Chapter 24 Heidi
HEIDI
Zak yawns and stretches, drawing my attention to the half-demon's bare torso full of sleek muscles. I could stare at him shirtless for way too long, but I notice strange symbols carved down the length of one of his arms.
When he bends down to scoop his jacket off the living room floor, I try not to gasp at the sight of more scars—dozens of pale little tally marks across his shoulders and a few going down his spine.
Are those…scores? For all his victorious fights in Amadeus’s arena?
"Great. Since that's settled," the half-demon says, shrugging back into his jacket and grinning at me again.
His emotions have returned to what I was familiar with in the Nether from him—a steady stream of fixed interest, desire, care, and fascination all dazzlingly centered on me. But there's a slight undercurrent of exhaustion and hunger, too.
"What're your house rules about eating candy for dinner? Been dying for another taste,” the half-demon tacks on.
“Smooth," Jess approves, slow clapping.
Zak's sudden return to flirting is such a change in tone that I'm getting whiplash. I rub my eyes, staving off another yawn of my own. Outside, the wind howls louder, and another deluge of rain begins, pattering on my roof and porch.
"Wow. Okay. Um…if you guys are all hungry, I can make—"
"You're not making us a damn thing," Asher says, gently taking my arm to guide me into the hallway that leads to my room, away from the others, despite my protests.
He pauses for a second to stare at my shoulder that was hurting earlier and sighs.
"I'm an idiot. I swear you won't hurt because of me ever again. "
"It's fine," I assure him, shrugging. "You were just doing your job."
"Protecting an empath by hurting someone around her? Fucking idiot."
"You just forgot. Give yourself a break. Even gorgeous bodyguards can make mistakes."
He meets my eye, studying my face with surprisingly tender green eyes before he swaps back to being professional again.
"Ignore those fuckers. I'll get them straightened out, but I've been telling you to get more rest all day so you can finish healing. We can figure out what to do with your starry-eyed, horny band of misfits tomorrow—for now, go to bed and get your sleep."
There's something so oddly nice about having someone concerned about me tell me what to do. I know he's right that I'm exhausted and still healing, even though the bruises on my arms are gone now, but I shake my head.
"I can't sleep yet. I just found out Ian and Zak are still alive, and Kaenon is probably really confused about this modern world he's woken up in. I have to grab blankets for them and make dinner, and I want to know how they got here and—"
"Nope. Bed. Now."
I stifle another yawn. "I could at least whip up something quick. Paninis, maybe?"
"Are you hungry?"
"No, but—"
He doesn't wait for me to finish before scooping me up. I yelp, arms going around his neck. All kinds of ugly, insecure, unrealistic comments from my mother about my natural body shape try to flood back from my childhood. But Asher carries me so easily to my room that heat floods my face.
My bodyguard sets me down just inside the doorway of my bedroom, glancing over my setup in here quickly before his fingers gently frame my chin so he can have my attention.
"If you step one little toe outside this room without getting some shuteye, I'll force a sleeping draught between those pretty lips. Got it?"
My heart is hammering. I study his handsome face and the bounty hunter tattoo on the column of his neck, getting the most ridiculous urge to bite him there teasingly.
But he's not a shifter, and I doubt he'd appreciate me biting him, so instead, I fight a smile and lick my lips, wanting to see how much I can get away with right now.
"You're hot when you're bossy."
His gaze drops to my mouth before he releases me like I burned him, grumbling as he grabs my door handle to shut it behind him.
"Go to sleep, flirt."
"Okay. Good night, Buns of Steel."
It's hard not to laugh when my shifter hearing picks up on him swearing about my teasing all the way down the hallway until I can't hear him anymore. For a moment, I'm alone as I shower and get ready to sleep, realizing how dead-tired and sore I really am.
Slipping into bed with a contented sigh at the feel of the silky sheets on freshly-shaved legs, I stare at my ceiling.
My eyelids feel like anvils, but there's a restlessness inside me.
Partly because hello, there are four gorgeous men under my roof.
But also because my doe is so uncharacteristically hyper and happy.
Safe, she tells me. All safe.
Jessica is still in the other room spying on my unexpected guests, which is no surprise.
She's been stuck here for eight months, hanging out around just me.
And entertaining as I am, I'm not a famous mercenary who looks like he bench presses cars in his spare time, or a drop-dead-gorgeous half-demon with a mischievous smile, or a dizzyingly gorgeous vampire with a voice like honey, or a mysterious ancient shifter who looks like he was carved by angels in Paradise.
Gods, they're all so painfully attractive. Guys like that don't just show up on your doorstep, yet here they all are.
But now that I'm really alone for the first time today…
My attention drifts to my phone sitting on my nightstand, quiet anxiety bubbling beneath my skin.
I want to know if Everett has sent me any more updates—but there's also this evil, self-loathing little goblin shacked up somewhere inside my head who wants to get a glimpse of the train wreck I know I'll see if I open any news app or social media.
How bad could it really be?
Knowing it'll be a mistake, I finally grab my cracked phone off its charger, take a deep breath, make sure it's silenced, and turn off the "Do Not Disturb" mode.
Dozens of notifications start lighting up my screen, scrolling on and on.
Some of them are expected, like texts from Stephanie freaking out about the footage of me getting hit by a bus and demanding that I call her to let her know I'm okay.
Dr. Sergeeva has also left some voicemails, panicked about how I'm doing.
Several friends I've had since high school and a couple of old coworkers have also reached out, asking whether what they're seeing online is true, whether I'm okay, and how they could not know I'm a legacy.
Others are decidedly less friendly.
It's like anyone who has my number and isn't a friend I talk to regularly has decided to bombard me with political rants, tag me in memes calling me Skidmark, and send articles speculating about my own life.
The worst of those, by far, are a few articles with titles that make it clear many people are comparing my appearance to that of my former supermodel brother.
Social media notifications are exploding to the point that I finally open one of the apps, deciding I should just delete my accounts everywhere and accept that my quiet, human-esque life won't be bouncing back from this.
But the first message to pop up inside this app is from an unknown account. I quickly realize it must be a new account Ryan has made to message me.
I guess you must've blocked me everywhere else, so here it is.
I came here to tell you that I turned down an exclusive interview with a huge magazine.
They wanted a big scoop, everything I could dish out on you.
You know I could tell them all kinds of things.
But I turned it down because I still want us to fix this.
You're important to me, and I miss what we had before you pushed me away.
I'm trying to do the right thing here, but if you keep ignoring me and treating me like shit even though I still want you despite everything I know about you now, who knows? Maybe I'll be so hurt I'll just have to talk to them to get over what we used to have.
Ew. He’s so melodramatic. Why on earth did I ever date this weirdo?
I'm not surprised that there's not even one ounce of apology in there for breaking my window. Maybe he just got blackout drunk and forgot about that whole thing.
I start to close out of the app, grossed out by all of this, when a text from Everett finally pops up on my screen in between all the other notifications. I open it quickly.
Big Kahuna: Heads up, Noah let me know that the fae excavation team ignored the warning and opened the female sleeper in their facility. She is considered extremely lethal. The black dragon shifter escaped as well, though he was described as "gentle."
Big Kahuna: Meanwhile, a tiny town in West Virginia was found asleep a few hours ago.
The entire damn town, knocked out by the incubus we’re about to start hunting.
They've found several dead bodies among the sleeping so far and some other disturbing things he did to the sleeping townspeople, but the incubus is nowhere to be found.
Gods know where it will go next. Just stay home and stay safe, please. And don't read anything online.
Too late.
Also, I kind of figured the sleepers were awakened when Kaenon showed up on my front porch.
But knowing that Veld put an entire town to sleep and that he’s at large, free to wreak havoc and possibly torment his fated one even more with his sick ways…gods, I hope they find him and lock him up soon.
Just as I set my phone back on the nightstand, determined to sleep so I can face all of this chaos tomorrow, Jessica pops her head in through my bedroom wall, her eyes wide.
"Never let them in your kitchen again, El. They're a disgrace to food. Your half-demon tried to make sandwiches for everyone, and I've never seen anything more disgusting. Also, why didn't you tell me Athanis is so fucking hot?"
"I said he was fairly good-looking."
"Fairly? Clearly, you don't have a thing for spicy fantasy books where all the guys have majestic flowing hair and pointed ears and use words like therefore and alas, but I fucking do, bitch.
" She drifts until she lies on the bed next to me before resting her chin on her hand and staring me down. "So?"
"So?" I yawn for the umpteenth time.
"How do you feel about not one, not two, but four hotties showing up at your front door all in one day? Seems like the gods are trying to give you a sign. Not even a subtle sign—more like they're smacking you in the face with four guys who would be perfect for you."
"First of all, Asher is just here as a bodyguard, and Ian is just checking on his best friend's little sister. Totally innocent."
She barks a laugh. "Uh-huh, sure. Remember, denial is a river in Egypt."
"I'll admit that Zak is clearly into me, but—"
"No buts, they're all into you."
"But second of all," I cut in anyway. "Have you seen me?
I'm a mess. I can't even touch someone without them getting a very uncomfortable front-row seat to my every emotion.
I need to wait until Silas has that charm ready for me, and then I'll figure out how to stop projecting on everyone I touch, and then I'll get a boyfriend.
Then, when I'm ready, I'll baby-step my way into group dating so I can hopefully handle a quintet one day. "
She boos me. "Girl, why wait? You have a house full of horny, sexy guys who check you out every time you're not looking. Get your freak on and go for them!"
"Jess. No. It's not happening."
"El. Yes. Now go flash them."
"Cut it out, okay? I'm not going to try dating multiple guys right now," I huff, getting irritated. "I just want one boyfriend."
"But why?" she demands, frustrated. "Why are you so hell-bent on just one boyfriend?"
"Because then I only risk disappointing one person," I snap before I can stop it.
Immediately embarrassed by my own insecurities, I turn off my lamp and pull the blanket over my head. I can still hear her sigh, though.
"I hate that you think that's even possible, El."
"I've disappointed guys before," I grumble.
"No, you've dated losers who made you feel like shit about a million stupid things—not to mention, you come from a traumatic horror show that messes with your head sometimes.
You just need people who will love you right.
Even if your endgame doesn't turn out to be these guys, maybe you should try dating legacies.
I really think the gods are giving you the most obvious sign in the history of ever.
Can you at least consider giving them a chance? "
I uncover my face to sigh. "Maybe. But if the gods are trying to give me a sign, they should know by now that I'm a wimp who might need some more convincing."