a little bit suspicious,” Coen agrees.
Van sighs and runs his hand over his stubbled jaw, “I know, but unfortunately for the moment, looking into that is going to have to go on the back burner unless it directly affects us. We just don’t have the time. “
“We really don’t,” Griff nods and then sips his hot chocolate.
Since we got off track for the moment, I decide to be the one who gets us back on track for a change and answer Van’s question, “When it comes to the true mates thing, what’s there to talk about?
We’ll go to the cave, after we somehow find it without really knowing where it is.
Then we’ll do the thing that Michael told us that we should do, and find out if there is something else completely unique about us that could potentially cause us problems because it’s so rare.
Then we’ll come back here and get a snack because we will all be hungry by that point, and hopefully by the time we’re done eating, the plant that Raiden needs will be ready, and we can go back to House. ”
They all stare at me for a moment.
There is a small chance that the explanation may have gotten a little bit away from me.
Just a small chance.
Doc shrugs, “You’re not wrong. I have to say that you’re taking it a lot better than I thought.”
“Well, after everything that we’ve been through, this is sort of normal,” I reply and then look at Griff.
“Plus, it’s not a bad thing. It’s not something that we really have to worry about, and I would be really honored to be Griff’s official true mate and since we’re all apparently admitting how possessive we are then I feel like now is probably a good time to warn you that I’m also pretty possessive over you all, and I like the fact that there is an official thing tying me to most of you.
” I sip my chocolate and grin, “I’ll take fingers too. ”
“We know,” Raiden smirks.
“Good, just making sure,” I reply.
Griff gets up and stretches, “Come on, we’ve got to get up pretty early tomorrow to get to the cave.”
“Wherever that is,” River mutters.
Baz
The others have been asleep for a while, but I can’t go to sleep yet.
I know that I’m in the Earth Realm, and I know that they are softer here, even the supernaturals.
I know that they don’t do things in the same brutal way that the other realms do, I get that.
It must have always been that way because it’s something that I remember.
However.
He touched her after she had said no.
I’m getting to know Neith. I know that she could have handled that situation within moments.
However, I saw the look on her face the second he touched her, that was memories resurfacing.
Whether she realized it or not, his touching her made something in her brain flicker with a memory of another unwanted touch.
So I took his fucking fingers.
But it’s not enough, he deserves so much fucking more.
And until I give it to him, until I punish him, I won’t be able to sleep, and my beast. He’s just going to get more murdery until it consumes me, and trust me, no one wants that.