Chapter 31 Heidi #2
"Ghostly stuff. Right." Jess's concern is gone as she rolls her eyes at me, turning to Athanis. "So, how'd you die, hot stuff? Whatever happened to you, it kept your pretty face nicely intact."
They stay outside as I slip through the back entry of my house, pulse rocketing inside of me as I hurry to my front window, peeking out.
I don't see Ryan or whoever else is with him, but I didn't imagine hearing them.
"A—asher?" I try to call, but my voice comes out as an embarrassingly weak, useless rasp.
At least, I think it's useless until Kaenon is suddenly at my side, making me startle. His dark eyes search mine, concern filling his face.
"What is it, tseramòr?" he asks me softly.
His English is barely accented. I'm surprised until I see the shell of metal around one of his ears.
It must be some kind of magic translator.
I know next to nothing about magic, translating, or magical devices, but the way my name rolls off his tongue with such smooth warmth comforts my scared inner beast immediately.
"There's someone outside," I whisper to him. "I think…they might attack my house."
Kaenon's sharp jaw clenches. When he peeks through one of the front windows, I can't help admiring his strong profile and the way he looks with his dark hair tied back.
I know he's been asleep for thousands of years, but I wonder what age he was when he was put under Athanis's spell. To me, we look almost the same age.
"Heidi?" Ian calls before he's also blurred into my living room with a furrowed brow, Zak and Asher joining us moments later.
When Asher sees Kaenon looking through the window and the worry I'm wearing, his expression firms into something entirely professional.
"Zak. Kaenon. Take Heidi to her room."
"Fine, but spill lots of blood for me. Come on, Candy," Zak says chipperly, slipping his hand into mine.
He tenses for a second when my anxious feelings and lingering curiosity about Kaenon swirl around him—but when I try to pull my hand away, Zak clings to it tighter, lifting it to kiss the backs of my fingers gently.
That simple motion makes my inner beast calm down even more as my heart flips.
"Wait," I shake my head, looking at Asher. "I don't want you guys going out there and getting hurt."
"We won't," he says with all the confidence in the world, striding past me toward the front door. "This will just take a second, Shorty. Let's go, Boone."
Before Zak and Kaenon can lead me away, Ian steps forward—
And kisses me.
Just like that, right in front of the others.
It's gentle and so fleeting that it stirs up my desperation for more of the physical contact I've been so starved of for the last eight months. My face is eight million degrees when Ian pulls away slightly to lightly poke my nose with his.
"Be back in a moment, Sunshine," he promises.
Then he's out the door with a very unsurprised Asher, and I'm left to look at Kaenon and Zak, who's still holding my hand even though another guy just kissed me.
I'm expecting looks of jealousy, or irritation, or any number of things.
Gods know I would have a strong reaction if someone else kissed one of them.
Zak just grins. "Aww, look at the way he made her blush."
"Divine," Kaenon murmurs in agreement, his gaze on my pink neck.
"You smell even better when you're blushing," the half-demon informs me as he starts leading me toward my bedroom. "And believe me, that's saying something."
When we step into my room, I look between them, confused. "You mean, you two aren't…"
"Aren't what, Candy?" Zak asks before he flops onto my bed. He wraps the blankets around himself, rolls over to bury his face against my sheets, inhales deeply, and moans. "Infernal hells, that's the stuff. I wanna get high on your merit all the damn time."
I don't know what merit he's talking about or why his sniffing my sheets is kind of turning me on, but I finish my question with the tiniest voice ever.
"You guys aren't jealous?"
Kaenon sits on my bed, too, thoughtful. "I am jealous."
Oh, gods. I knew this would happen.
Now I'm going to have to apologize and figure out how to choose one of them and try not to hurt any feelings and—
The ancient shifter goes on matter-of-factly. "It was my wish to rip your ex-mate's arms off for the way he touched you. I am envious that Asher and Ian shall have that pleasure all to themselves. Though I suspect they equally wish to be in here, with you," he adds, looking around my room.
"Ex-mate," I repeat, too confused about these guys' non-reaction to Ian kissing me to understand how Kaenon even knows who Ryan is.
"We saw your security recordings," Zak tells me, still wrapped up in my scent on the bed like a contented, sexy, demonic cocoon. He rolls a bit to peek at me. "That fucker smashed your window and put his hands on you. Can't wait to see his corpse. Anyway, this bed's great. Wanna join us on it?"
I vaguely wonder how they got into my security cameras. However, the whole they're-not-jealous thing still has most of my attention as I sit at the edge of the bed beside Kaenon. When I realize he's staring at me, more butterflies take flight in my stomach as I remember why Jessica said he's here.
Kaenon smiles softly, gazing at me with puppy dog eyes.
Er, dragon eyes.
Okay, I know he's a dragon shifter because I saw him shift out of the black dragon form in the Nether—but I was running, so I didn't see him shift into it. I could've sworn I heard a wolf howling behind me before that. There were no other shifters there besides us.
Even now, my shifter instincts are confused by what's hiding under Kaenon's skin. Still, my inner animal isn't frightened by him at all. It's the opposite—she's never been as content as she is around these men.
Safe, she sighs. More.
Is this my mate? I try to ask her.
She doesn't bother answering, besides filling me with a surprising amount of desire.
"It delights my soul to be near you, Heidi Elise," Kaenon murmurs.
The way my name rolls off his tongue with such smooth warmth makes my cheeks feel warm again.
I clear my throat, trying not to fidget. "You can just call me Heidi. Or Elise. It doesn't have to be both."
"Or call her Candy. You'll get why if you're lucky enough to get a taste of her lips later," Zak winks, sticking out his tongue to tease me with his piercing again.
"I pray that I shall," Kaenon murmurs, his attention dropping to my lips. "It is a Paradise that beckons me."
"I meant her other lips—but I get it," Zak shrugs. "I'm dying for a kiss, too, Candy."
Holy wow.
Okay, if they're going to be this casual, I need to get over how confused and embarrassed I am by this completely foreign dynamic.
"Ian kissed me," I say as if I have to remind them, looking between the men on my bed. "That doesn't bother either of you?"
"Did you dislike his kiss?" Kaenon frowns. "Did he displease you?"
"N—no."
Not even a little. Ian's really, really good at kissing.
"Then why would I be bothered?"
"I just don't get it," I admit finally.
Zak sits up, looking me over before he seems to understand what I mean.
"If you thought we'd be bashing each other over the head like a bunch of territorial prehistoric monsters, you've got another thing coming.
Where I'm from, demonesses usually take a bunch of lovers—'til they get tired of them, and then they have their boy toys fight to the death to decide which one they'll keep for a while.
I don't mind the multiple lovers thing one bit, but let's get something straight: we're not fighting to the death.
I happen to like these guys, so long as they're good to you.
Meaning, no getting tired of us, and no choosing," he adds passionately, his gray eyes almost pleading. "Don't put us through that, 'kay?"
He thinks there's a chance I could ever get tired of them?
That's just as crazy as everything else he just shared.
Looking between them once again, it dawns on me. "Oh my gods. You guys have all talked about this already."
“Yes,” Kaenon smiles. "We are in agreement. We are all yours."
Never mind what that idea does to my body—I haven't officially made up my mind about trying to date four men. There has to be a whole discussion first.
"As soon as Ian and Asher come back, we're going to have a talk," I sigh.