Chapter Eighteen
Nomi
After I checked the cobbler and decided it only needed about ten more minutes before it was ready, I wandered back to the couch where the two women were still waiting for me.
“So, you’re both with-with your Horseman?” I hoped the question wasn’t rude, but neither one seemed bothered by it.
“Yeah, I’m with Zelus, the asshole redhead. We humans call him Pestilence,” Emily explained.
Asha was next, tucking cherry-red hair behind her ear, her bright green eyes pinning mine. “I’m with Thanatos. And humans call him, uh…” For some reason she was hesitant. “We call him Death.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. It took me nearly a minute to collect it. I wasn’t sure how to address the elephant—or rather, Death—in the room. The last thing I wanted to be was rude.
“That’s cool,” my ever-clever brain landed on.
Asha laughed again, and my anxiety slipped away. “Yeah, don’t worry. I had much of the same reaction when he told me who he was. Well, I didn’t want to believe him, but when a guy tears five other guys who were trying to assault you apart in front of your eyes…”
Both Emily and I stared her down. I was the first to ask, mainly because I’d been the victim of abuse for so long it was natural for me to feel protective. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” I whispered, reaching out to touch her hand.
Her smile was gentle. “No, he got to them before they could do anything.”
I let loose a grateful sigh, and so did Emily. Apparently, she hadn’t told her friend everything. I tried to let go of her hand, but she held on a bit tighter.
“Are you okay?” Asha asked, taking me off guard.
I stared at her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I thought that was obvious. You’re being targeted by a whole lot of assholes who want you dead, all because of what you mean for the end of the world.”
The most honest answer I could give them was: “I’ve made peace with it.
It’s not like I can stop it from happening, so I’m making the most of it.
I don’t have any supernatural power to fight back.
I’m at Ghost—er, Limos’s—mercy right now, so…
” Emotion hit my throat when I thought about what would’ve happened if he’d left.
“I’m making the most of it,” I repeated again, a bit firmer than before.
Both of them were quieted by my response, and it bothered me. We were all in the same position, so why did it feel like theirs wasn’t as precarious as mine? Why did it feel like I was missing something really important here?
“Your Horsemen didn’t want to use your souls, either?” I finally pivoted, and the question seemed to shake them loose of their deep thoughts.
“Both of them intended to at first,” Asha explained, her smile soft. “But they came around after…well, everything, I guess.”
I was surprised to hear it. “I don’t think Limos ever intended to take my soul.”
Both ladies gaped at me in shock.
“He didn’t?” Emily asked, her perfectly formed eyebrows knitting together. This girl was seriously pretty. Everything about her drew the eye, and from what I’d seen, even her personality was spectacular.
“No, I don’t think so. He’s been worried about Ares, so he wasn’t there for me at all, really. He never planned to stay. He was there because he was playing a role for Michael.” That statement snagged both of their attention.
Asha got her question in first. “Michael is after him?”
“She’s after Ares, but yes, now him as a result.”
“What do you mean he didn’t plan to stay?” Emily asked me, her hand grabbing mine. The worry in her eyes was clear, so I suddenly felt the strong need to defend him.
“He needs to find her. He’s worried about Ares because Michael knows where she is. I didn’t get all the details, but he was waiting until Michael let her guard down so he could find Ares’s location. He cares about her, and I understand that feeling.”
I ignored the little pang in my chest when I thought about what I meant to him.
It wasn’t likely to match what he meant to me.
Sure, we had sex and he’d decided to take me along for the ride, but did that mean he was falling for me?
I was too scared to ask. I wanted to believe this all had a deeper meaning, but no matter how much this all felt like a romance novel, it wasn’t.
“Limos isn’t the type to do anything for anyone. Thanatos told me he keeps to himself and doesn’t bother with much else. Ares is the exception.” Asha tilted her head, spearing me with her intense gaze.
“He’s decided to keep protecting me,” I explained, hardening mine because she didn’t seem to believe me. “He’s a good man.”
The two fell silent and traded glances.
I was suddenly uncomfortable and wished Ghost would come back. He always made me feel relaxed, and I hated that they had a poor opinion of him. Neither seemed to know him personally, which meant it was built entirely from what others said about him.
As much as I liked these women and how welcoming they’d been, it was frustrating that they’d drawn conclusions without bothering to get to know him. I’d often been put into a box because of my past, because of what happened to me, and I didn’t like that they were doing that to Ghost.
He didn’t deserve it. He’d been nothing but wonderful to me. He never misrepresented himself. He never lied. He did what he said he’d do, and that meant a lot to me.
Giving myself something to do, I checked the cobbler. It was finally ready, so I set it on top of the stove to cool for a few minutes. The two women drooled as they stood over it and took in deep whiffs of the fragrant dessert. It broke the tension that had formed after our conversation.
Glacies and Ignis flew and swirled around me, but it appeared neither woman saw my cuties.
Luckily, they weren’t making nuisances of themselves.
It’d be a bit weird to have to explain the random damp spots or water trickling down my arms and cheeks.
Though, these two had probably seen weirder things.
Without thinking, I started to plate them each a serving. I didn’t have any because my stomach couldn’t be trusted, but I still watched with a smile as the two dug in and made noises of sheer pleasure at the taste.
“Oh. My. God. She was sent from Heaven,” Asha said over a mouthful, moaning.
Emily nodded with a little too much gusto. “An angel. A sweet dream. A living goddess!”
I bit my lower lip, trying not to laugh. “That good, is it?”
“Good?!” Emily exclaimed in outrage. “That word is blasphemous to this godly treat of delight. This rich, decadent mouthful of deliciousness that transcends sugar and sense. I’m tempted to make this berry cobbler my new religion, Nomi. It’s out of this damn world.”
“Too late,” Asha said after another swallow. “It’s already my religion. Find your own.”
“You sneaky little bitch.” Emily pointed her spoon at Asha in mock anger. “I should make you walk the plank for such mutinous language.”
“Just try it, Ems. I’ll Judo-style kick your ass.”
I was massively entertained. These two would be great around Felix. He’d have a goddamn field day with them. My Old Man was absolutely obsessed with women who weren’t afraid to speak their minds, no matter how much he griped about me doing it. He enjoyed a woman with spirit, as he called it.
“So, we should probably tell you about how dying might be your only option for survival…” Emily started, earning herself a glare from Asha.
Dying might be my only option for survival? What did that even mean?
The men returned before she could explain.
“Limos, you didn’t let me finish,” I heard one of the men say, his voice dripping with frustration. He didn’t sound happy at all.
I opened my mouth to get more out of Emily, but Ghost was already in front of me, having deftly maneuvered his huge frame between me and the other women.
He guided my arms around him, his own wrapping tightly around my waist. Still confused, I peered up at him, and once our eyes met, I saw the rage burning in all the red.
I’d never seen him angry. I’d never seen anything close. Whatever they’d said had bothered him. So much so it was beaming down at me, blatant and blazing.
I heard both women speak up in outrage, asking for him to stop and listen, but the world shifted and tilted in that queasy familiar way that told me we’d gone somewhere else.
“What happened?” I asked once my stomach calmed down. He’d kept his arms around me, my body locked to his, refusing to move.
“Not enough,” came his cryptic reply.
I pushed to gain space and then stared up at him. “I know you have your reasons, but you need to let me in. I’ll always be on your side. You just need to trust me the same way I trust you.”
His eyes stayed with mine. “You trust me, little wisp?”
“Of course. I have no reason not to,” I replied honestly. “You’ve always been honest with me.”
His lips twitched down, the first I’d seen him upset like this. “I haven’t told you everything.”
I reached up and cradled his face in my hands. “You’ve had your reasons, I’m sure. I know I can’t do anything of value, but I want to help any way I can.”
His mouth was on mine before I knew what was happening, then he withdrew just enough to say, “That’s not true, Nomi. Value? You’re everything, and that’s what scares me.”
My breath caught. “You’re scared?”
“I am. They said I must risk losing you to keep you,” he replied, his sad voice hitting me right in the heart.
Confused, I searched his eyes. “What do you mean?”
He let loose a breath and kissed me again. The feeling in it was desperately needy. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to reassure himself with touching, and I understood that feeling more than most. Because that was exactly what I needed, too.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he lifted me with a little groan. I locked my legs around his taut waist as he drove his tongue into my mouth. It was a hot few seconds where I didn’t know where he began and I ended.
Everything felt like us.