Chapter 17 #2
“Dunno. Probably trying to drink himself into an early grave. I was too focused on Lark to give a shit about where he went, honestly. And it would’ve been better had you been there. You would’ve done something instead of standing there like a useless bonehead.”
I hate that Hal’s beating himself up over what happened, but I don’t know how to make him feel better.
Colt bumps his shoulder into Hal’s. “Hey, man, cut yourself some slack. You know you’re no match for Az. The only thing you would’ve accomplished would be getting beaten into a pulp, which wouldn’t have helped Lark.”
Hal shrugs and looks away. Colt sighs but drops the conversation.
My eyes bounce between the two of them for a long moment. No one says anything, each of us too lost in our own thoughts.
“For fuck’s sake!” a deep voice growls behind me, and I startle at the noise.
Breaking Colt’s hold and turning around, I choke on my spit when I see Rook standing on the second floor landing in black slacks, an unbuttoned white dress shirt, and nothing else. His washboard abs and defined pecs are free of the ink that decorates his collarbones and creeps up his neck a little.
“Can you fuckers not keep it down for two hours? You know I need to get work in after Az, Colt, and I go on a job.” Rook breaks off as he finally looks up from the laptop decorated with Post-it notes he’s holding in one hand.
His eyes go comically wide when he sees me standing with Hal and Colt.
“Lark! What a surprise. What, um, are you doing here?”
Before I can answer, a door bangs open next to Rook on the second floor and a rumpled Remy shuffles out. He’s still in his pajamas. His blue plaid pants and simple white T-shirt are wrinkled from sleep, and he’s rubbing his eyes tiredly.
“Brosephs, can you keep it down and let a brother sleep?” Remy rasps, his voice rough from just having woken up.
When no one answers him, his gaze bounces from Rook to Colt and Hal standing downstairs. When it lands on me, Remy grins before walking over to the railing and smoothly vaulting over it.
A scream of surprise gets trapped in my throat as I watch him fall a story. I needn’t have worried because Remy expertly rolls as he lands. He pops up to his feet with a giant smile on his face before sprinting toward me.
He’s totally going to slam full speed into me, so I close my eyes and brace myself for the impact, hoping he won’t rattle my already-throbbing brain too much.
“Stop,” Colt barks. When I don’t feel an impact, I peek an eye open and see Remy frozen in his tracks. “She’s hurt. Be gentle with her.”
Remy’s exuberant smile drops as he approaches me cautiously, as if I’m a wounded animal or something. “You’re hurt? What happened, alouette? What can I do to help?”
“Oh, you know, the usual,” I answer evasively. “And I don’t really think there’s anything to be done. I just need to rest and should be good by the morning.”
Even if I were a human, there’s nothing doctors could really do for me. My body just needs time to heal itself. Shifting might help a little, but I’m not going to risk doing that here.
“Az choked her and slammed her head into the concrete a few times,” Hal supplies unhelpfully.
Turning around, I give him a glare that doesn’t seem to faze him. He arches an eyebrow, wordlessly asking me why I’m trying to protect Azrael. Sighing, I face forward without giving him an answer.
Truthfully, I don’t know why I don’t want to tell anyone what happened. Part of it is not wanting to come between the obviously close friends. But part of it is that I have a disturbing lack of concern for shit like that happening to me.
I thought I was unfazed by Andrew attempting to off me because it happened the same night I found Wren. But now I’m wondering if there’s just something broken in me.
Remy’s expression tightens in anger for a beat before he smooths it out. He pastes on a smile that doesn’t reach his usually happy eyes. “Well, then, let’s get you resting. Can you take off your jacket and boots for me, or do you need help?”
As much as I want to protest that I’m fine, the world has started to spin around me. I feel like I’m going to pass out and throw up at the same time, so I should probably sit down.
“I can do it.” I shrug off my jacket first, and I’m thankful I’m wearing a cropped graphic tee instead of my usual skintight undershirt. I was too pissed off to bother changing out of the black shirt with a purple electric eel on the back when Azrael kidnapped me.
Once my jacket is off, I look around for a coat rack to place it on. Before I can find somewhere to hang it up, Hal takes it from me with a smile.
Not having the energy to argue, I unzip and pull off one boot, then the other. Without the two-inch boost my boots gave me, I feel even tinier around these massive men.
Remy steps up into my space and places his hands on my ass, hauling me up into his arms in one smooth motion. I squeak in surprise at the sudden position change and wrap my arms and legs around him to steady myself.
He walks us over to the sectional, not seeming to even notice my weight, while Colt grumbles about being careful with me.
When we reach the plush gray couch, Remy sets me down on the middle seat much more gently than I thought he was capable of. He pushes an ottoman up to my spot, giving me somewhere to stretch out. Then he covers me with a warm green blanket that smells like them, mysteriously devoid of any scent.
After plopping down beside me, Remy puts his arms around my shoulder and pulls me into him. “Just rest now, alouette. I’ve got you.”
Before I can respond, Rook walks around the sectional. He has his black laptop covered in colorful Post-it notes in one hand and is buttoning up his shirt with the other.
I’m not sure whether I’m relieved or disappointed that he’s covering himself up. With Colt being shirtless too, there’s enough muscle on display to fry my already-struggling brain, so it’s probably for the best that he’s hiding his ripped abs.
When he sits down next to me, he gives me a soft smile. “Remy’s right. You can sleep, and we’ll keep you safe.”
I give him a small smile. Even though I haven’t known them very long, I believe him that he’ll keep me safe. “Okay. Just wake me whenever for dinner.”
“You’re coming to dinner?” Remy asks excitedly. I give him a small nod. “Oh, man, that’s awesome! Win, Wes, and Hal’s mom are gonna be so excited to meet you. Everyone will, really, but those three will absolutely lose their minds.”
I freeze as I process what he said. “What do you mean?”
I’m starting to get the feeling that Hal didn’t mean a chill dinner here or at a low-key restaurant.
What did I get myself into?
It’s Remy’s turn to look confused. He tilts his head as he tries to figure out what’s going on.
“You said you’re coming to dinner with us?
Every Friday, we have dinner with my dads, siblings, and Hal’s parents.
So, you’re gonna meet the whole gang. They’ll love you as much as we do!
Didn’t Hal tell you about it when he invited you? ”
I turn around to glare at the man in question. “No. Hal conveniently didn’t mention the whole family would be there when he invited me.”