Chapter 32 Temptation
TEMPTATION
ZEKE
After Cyn finished cleaning up, he insisted we go grocery shopping since we weren’t leaving anytime soon. Thankfully the trip didn’t take long using Rae’s Uber account.
It surprised me she let us use the account again after Cyn stole her information and installed a tracking app to keep tabs on her—which was how we’d found the parking garage when she was attacked.
Uber wasn’t much different from the taxi services in Elyrdin. If Ezra hadn’t used one before, I wouldn’t have known what app to look for.
She insisted we take her money because she didn’t like the idea of us stealing groceries with my powers. I didn’t like it either, but I didn’t want to drain her accounts, so I picked the cheapest options.
After we packed everything away, Cyn sprawled on the sofa and turned on the TV. Ash joined him, while Ezra sat at the counter making notes on his phone as he studied the summoning book.
I wanted to check on Rae.
She seemed upset when I asked about using her account to call an Uber earlier, but Cyn called me downstairs when Ezra and Ash returned, and I couldn’t stay and talk to her.
Climbing the stairs, I heard her talking to someone. Had Maya come over again?
The girl seemed nice, but I didn’t like Rae watching how messed up I got around strangers. I didn’t want them touching me or getting too close. Touches from anyone but the guys—and now Rae—made me twitchy. Even thinking about it made my skin crawl.
“No, it’s fine. With Grandma’s passing and everything that happened with Ash, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
What happened with Ash?
I stopped at the top of the stairs, listening.
Eavesdropping felt wrong, but if I walked in, I’d start talking and never learn what she meant.
“Yes, Maya, I’m sure. Don’t even mention it to Leo.” A pause. “No.” Another longer pause. “I promise when I feel better, I’ll consider going on a date with him, just… not now.” She laughed. “I am not gonna become a crazy cat lady. I don’t even have a cat.”
I stepped around the corner.
She looked up at me and held up a finger.
“Listen, I need to go. They’re back from the store.
” She lowered her hand and laughed. “No, I washed the bedding earlier. They’ll use the other bed again.
” Her hand covered her mouth as she laughed and shook her head.
“You’re ridiculous. Okay, love you too. Bye. ”
I stepped into her room as she tossed her phone onto the bed and sighed.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
I shrugged, rubbing the small flat disc on my earlobe between my fingers. “I heard you and Cyn fighting earlier,” I mumbled.
“That’s him being an asshole.”
Rounding the bed, I dropped beside her and propped up on my elbow. “He’s not always like that,” I said, feeling the need to defend him.
The whole situation kept Cyn on edge. While he sometimes acted hostile to strangers, I had a feeling if we weren’t stuck on Earth, he wouldn’t mistreat Rae. Though if we weren’t stuck here, she wouldn’t know us.
I hated how the thought made my stomach hurt.
I flinched when her soft fingers brushed the space between my eyebrows.
She pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You looked uncomfortable.”
I grabbed her hand before she could retreat too far. “I didn’t notice your hand. It surprised me.” I brought her hand to my forehead until her fingertips brushed my skin. “I don’t mind if it’s you touching me.”
She laughed. “As opposed to?”
“Everyone?” At her confused expression, I added, “I don’t like it when random people touch me. I know that sounds weird since I touched you on day one, but that was my choice.”
She nodded as if she understood. I hoped she did.
“So yeah, uh… you can touch me. I don’t mind.”
Her thumb smoothed the space between my eyebrows again. “What’s wrong?”
I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the topic at hand. “I don’t want you to have a bad impression of Cyn.” When she sighed and lowered her hand, I opened my eyes. “He’s as bad as I am about change, but he handles it differently.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I internalize it instead of projecting it onto others. It comes out in the things I do—like, it’s the only time I clean our house.”
“You live together?”
“Yeah. We don’t like living in the palace, so we have a house behind it where all four of us live together.
You would love it there. We have a pool out back, and trees surround the whole place.
It gives us privacy and keeps other Shyrlivi out because they’d have to go through the palace and guards to get to us. ”
I paused, realizing I’d started rambling.
“Uh… but about Cyn. Like I told you before, he doesn’t enjoy feeling threatened. So, feeling threatened in a new environment? He’s defaulting to what he does best.”
“Which is?”
“Try to take charge and run things.”
She pressed her lips together. “Mmm. Yeah, I can see that.”
“But see, that’s Ezra’s job.”
She grabbed her phone and plugged in her charger, placing it on the nightstand. “Why’s that?”
“Ezra’s our leader.”
She sat back against the headboard and stretched her legs out.
“He outranks us because of his dad’s position on the council, but he doesn’t pull rank unless things are out of hand.” I ran my finger along the seam of her jeans. “But Cyn tries to regain control when he’s upset. If it gets too bad, Ezra has to step in, but it usually doesn’t.”
She scoffed.
“What?”
“So his constant threats aren’t enough to put him in his place?”
“He threatens you?”
Her mouth dropped open. “Have you not heard him?”
I looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall her interactions with him.
I often got nervous he’d do something bad to her, but I never heard him say he’d hurt her. Many times, their arguments brought them closer together, distracting me from their words. I’d end up aroused and confused, trying to think of other things to calm down.
“Zeke?”
I looked into her silvery-blue eyes. She’s so pretty. I shook my head, hating how out of sorts I felt today. I wasn’t normally this distracted. Something felt off. “I don’t think I remember.” Frowning, I added, “I’m sorry.”
“Well, he’s done it.” She crossed her arms. “I mean, he always tacks on stupid things like he won’t unless I want him to and all that, but—”
“Oh! Yeah. I remember that.” I twisted my lips to the side. But wouldn’t that mean… “So he hasn’t threatened you?”
“It feels threatening,” she mumbled.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think he’d hurt you. Not intentionally.”
“That’s not reassuring, you know.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.”
“I’m sor—”
She leaned over and covered my mouth with her hand. “No. It isn’t your fault your friend is an asshole. Got me?” When I nodded, she said, “Good boy.”
Shit.
I closed my eyes, a shudder passing through me as I bit the inside of my cheek.
The first time she called me a good boy, the playful words caused a visceral reaction that surprised me. I didn’t know how to respond. When she said it again, pressed against my body last night, I almost whimpered. I’d bitten my tongue to stop the involuntary sound.
“Zeke?” Her hand lowered. “Are you okay?”
“What?”
Worry lined her forehead. “I… I don’t know how to explain it.” She angled her head, searching my eyes. “What are you thinking right now?”
“You don’t want to know,” I mumbled.
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t wanna know.”
I shook my head, dropping my gaze to study the floral pattern on her bedding.
“Did I upset you when I touched you like that?”
“What?” I looked up. “No. I don’t mind you touching me. I told you that.”
“Is it because I called Cyn an asshole again?”
“No.”
She huffed a breath. “I don’t know what else I said—Wait a minute. Was it ‘good boy’? Did that bother you? I promise I didn’t mean anything insulting or belittling with that. You’re obviously not a boy.”
“It didn’t bother me,” I muttered, glancing to the side.
“Looks like it to me. I mean… it didn’t, but now it does.”
I twisted the loose edge of her pillowcase around my finger.
“Hey, come on… tell me what’s going on. I don’t like seeing you upset.”
“You don’t?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.
Of course she didn’t want to upset me. She was extremely kind, so I doubted she made a habit of upsetting others.
And while I didn’t think she was afraid of me, I wasn’t human.
Anyone with at least an ounce of self-preservation would tread carefully around a species stronger and deadlier than theirs.
Not that I’d ever hurt her.
“Of course not. You’ve been good to me.” She sat up. “We might not be the same species, but I kinda like you, so you can’t be sad.” She nodded as if her verdict was final, and it made me laugh. The silliness lifted the weight from my chest.
“I think maybe my reaction is what bothered me?”
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. But that sounded like a question. You’re not sure?”
“Not really.”
“How do you not know?”
“I mean, I shouldn’t react like that.”
“Ahh. So you didn’t like it?”
“No,” I mumbled, untwining the fabric around my finger before doing it again. “I mean, yes, I liked it, but I shouldn’t have.”
“Wait. Are we talking about good boy now or the reaction?”
I froze.
“Zeke?” She angled my face up when I wouldn’t look at her. I felt my skin heat under her scrutiny. “I think I know what’s going on.”
I swallowed.
“You like being called good boy, and like your reaction, but you’re not sure if you should like either? Or just one?”
“Either,” I whispered.
“Well, why the hell not?”
Her response surprised me. I expected her to think I was gross when she wasn’t being sexual. Did she understand I responded to it in a sexual way? I mean, I liked it non-sexual too, but…
I finally settled on the first thing I thought was “wrong” and said, “It’s not normal.”
“Says who?”
I shrugged. Probably my parents. The guys. Everyone. Instead of saying all of that, I settled on, “People.”
“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a little praise. I like being told I do well when I do well.”
I leveled her with a look.