Chapter 18 Heidi
HEIDI
I place the back of one of my hands against my still-burning cheeks to try to cool them off as I awkwardly open the door a bit wider. Thunder rumbles somewhere far away in the gray midday sky, warning that Pheli, the god of the sky, is preparing a storm.
“Do you want to come in for a moment? It’s chilly out here, and I should call Everett to get this sorted out, because I really don’t need a bodyguard—”
“What the hell?” he barks.
His voice is so unexpectedly angry that I jolt, alarmed before I see his attention pinned on the angry, mottled bruises still fading at a snail’s pace on my arm.
When he spies the equally colorful state of my other arm, he swears creatively and steps past me into my place, talking over his shoulder as he goes inside.
“Almost forgot, you were hit by a fucking bus yesterday. Don’t need a bodyguard, my ass.”
Speaking of ass, when I look down…wow.
This guy is built all over.
“I almost forgot how grouchy he is,” Jessica grins, looking at me. “I remember this guy—ever heard the name Douglas before?”
Maybe I’ve heard one of the Amatos mention that name once or twice in passing? I’m not sure, so I shrug.
“I heard about him before the Upheaval, since he was some hotshot expert mercenary bounty hunter guy—but then I got a ghostly front-row seat when your parents captured him and the Amatos. They had someone beat the ever-loving shit out of him,” she adds, huffy as always whenever the subject of my parents comes up.
“Pretty sure they almost killed that hunk.”
I grimace. I’m not surprised, just sorry he had to experience the Frosts in all their glory.
But if Everett hired an expert bounty hunter just to keep an eye on me lazing around in my cottage in the woods as I keep out of the public eye, I’m really going to have to talk him down.
Jessica drifts after him into my house. I close the front door as the stranger scans the living room and attached kitchen.
He’s not looking at it like most people do, like he’s just admiring the cozy setup.
Instead, he’s clearly making strategic notes of the windows and back door, like he’s expecting someone to break in.
Evidently, this Douglas guy takes his job seriously. He’s probably a great bodyguard…for someone else.
Not for me. Everett’s just gone a little overboard.
Tidying the blanket and pillows on my couch, I turn to face the distractingly sexy ginger.
He’s in standard legacy combat attire with a brown leather coat on top that almost hides the knife sheathed at his hip.
Judging by the tattoo on his jugular and a couple of smaller ones peeking out on his hands, I’m going to guess he has more hidden.
“Listen, Mister—”
Crap, Jess didn’t mention his first name.
He looks at me, folding his arms in an immovable stance. “Asher.”
“Asher,” I repeat, pretending not to notice the way his attention immediately drops to my mouth.
Is he noticing it because of my birthmark right beside it?
Gods, I should’ve put that foundation on before opening the door.
“I appreciate you checking on me, but I’m already a thousand times better than I was yesterday.
I’m sure you have better things to do, and there’s no need for me to have a big, strong, scary babysitter hanging around.
Even if he is eye candy,” I add teasingly.
My playfulness momentarily throws Asher Douglas before he grunts. “Don’t flirt with your bodyguard, Murley.”
I know I didn’t imagine him checking me out at the door a second ago, so I think I know what his newfound aloofness is about.
“Keeping it professional, I see. That’s classy. Except class isn’t needed here, because you aren’t my bodyguard.”
“The hell I’m not.”
I laugh. “Professional, classy, handsome, and stubborn? Lucky me. Look, I’ll call Everett to clear this up, but first, are you hungry? Stormy skies always make me want to bake. Or if you’re thirsty, I can make some pretty decent coffee. Oh—or how about blueberry muffins?”
“I hate muffins.”
I unabashedly admire the good-looking, muscle-packed legacy who appeared on my doorstep, biting my lip. “You know, that checks out. Pretty sure you can’t get a body like that from liking muffins.”
He gives me a pointed look. “You done now?”
“Done with what?” I put on my most innocent face.
“I’ll give you a hint. You’re done.”
Laughing again at his firm tone, I grab my phone from the coffee table. I try to hide the grimace from bending over with all these sore muscles and bruises. I must not do a great job, because Asher scowls.
“Sit down. You’re still recovering.”
“I can recover and make pancakes at the same time. Please tell me you at least eat pancakes?” I say, fighting another yawn as exhaustion tries to creep up my limbs.
“I’m not eating shit until you sit down and rest.”
“You should never eat shit—I’m sure it tastes terrible,” I joke as I dial my brother.
Asher is still giving me an irritated look when Everett answers with, “How are you feeling this morning? Has your shifter healing caught up yet? Silas is on a call with acolytes from the Sanctuary, but if you need healing magic to help things along, a caster should be there—”
“You mean the one you hired to be my bodyguard?” I ask sardonically, walking into my kitchen.
I wince as I open a cabinet with my sore arms. Asher quickly appears beside me to press the cabinet shut again with a big hand, shaking his head firmly.
“So bossy. I knew I liked him,” Jessica says as she settles her ghost butt on the kitchen counter nearby.
“Yes,” my brother replies over the phone, clearly not catching that I’m not on board with this.
“Douglas is a talented healer, and I’d trust him with my life.
He’ll keep you safe until this shitstorm blows over.
If you’re not comfortable with him staying in your guest room, he can set up a temporary encampment nearby, but—”
“Everett. I don’t need a healer, and I definitely don’t need a bodyguard.”
His voice steels. “Heidi. You could’ve died yesterday.”
“But I didn’t,” I protest, opening a drawer to pull out the measuring cups I’ll need. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was stupid. I just accidentally ran in front of that bus like an idiot—”
“Because those damn sharks were harassing you and you were on the verge of shifting from an empathic meltdown,” he scowls. “Don’t try to minimize this.”
“I’m not, it’s just—”
Jessica scoffs nearby. “Yes, you so are.”
I pause before sighing. Okay, maybe they’re right.
“Have you seen the news today?” Everett checks. “Opened up any social media or anything?”
“No.”
“Good. Don’t. The bus incident went viral.
You’re all over the internet, and it’s their fault.
You spent months volunteering your time to help them recover lost fae relics and get the sleepers out, and Marwood has repaid you by ripping your peaceful life apart.
Everyone’s dragging you into their godsdamned politics.
I’m trying to do as much damage control as I can, but thanks to Brahm and Marwood, the fae are calling you a liar and saying you attempted to steal from them—”
“I almost caused the problem,” I blurt, fidgeting with the measuring spoons in my hand.
“What?”
“Brahm was kind of right to be suspicious. Please don’t ask me why, but I was getting a bad feeling about sending the sleepers off with the fae, and I was maybe about to open one of the sarcophagi. He saw me standing around them and got suspicious, and…”
“Did you open it?”
“No, but—”
“So Brahm opened it.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“Heidi. He’s to blame for everything that happened, not you.
Whatever you were even considering doing, I know you.
You would have been doing it for the right reasons.
And no matter how mad Marwood is at you for the bullshit Brahm’s been feeding him, it doesn’t give anyone the right to destroy your life. ”
“Destroy is a little dramatic. So what if I can’t live as a human anymore?
It’s not the end of the world,” I say optimistically, trying to convince myself just as much as I’m trying to cheer him.
“If I can survive being locked up in the Nether for a month, I can survive a few short weeks of keyboard goblins trash-talking me online.”
“The Nether?”
I startle. I got so wrapped up in this conversation that I forgot that Asher is overhearing all of this from where he now stands leaning against one of the counters, frowning at me. I wave off his question and scoot my favorite cookbook across the counter toward him, mouthing, Pick something out.
He scoots it right back toward me, his green eyes pinned on me as he lowers his voice. “I pick you sitting your sweet ass down somewhere and resting, not baking.”
Jessica rubs her hands together. “He called your ass sweet! Oh, it is so on—and he’s been trying not to, but he’s totally been eye fucking you the whole time you’ve been talking to Face Card.”
That makes my cheeks and neck heat.
Everett is unaware of my sidebar with Asher and my ghostly bestie as he huffs on the other end of the phone.
“Fine, but in the interest of your survival, Asher is staying as your bodyguard. That’s non-negotiable.
You might think it’s overboard, but it’s the only way I’m going to get any sleep until this blows over.
Please just let me make sure you’re in good hands. ”
I glance at Asher. He jerks a thumb back insistently at the couch.
“Bossy hands, if you ask me,” I grumble before sighing. “Okay, fine. Buns of Steel can stay.”
Asher chokes. “What the fuck? Do not call me that.” He raises his voice enough so Everett can hear him through my phone. “I didn’t agree to her calling me that!”
“I’m going to go with selective amnesia here,” Everett grumbles.
Jessica cackles again. “Great nickname, El! Gods, I wish I had some popcorn because this is going to be so much fun to watch.”
I laugh at them and then refocus. “Hey, Everett? About that sleeper who got away…”
Should I tell him that I’m beginning to suspect that incubus was the one giving me those awful nightmares in the Nether and making me feel so unsafe? And the way he wasn’t surprised to see me when he woke up, and just immediately objectified me to make his “fated one” jealous…
“Don’t worry about that one,” Everett assures me. “We’ve all decided to track him down once Maven returns soon. We’re not sure if he’s dangerous yet, but we’ll find him either way.”
Athanis didn’t exactly say he’s dangerous, just lascivious.
“That’s good,” I tell him, deciding I don’t want to overshare for no reason. “Okay, bye—”
“Heidi?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m...” He exhales. “Fuck, I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Aww. Love you, too.”
I hang up and turn to appraise Asher, wishing I wasn’t so freakishly tired right now so I could better appreciate having a guy who looks like this hanging out in my kitchen.
“Okay, so maybe you’re my bodyguard after all. I have to warn you, I’m a bonified hermit these days, so this is about to be a really boring job for you. Now, where did we land on the whole pancakes thing?”