Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
REGAN
My eyelids felt like they’d been glued shut, that was about how well I was doing at the whole waking up process.
My body may as well have been lead weight.
I felt each of my limbs, which was a good start, but I could not get them to move.
There was a high-pitched ringing in my ears which was somehow louder than the heavy thud of my pulse through my veins.
The pressure wrapped around my temple felt like a vice grip.
To make matters worse, the sunlight trying to shine through my eyelids sent pain radiating through my skull.
What happened last night?
I gasped. Last night? Sunlight? Panic pushed through whatever was pinning me down and my eyes flew open.
I froze. I had no idea where I was. About a foot above me was a wooden rectangular panel.
For a split second my brain went straight to me being buried alive.
The sunlight streaming in from behind me and the cold air hitting my bare feet both told me that scenario wasn’t likely.
Four wooden legs surrounded me and rubbed at my head as I glanced up at the table over me.
The wood was thick but polished to a shine.
And six knitted baskets hung from it, one one each corner and two in the middle.
Wait a second… is this a pool table?
It WAS a pool table. I scanned my memories for any plausible explanation for why I was waking up under a pool table and yet I found nothing.
Wait, why are my feet cold? I tried to sit up but my body refused to budge.
That was definitely cold air hitting my bare toes.
I frowned. Make this make sense, Regan. What’s the last thing you remember?
The shark. I remembered the plastic shark being lowered down for the New Years’ Eve countdown then it exploded into confetti - which was pretty cool - and then I’d kissed Andreas.
I kissed Andreas.
That memory sent heat rushing through my body.
I hadn’t been able to help myself. Chanel had been standing in front of me staring up at Kaso with googly lovesick puppydog eyes and then the confetti happened and they kissed.
Then everyone around us was smooching on the person next to them, which was a typical New Years’ Eve celebration, and that had been my logic when I launched my attack on the very willing Andreas.
A deep male voice groaned beside me. I looked over in time to watch Andreas try to sit up only to slam his forehead into the wooden panel above us.
He let out a nasty string of curses as he gripped his head in his hands.
I needed to make sure he was okay, he’d sat up fast, but my attention got a little lost on all the bare olive skin of his muscular back.
Wait. Where’s his shirt?
WAIT. WHY AM I BAREFOOT AND HE’S SHIRTLESS?
Panic surged within me for a multitude of reasons, all of which ran through my mind simultaneously in the form of images and not words.
Andreas plopped down beside me still holding his head. “Da fuck did I just hit?”
“Your head,” I heard myself answer. “On the pool table.”
“What fuckin’ pool table?” He groaned.
“The one you just slammed your head into.”
He cursed. When he lowered his hands he stared up at what I’d been looking at. “Why are we under a pool table?”
“That’s one of many questions I have as well.” I let out a deep breath. “Why is it daylight? Why can’t I move my body? Why am I barefoot? Why are you shirtless? All important questions.”
“Pretty sure my pants are gone too.”
I sighed. “I’m pretty sure I can still feel why.”
There was a beat of silence then he chuckled.
“This is not funny, Andreas—”
“No, it is not,” he said between chuckles. Then he groaned and gripped his head. “Ouch. Laughing hurts. Da fuck we’d do?”
“Funny, Zuriel had the same question.”
I gasped and tried to sit up but my body was still not cooperating. “Bodhi?”
“That would be me. Hold on.” She chuckled from down by my feet. A moment later her face hovered above mine, her gray eyes sparkling with amusement. “Ya know, Regan, I never would’ve pegged you for a Las Vegas rager.”
“WHAT?”
“Oh shit. We went to Vegas last night to look for Christopher,” Andreas grumbled. “I don’t like the sound of this.”
Bodhi snorted. “Wait ‘til you see it.” She grinned and tucked her long purple hair behind her ears which only made it swat me in the face.
“Bodhi, why am I a cement block right now?”
“Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing.” She was still grinning but at least she held a potion bottle up to my lips then poured the cold liquid into my mouth. “Bottoms’ up.”
The pressure and pain in my head vanished instantly. The ringing in my ears stopped a few seconds later. I tried to move yet my body still didn’t cooperate. “Bodhi?”
She cocked her head to the side then held her palms over my chest. Her purple magic billowed from her hands and onto my body.
Bodhi had healed me too many millions of times to count yet the feel of her magic pushing whatever ailment I had out of my body by pure blunt force was still one of my favorite feelings.
It almost made getting hurt worth it — almost. Somehow her magic always just knew what to do.
Sometimes it was like a cold glass of water on a hot day, other times it was like sitting in a hot tub.
Today was definitely the latter. The heat was cozy and loosening my muscles at rapid speed.
She grinned. “Better?”
I wiggled my whole body successfully. “Better. But he whacked the shit out of his head.”
“Is that what that noise was?” She snort laughed and crawled over to Andreas. “I heard a loud thud when I first got here and went searching for a threat but I hadn’t realized that was you.”
“Technically it was the table reactin’ to my forehead attackin’ it.” Andreas laid back down, still holding his head. “Bet it hurt the table more.”
Bodhi pursed her lips and glanced around. “I fear that might be the carpet you’re both laying naked on.”
“No. Nope.” I shook my head. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? That’s the saying?”
“I’m a healer, Regan, my opinion is definitely bias.” She reached forward and held a potion bottle out to Andreas. “This one’s for you. Got just a wee bit of that extra sauce you fangers need.”
“Extra sauce? Hit me wit’ it.” Andreas let out a half chuckle, half sigh. “Hey Bodhi, any chance you seen my pants?”
“Well I have no idea what pants you were wearing before, but…” she crawled back out from under the pool table and glanced around. With a nod she turned back to us, bending down to make eye contact. “There are a lot of pants lying around for you to choose from.”
My stomach sank. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“That’s probably what the neighboring rooms said last night.”
“Bodhi–”
She cackled and disappeared. About thirty seconds later a large black hoodie slammed into my face, followed by a pair of guy’s jeans which smacked Andreas in the chest. “That’ll at least make you decent enough for company.”
I grimaced at the cotton in my hands, wondering what else was on it. “Whose clothes are these?”
Bodhi bent over and looked at us upside down, her hair dragging the floor. “Is that really the important question here, Regan?”
Andreas covered his mouth but I still heard the snort laugh.
So I elbowed him.
“Hey,” he shouted. “We had a deal.”
“And right now I’m hoping you’re the only one I let break that last night—”
“I may not remember a thing from last night but ain’t nobody else gonna touch you while I’m around.” He licked the tip of his pinky and pretended to smooth a mustache he didn’t have. “Don’t forget where the mafia got their inspiration.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach. I definitely should not have liked that. That same wailing siren ringtone from last night rang out from somewhere slightly nearby. My pulse quickened.
“Is that Chanel?”
Bodhi crouched down in front of me. “Still Bodhi. And you’re still naked. Let’s get this moving, shall we? Before the humans wake up.”
I scowled. “There are humans in here?”
“Yeah,” Andreas said with a grumble. When I glanced over I spotted his fangs poking out from his lips a little. “I can smell them.”
I yanked the hoodie on over my head and pulled it down. “Are you gonna go all Jasper Cullen on us here?”
He hung his head and laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
“Oh hey, I think I found what’s left of your pants, Andreas,” Bodhi yelled from the other side of the room.
“What do ya mean what’s left?” His brows furrowed in confusion. “Why are they so far away?”
“Looks like someone Hulk smashed them in half so there’s no saving them,” she said with far too chipper of a voice but at least she was moving closer.
“But good news is your cellphone is still in the pocket. Bad news is no missed calls or texts from Kaso. Worse news, a text from Christopher just came through.”
“Son of a bitch,” I yelled. “I hate that guy. C’mon, if Zuriel sent her here then we’re fucked.”
“He’s not gonna come here, is he?” He actually sounded nervous.
“Let’s not give Zuriel a chance to, shall we?” I rolled onto my knees then crawled out from under the pool table — and groaned. “Oh no.”
The penthouse suite we were somehow in was in absolute shambles.
It was like that scene from the movie Hangover except there were a lot more people in here, people I’d never seen before.
The furniture was torn apart, cushions from the couch were scattered under random bodies.
Empty bottles and half filled glasses littered every surface.
The faint smell of smoke and vomit permeated the air and I groaned.
“I’m kinda offended I didn’t get an invite.” Bodhi winked at me. “But on a more serious note, where’s Chanel?”
My heart sank with panic before memory clicked in. “She’s with Kaso down in the Florida Keys. We split up to chase down Christopher.”
Bodhi pursed her lips and nodded. “Well let’s hope they did better than you two.”
“They didn’t.” Andreas cursed from under the table.
Instead of crawling out like I had, he simply pushed the whole pool table to the side.
Vampire strength was convenient. He’d put the jeans on already at least. He held his phone up.
“Christopher just texted me a picture of my brother and your cousin in their current state.”
“And what is their current state?”
He shrugged. “Swap out the pool table for beach sand and you’ll get the idea.”
I rolled my eyes. We were absolute failures.
His phone wailed again. All three of us turned toward the sound.
He looked down at the screen and cursed violently.
“What did he say?” I held my breath.
“Vile mother fucker.” He jumped to his feet and my gaze dropped to where the jeans Bodhi gave him slipped indecently low on his hips. He hadn’t noticed. “But, he wrapped it up with a special note at the end with a picture –that son of a bitch.”
“That’s my line,” I smirked.
“Yeah, and that’s your drink in this picture being spiked.” He shook his head. “The picture is captioned with ‘be careful which bartenders you trust’ and the picture shows the four of us standing at that bar last night getting drinks…and the bartender pouring powder in them.”
I closed my eyes. “Who spikes a gingerale? Rude.”
“Well at least this all makes more sense now.” Bodhi walked over to the balcony door and shoved it open. She pushed her wings out. “I think we’d all feel better if we could see Chanel and Kaso with our own eyes?”
Before we could even move, Andreas’ phone rang in his hand with Frank Sinatra’s I did it my way and he let out a relieved sigh. “Kaso. Thank God.” He answered the phone and hit the speakerphone button. “Sanka, ya dead?”
“Ya, mon,” Kaso grumbled like his whole body hurt. “You?”
“Was that a Cool Runnings movie reference?” I heard Chanel mumble through the phone.
“Ya, mon,” both brothers said at the same time.
“Stop making me like you,” Chanel growled.
“Love, you’re wearin’ my sweat for clothin’ right now. I think the cat’s outta the bag there.”
Chanel growled again. “So that’s why the sand won’t brush off — no, don’t answer that.”
“This is a fun day,” Bodhi said with a giggle. “I’m quite enjoying this. I’ll have to thank Zuriel for sending me.”
I glared at her. “Bodhi—”
“C’mon, they were clearly as drugged as you two so I need to get down there before Chanel becomes an actual crab.”
Kaso hissed. “Ouch?”
Chanel chuckled. “Too late.”
Bodhi cackled then stepped onto the balcony only to lean back in the doorway. “You good to fly him to Florida?”
I stretched my arms out. “Yeah—”
“Actually,” Andreas said with a grimace. “We gotta make sure all these humans lyin’ around here are still breathin’?”
I clenched my teeth and balled my fists. A little growl slipped out.
“Stop making her like you, Andreas,” Chanel yelled through the phone.
“What can I say, I’m that good.” He grinned at me and gave a flirty wink.
I shook my head and turned to Bodhi. “Thank you for the rescue. He’s right, we need to make sure everyone here is okay. Please go on down to Chanel and Kaso and make sure they’re okay. How about we all meet at the infirmary in the Emerald? I think I’m gonna need one of Araqiel’s tacos.”
“Say less! Call if you need me!” Bodhi waved then leapt into the air and vanished into the clouds.
I turned to Andreas. “We may need to rethink this whole divide and conquer idea.”
He nodded. “Or at least separate with the person we don’t wanna see naked.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Right answer. Damn you.”