13. My virgin eyes!
Nevaeh
I t’s been two months since Angel kissed me in the pouring rain for the first time.
He didn’t lie when he promised the kisses wouldn’t stop. Anxo kisses me all the time now, whether in passing or throughout the nights we spend cuddling in his room or whenever he feels like it.
That night, we returned to the hotel looking like drenched rats and smiling like two lovesick idiots. The group caught one glance at our flaming red cheeks and intertwined hands, and it’s safe to say we were teased relentlessly.
Seiji kept making kissing sounds every time he saw us together. Hazel made a short film about safe sex, only for me to run away within the first two minutes.
It was gruesome.
Thankfully, Seiji assured me the siren was only messing with me, and that’s not how real sex works.
Some days, I really hate that tailless creature.
“I don’t think we’ll need backup.” Angel thinks out loud, bringing me back to the present.
“Look at the muscles on this man!” Seiji shrieks like a fucking banshee. Again .
“But we'll have to be careful. We can’t risk exposing that the Horsemen are in the human realm. Too many will think it’s the perfect opportunity to corner us.” Grace warns.
“The tattoos !”
“Can Khatri to stay with August? I don’t trust anyone—” Seiji cuts me off like he’s been doing this entire time.
“ Grey fucking eyes ! ”
“SHUT UP, SEIJI!” Everyone roars in sync, frustrated by his constant wailing.
“You don’t understand! He looks like that and has tattoos , and OH MY FATES!!” Seiji continues to screech about how unfair life is.
I don’t understand why he is going off the rails. Yes, my best friend is somewhat good-looking, but not enough to make a man completely lose his shit.
“It's the same e very. single. time he finds someone attractive, and they’re not gay or his mate. Suddenly it’s the end of the fucking world.” Hazel ignores Seiji’s meltdown like an expert, tossing another grape in the air and catching it with her mouth.
“Oh, mama, I’m in love with a criminal…”
And now the princess is staring out the window and singing his heart out like he’s in a breakup music video.
It’s always way too dramatic with this guy.
Angel bangs his head on the table, grumbling that his friend needs to find his mate soon. Swatting the back of his head, I warn him to stop and rub the slightly red skin on his forehead.
“You guys are so cute,” Grace sighs dreamily, shifting to rest her head on Hazel’s shoulder, before realizing at the last second who she's sitting next to.
“It’s disgusting, and I want you both to stop.”
“Thank you for the kind words, Hazel.” Angel grabs my hand before standing. “Time to get ready. It’s a long drive, and I don’t want to miss Harvey.”
So we found Harvey...
Khatri barged in this morning with pictures of my best friend exiting an exclusive ghoul club an hour and a half away from the city. The Warriorhead is certain Harvey visits the club every two days at the same time to ask around for information on the coven.
In the last few weeks, the absence of information on Harvey had started to weigh heavy on my chest. I was slowly slipping from my present to darker times. To help me escape my head, the group made it their mission to keep me occupied with different activities. Angel stayed close by worrying that my anxiety would explode into something uncontrollable.
Their worry and concern initially used to make me uncomfortable and suspicious, but it didn’t take them long to show me that this is what families do.
Stick around and lift each other.
In my two months living with them, they’ve managed to get under my skin. I don’t know when, but they’ve become my safety net. And to think, there was a time I hesitated to call them friends.
“Another Horsemen… jolly .” Hazel squints at Harvey's picture as if trying to dig out his deepest, darkest secrets.
From what I've seen, Harvey has changed a lot... physically speaking. Now he looks like a wall of muscles with those broad shoulders and biceps three times what they used to be.
The permanent bags under his eyes that I’m so used to seeing are nowhere to be found. He looks healthy .
Once the last detail is hashed out, Grace drags me away from Angel by my hand and orders Hazel to follow.
When the tiny Bookkeeper declares she will be dressing us up tonight, both Hazel and I exchange a wide-eyed look over her head. According to Grace, we don’t know what dressing fancy means, and she is the only one who can save us from ourselves.
I don’t understand what’s wrong with me wearing my mate’s hoodie. His scent keeps me from gutting people.
I’ve been patiently sitting on a chair for the last twenty minutes and my butt has gone numb. Every time I gather the strength to open my mouth, Grace shoots me a look that makes me quickly close my mouth.
I don’t think I’m supposed to piss off someone poking my face with sticks and brushes. Grace might look harmless, but she has the mean streak of a fiery black woman.
I didn’t know someone as sweet could be so damn scary .
Ruffling through her closet, Grace pulls out three dress bags and Hazel decides this is the hill she wants to die on by immediately protesting.
“If you put me in a dress, I’m not above stabbing you.”
With hands on her hips, Grace asks, “Why are you against dresses again?”
“Where do I even start? Oh, I know—they’re impractical. How the fuck am I supposed to kick someone without worrying about flashing my underwear?”
“Why do you think you’ll have to kick someone?”
“Oh, Gracie.” With a patient breath, Hazel changes tactics. “Okay… if you can find something other than a dress, I swear on Lucifer, to give it an honest shot.”
When Grace starts cackling like a maniac, I know Hazel is not coming on top of this. By the evil glint in her eyes, I know my sister came prepared and has Hazel right where she wants her.
The siren pales at the sight of a sophisticated black jumpsuit with a delicate golden chain around the middle. Kicking and stomping, Hazel tries on the outfit. After kicking down a poor vase that was proudly sitting high on a shelf, she reluctantly agrees to keep wearing it.
The chain around the waist makes it easier for Hazel to hide a fancy dagger in plain sight which seals the deal.
Grace flutters her nonexistent wings when Hazel begrudgingly admits she won’t mind wearing similar outfits when she can’t wear pantsuits with armored corsets.
I haven’t seen any of them in traditional clothing yet, but judging by how Grace keeps gushing about them, I can't wait for that day.
Trying her best to be gentle, Grace takes on the task of brushing my stubborn waves when she mentions cutting them out of the blue.
The aggressive way in which I say no is pure instinct, and I feel Grace flinch behind me. When I’m sure she'll leave, Grace continues brushing my hair, effectively ignoring my freak-out .
“Breathe, Nevaeh. It was just a suggestion. I’m not cutting them now, only styling.”
I apologize for startling her, but she brushes it off, not expecting an explanation. Unlike Hazel, who keeps tapping her foot annoyingly until I talk.
Sharky is too nosey for someone who doesn’t even share her chips with me.
It’s easier to let loose with Grace running her fingers through my hair and eventually, I decide to let them in.
“Visha loved to use my hair against me. This is the first time I don’t have random bald patches with how she pulled on them or uneven length. I just don’t want to lose them again.” My voice is timid at the end, and I close my eyes to soak in how good it feels to say things out loud.
“No one’s cutting it all, honey. I love your hair. I was thinking of a little trim, so it’s healthier and has a nice shape.”
That doesn’t sound so bad. Not bad at all.
“So, I don’t have to cut a lot?”
“Nothing more than a couple inches.” I give in because healthier and better shape sounds good, and I trust her. Grace squeals in delight. “We’ll make a girls’ day out of it. Face masks, spa, and wine.”
“As long as there’s wine, I’m in.” Hazel chimes in.
Maybe drunk Hazel will be more willing to spill merfolk secrets. This woman loves torturing me with lack of information, but I’m going to get it out of her one day.
Hazel is next to sit on the chair and get her hair and make-up done. Grace promises to keep it light and mainly focuses on adding a shiny power that makes Hazel look like a light bulb.
In a good way, of course .
I stand behind my sister the whole time, trying to remember the steps so I can practice them later.
Before starting on her own makeup, Grace hands me a dress. I’m immediately doubtful seeing the way the material is scrunched up in a ball. When I don’t move, Grace assures me it’s supposed to look like that, and it will fit .
Escaping to the bathroom, I squeeze myself into a dress that quickly takes on the shape of my body. Looking at myself in the mirror, I instantly fall in love with how it looks on me.
The black bodycon dress has full sleeves and a somewhat deep V-neck with a Criss-cross cut on my abdomen, revealing a patch of my stomach. The dress hugs my body perfectly, a perfect mixture of sexy and classy.
The hem reaches mid-thigh, and it’s a good thing the sheer stockings beneath stop my scars from stealing all the attention.
Stepping closer to the mirror, I admire how Grace used neutral shades to highlight my features and the shimmering glitter on my cheekbones and eyelids.
When she asked me to choose a lip color, I asked for the cherry lip balm because the matte texture of the lipstick felt too dry.
My long hair falls over my shoulder in soft, defined curls. I can practically hear them cry in relief that, finally, someone is treating them nicely.
When I leave the bathroom, Hazel is sitting on the bed scrolling through her phone, and Grace has just put down her hairbrush. She squeals when she sees, and Hazel forgets to close her mouth until I clear my throat.
“You look so pretty!” Grace quickly wipes a tear before it ruins her perfectly done makeup.
“Your Angel is going to eat you alive tonight.” Hazel wiggles her brows at me mischievously.
“Yeah? Let’s talk about how good you look.”
“Coming!” Before I can fluster her back, Hazel runs out the door, yelling that Seiji calling her.
So, she can make a video about the weirdest sex to exist but can’t take a compliment?
Focusing on Grace, my mouth drops open to see her in a champagne bodycon dress with tiny stones embellished all over it. The sweetheart neckline reveals her sharp collarbones and sleeves that flare around her arms.
“ Honeybunch , you look like an ancient goddess.”
Grace ducks her head, hiding her smile. The only reason her face isn’t all red is because of her caramel skin tone. But it’s not like the way she flusters can be missed.
“Really? You don’t think it’s too short, or the neck is too low—”
“Hey,” I grip her shoulders and wait for her to get out of her head. “Do you like how you look?” She answers with a shy nod. “That’s the most important thing. As long as you feel comfortable and beautiful, don’t overthink it, okay?”
I can only imagine the bullshit Rick must've fed her. I know it’s hard to shut his comments in her head, but I promise to squash her inner thoughts whenever I'm near.
I’m sure the fact that he’s coming with us today isn’t helping her nerves, either.
Even when no one asked, Rick insisted on coming for security reasons. Security reasons, my ass. The bastard wants to come so he can keep an eye on Grace.
Grace agreed before Anxo could shoo him away, and that was the end. I’m desperately waiting for the day she leaves him so I can settle the score with his pathetic ass.
“What about my hair? Should I leave it naturally? I’ve never done that before,” Grace asks, fixing her naturally feisty hair pulled into a high ponytail, which puffs out with tight curls.
“It looks perfect. I love this look way more than when you try to tame them.”
After a much-needed hype session, we leave her room to meet the rest. I find Seiji helping August with his dinner, so I have one less thing to do before I put him down for bed.
So thoughtful.
Seiji is a genius when it comes to fashion. Tonight, he stands in a sheer black shirt with solid black roses scattered on it. The sheer material of the shirt draws attention to his abs even before you notice the leather pants it's loosely tucked into. For a finishing touch, he picked black boots to tie the outfit together .
Turning at the sound of my block heels, Seiji beams at my compliment. “You’re going to have men falling at your feet, princess. You look so handsome.”
The effect of my compliment shows on the light pink shade of his cheeks, but it’s not Seiji if he doesn’t soak up a compliment instead of acting bashful.
I bend to kiss monkey’s head while he stuffs himself full of spaghetti, ignoring the sauce on his collar. This boy feeds his clothes just as much as he feeds himself.
“Why thank you, Nevaeh. You look quite fabulous yourself. I like you in your oversized mate clothes... but this? I love .” Taking my hand, he spins me around.
With a final wink, Seiji moves on to Grace and they both shower each other with compliments that have Hazel fake gagging and monkey giggling at her silly antics.
I’m disappointed that the man I hoped to impress is nowhere in sight. Guess I’ll have to wait a little longer to blow his mind.
Helping monkey off the chair, I lead him back to my room and put on a robe so I can scrub the spaghetti sauce off him and get him to bed. With a storybook in my hand, I don’t even finish the second page before he doses off, cuddling his stuffed dinosaur.
Caressing his hair, I wait until he’s deep in sleep before quietly leaving the room. For precaution, I leave the door slightly ajar so Khatri will be able to hear if something was wrong. I know I have no reason not to trust Khatri, but I still feel anxious about leaving my baby alone.
Turning around, I freeze coming face to face with my mate leaning back against a wall with his arms crossed.
Motherfucking shitballs.
I quickly swipe under my chin, to make sure I'm not drooling. Angel looks ravishing in a sleek black suit with silver sparkling vertical lines over it and a black dress shirt underneath.
The top three buttons are undone, giving me a perfect view of those hypnotizing markings on his chest. The way his shirt fits him like a glove, outlining those muscles, should be criminal.
The jacket curls around his biceps and shoulders like a sin, and I have a strange urge to smooth my hands over the material of his pants to feel his well-defined thighs. Just the thought has me clenching my thighs in desperate need of something .
I’m so busy admiring him that it takes me a minute to realize Angel is doing the same. His eyes roam over me with slightly parted lips, like he is forcing himself to breathe. I want to squirm under his heated gaze, but my body loves the attention too much to move.
“I’m assuming you like it?” I ask, moving closer until I can loop my arms around his neck. I can’t help but kiss his jaw. He looks irresistible tonight.
Like my kiss startles him out of his daze, Angel immediately pulls me closer by gripping my hips. Eyes filled with longing trace every curve and dip in my body.
Suddenly I’m very aware of the material sticking to my skin. Or how I wouldn’t mind if it accidentally slipped.
“You look delicious , sweetheart. And I'll show you just how much I appreciate my gorgeous mate.” Hovering over me, he smashes our lips together, and I moan as soon as we touch.
The intensity of the kiss is unlike any before. Tonight, Angel isn’t holding back from devouring me. He swiftly turns us around so I’m pressed between the wall and him. When his hips thrust against me, I feel his need for me in the form of a hard bulge poking my lower stomach.
Angel pulls away abruptly but before I can complain, his lips are attacking my neck. Alternating between soft kisses, passionate sucking, and desperate bites making my whimpers and moans louder with each touch.
“Oh… oh … my virgin eyes ! Stop it, you horn dogs!”
A sudden screech startles us enough to snap our heads in its direction. I snicker when I see Seiji running away, screaming about how we ruined his innocence.
Unfortunately, his interruption breaks the spell and Angel remembers about the world around us.
Huff irately, Angel drops his head on my shoulder. “I’ll finish what I started, my sweet girl. Promise.” Whispering into my neck, he lightly sucks at the skin there before grabbing my hand to walk us downstairs.
A short goodbye to Khatri turns into him assuring Angel and me that he can handle a sleeping toddler and all but shoves us inside the elevator.
When we get to the parking lot, everyone is already settled into their car. Seiji, Grace, Hazel, and Rick are taking a separate car while Angel and I take one, so we'll have an extra vehicle in an emergency.
Ignoring the group's whining about getting late, my mate helps me into the passenger seat.
For the first half-hour on the road, I can’t stop anxiously twisting and turning the rings of Angel’s fingers. His paw of a hand slips under the hem of my dress, rubbing soft circles on my thigh where my stockings begin.
I can sense the silence is bothering Angel, but he doesn’t push me to talk, even when my unease lingers in the air, choking us.
“I've noticed you’re awfully fond of my rings, sweetheart. Want me to get you some?”
“No, I’ll probably twist my fingers off,” I reply absentmindedly. Playing with his fingers, I’m looking through the windshield, counting all the white cars to stay in the moment.
“But you have no problem twisting mine ?”
“Nope.”
It’s not my fault his hands are always so warm and familiar. I feel grounded with him beside me, but even with my guardian Angel can’t stop the horrors of my past from replaying in my head.
Ever since we found Harvey, my mind has been playing cruel tricks on me, trying to convince me he wouldn’t want anything to do with me after everything he went through because of me .
What if I'm a living reminder of his horrible past?
“This is all your fault.”
No.
“He is lying in a pool of his blood because of you—because you insist on being a weak little girl.” She grabs my hair in a tight fist and I taste blood in my mouth. “Always crying for daddy when you know he won’t be coming. No one is coming, and it’s all your fault.”
Please stop.
“Don’t listen to him, monkey. None of this is your fault.”
Harvey is in so much pain. They hurt his back because he gave me his bread. Again. This is all my fault.
It was always my fault. Always.
“I’m sorry Harvey. I’m so s-sorry,” I sob into her hold, but she doesn’t let me go to him.
“Close your eyes, monkey,” Harvey gasps just before the evil witch lashes his back again.
“Don’t you dare look away little girl, or I’ll do worse to you. You don’t want me to call Micah, do you?”
I shiver in fear at his name. I don’t want him to come.
I can’t breathe.
“It’s all right. We are all right.” Harvey gasps out before falling asleep. They always wait for him to fall asleep before punishing me.
Please wake up Harvey.
“Now you’re all alone, little girl. It’s Micah’s shift today, and he is furious.”
Not him. Please, not him. plea—
“Nevaeh!” I jolt in my seat, flinching violently and bumping against something hard beside me. Anxo quickly rolls down the windows and parks the car, gesturing for me to take deep breaths.
Anxo. Angel . You’re not there anymore, Nevaeh. You can’t be there if Angel is with you .
“Hey, where’d you go, baby?” Giving me his open palm, he waits for me to move first. When I grip his hand, Angel tangles his fingers in my hair and presses our forehead together, grounding me once again.
“I just… what—what if he hates me? What if he wants nothing to do with me? He went through so much because of me… he… he t- took for me a-and what I-if…”
Cutting off my stutter Angel kisses me softly, and I grip his shoulders to hold on to my security. His lips softly caress mine, helping me relax the storm inside me with every peck.
“Nothing like that would happen. If anything, Harvey would be relieved to see you out of that place.”
“You think so?”
I hate that I sound so weak. I don’t want Visha to win.
I’m not weak.
“I know so. Now take a deep breath and turn that frown upside down. It doesn't belong on your beautiful face.” Angel reprimands playfully.
Holding my face in his hands, he takes a few deep breaths with me until he’s sure I’m here with him and not in my head. More reassuring kisses and back rubs later, Angel helps me clean my ruined mascara before starting the car again.
To distract me, he asks me to list my favorite memories with Harvey. I can’t help but think how glad I am that he was here to help before I jump off the edge into panic land like I always do.
For the rest of the ride, I recite every good memory I remember with my best friend, and our conversation becomes lighter, like my heart.
Before I know it, between Angel’s soft touches and calming distractions, we reach our destination to find others already waiting.
When Angel climbs out, I follow suit. Only when I to try step out, hands on my shoulders push me back into my seat.
“Noooo, my beautiful idiot, I’m supposed to open doors for you.” Shoving my legs back into the car, Angel shuts the door and counts to three before opening it again.
“Sweetheart.” The weirdo offers me his palm with a cheeky grin.
My weirdo.
Helping me climb out, Angel covers me behind his large frame so I can fix my dress that had ridden up. When I'm ready, I wrap my arms around his and hold it to my chest.
If anyone can help me not fall prey to my fear, it’s him.
My Angel. My mate.