Chapter 31 Aurora #2
Because apparently I’m not allowed to wallow in silence forever. I do miss them, though. Like way more than I want to admit.
Babysitting Louie has been … exhausting, and if I spend one more night alone in this giant, too-empty house, with no one to talk to but my barely human hellhound, I might actually lose my mind.
My gaze drifts to the expensive set of pots and pans stacked on the counter.
Fuck it.
Maybe I’ll cook dinner. Invite my friends over. Act like I’m not spiraling into full-blown supernatural burnout.
I call Louie into the kitchen, sit her down, then place my hands on the table and fix her with a stare.
“Louie, I want to have my friends over tonight.”
“What? The himbo and the pixie? Why d’ya need them? You got me!”
“And I’m, like, so grateful for that. But having other friends doesn’t mean I love you any less. Humans need other humans, Lou. It’s just how we’re wired. It doesn’t make you any less important.”
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that I’ve been her entire world for the last twenty-seven years.
“I’d like you to join us, but only if you want to. I’ll make something you like. Maybe steak? Very rare? And we’ll say you’re my second cousin, Laura, from England. What do you think?”
I pout and give her puppy dog eyes, wondering if this will work on someone who spends most of their time as a dog.
“Oi, don’t give me that fucking face. Fine. Steak, and I’ll even pretend to care about small talk. But if they ask about the royal family, I’m making shit up.”
Louie mutters something about “fucking goddamn human bodies” as she stomps upstairs. A moment later, her bedroom door clicks shut. Not slammed, but firm enough to make sure I know she’s annoyed.
“See, that’s the type of thing humans don’t say!” I call after her, stifling a laugh.
After I order my groceries, I kill time with my book, occasionally checking my phone. I’m bracing myself for an update from the shopper saying they replaced my eggs with a scented candle called “Ova Easy,” and lowkey expecting Ezra to crawl through the screen like some horny Ring ghost.
When the doorbell finally rings, I grab my bags, stash everything where it belongs, and snatch my little speaker off the bathroom counter.
I queue up my favorite playlist—a genre dumpster fire of anime theme songs, Indian metal, K-pop bangers, mid-2000s emo, and screamy nightmare fuel that definitely violates Lorewood’s one and only noise ordinance.
Basically, me in audio form.
By the time I’m chopping onions and potatoes, “Gimme Chocolate!!” by BABYMETAL hits—blistering speed, sugar-rage vocals, and exactly the kind of deranged battle cry I need right now.
I grab a fistful of garlic and start chopping like Inosuke in a cooking competition he doesn’t understand but refuses to lose.
“That’s right, motherfuckers. This is my shonen arc,” I mutter to no one, flipping the steaks with flair.
“Let’s fucking GO.” I snarl it this time, channeling that one sleep-deprived YouTuber who finally nailed a bottle flip onto a chandelier after five weeks, a million tries, and a very public feud with gravity.
Prepping the food takes most of the afternoon, which means I get to spend several beautiful hours lost in music, spices, and the kind of chaos that almost feels like control.
On the menu tonight is filet mignon, blue cheese scalloped potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and lemon mousse for dessert. I don’t know what Thane likes, but I know Louie likes what amounts to raw meat of any kind, and Eve loves lemon mousse.
As I’m pulling the potatoes out of the oven, the doorbell rings, and I rush to the basement steps to check the security console. When I see Eve and Thane on the small screen, I hurry to the front door and fling it open.
“Hey, guys! Welcome! I’m so glad you were free tonight. I’ve kind of been going crazy here with nothing to do. Come in!”
My face flushes with excitement while I hang their coats in Ezra’s bare closet.
Hell. I almost feel like myself again.
Once I give each of them a quick hug, I pass out glasses of red wine. I watch Thane out of the corner of my eye while Eve updates me on all the shop gossip. I’m still trying to figure him out.
Thunderous footsteps pound through the house just before Louie charges into the kitchen, barefoot, her hair an untamed mess, her whole vibe effortlessly thrown together, like the cool Boho chick at a concert who offers you ‘shrooms.
She’s wearing a faded oversized T-shirt, cinched at the waist with a belt, convinced it’s a dress. And at the risk of breaking her heart, I didn’t tell her it’s not.
“Hey, Aury, is the steak done yet? Don’t forget, I like mine very, very rare,” she says, throwing her arms around my waist.
Whoops, kinda forgot to tell Eve and Thane about my “second cousin.”
I was too excited about doing something other than worrying about Ezra and explaining the human experience to an underborne who, until recently, spent most of her time as a dog.
Eve shoots me a curious look, and Thane leans against the island, staring at Louie with a warm, slightly amused smile.
“Oh yeah, sorry. We have one more for dinner. This is my, uh, second cousin from England, Laura. She was already planning to visit, but with everything going on, I totally forgot. We connected on Elios a few months ago, and she was curious about where I lived.”
Jesus Christ, even I don’t believe me.
“Oh, cool. England, huh? Nice to meet you, Laura. I’m Eve. Aurora and I go way back.”
Eve doesn’t ask. She never does. Not when things get Hagan-weird.
She lived with us. She knows better.
If I slap a family label on someone, Eve knows not to dig.
Because it usually means one thing: my dad.
Apparently, my mom’s side is literal Hellspawn. And my dad’s side? Mafia-adjacent with secrets no one says out loud.
And me? I’m just the cosmic cocktail stuck in the middle.
I feel like a chaotic romance novel that couldn’t decide on a genre.
Demon romance? Hell yeah. Mafia drama? Why the fuck not.
Trauma-based emotional damage? Obviously.
And let’s not forget the hellhound, the wrakh, the grumpy billion-year-old shadow god who literally melts panties, and the fate of an entire species resting on my shoulders.
So yeah. Turns out I’m basically the unholy lovechild of every fucked-up BookTok trope. Who knew?
While I’m busy having my little existential crisis, Eve rushes over and wraps Louie in an enormous hug. To my amusement, Louie looks terrified, but she finally lays her head on Eve’s shoulder with a comfortable sigh. When Eve pulls away, she notices Louie’s fangs, and I freeze.
Shit! I completely forgot about those damn things because she’s always scowling.
“Oh! Are those dental implants? That’s so cool! Don’t tell Thane, but I went on a date with a guy once who had some just like that. It was an interesting night.”
Eve gives Louie a wink, unintentionally filling in the blanks.
“Yeah, hi, Eve. I am … Laura. Aurora’s second cousin. From England. Yes, these are dental implants. I got them from a … dentist?” she says stiffly. “I’m very pleased to meet you. Aury talks about you a lot.”
To my utter surprise and delight, Eve and Louie hit it off immediately.
Louie’s stiffness melts away under Eve’s relentless enthusiasm, and before long, they’re cackling like old friends.
They both exude a manic type of energy that currently swirls around them in Ezra’s living room, like two storms colliding in the best way.
Eve asks Louie all kinds of questions, and, to her credit, Lou’s answers are almost normal. If she would just stop trying to nuzzle Eve, I think we could pass her off as human to almost anyone. Thankfully, Eve is a touchy-feely person and takes the hellhound’s physical affections in stride.
While Eve and Louie compare their notes on local plant life, Thane volunteers to help me in the kitchen.
“Don’t you like reds?” I ask, pointing to his still full glass.
“Ah, sorry, Aurora. I don’t really drink. I should have said something when I walked through the door, but didn’t want to upset you,” Thane responds, rubbing the back of his neck.
Oh! Now that I think about it, he’s always sipping on a soda when we go to The Cardinal.
“Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry! I hope I didn’t put you in a difficult situation. I have plenty of other drinks.”
I open the fridge door, rummaging around for a soda or a bottle of water, but I eventually pull the mug from the cupboard and walk to the sink.
“Oh! Oh shit, no. I’m not in recovery or anything. I just don’t love the taste, ya know? Or the morning after,” Thane explains, with a warm smile.
“Fuck, okay! I was really worried I did something terrible.”
I hand him the mug filled with ice water, and when his gaze lowers to the cup, he freezes.
His lips part, like he’s about to say something, but doesn’t. He runs a thumb over the handle, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“He … kept this?” He turns the mug in his hands to reveal the words stamped across the side—“I like big books, and I cannot lie.”
Yes! I knew it was from Thane.
“It’s literally the only mug in the house. Why?”
I know why, but I want him to tell me.
“I bought this for Ezra after I received my first paycheck. It was partially a gag gift because I knew he would hate it. But you know Ezra. What the hell do you buy someone like him? I guess I wanted to thank him in some small way. I never thought he’d keep it.
I just assumed he tossed it into the woods on the way home. ”
Thane stares at the mug while he chews on his bottom lip.
I lean back against the counter, watching him.
“You know, I just realized you and I have something weird in common. We were both saved by Ezra. I’m not even sure what that means.
Are we trauma-bonded through a six-foot-nine emotionally stunted asshole?
Do we suffer from a shared savior complex? Either way, we both owe him our lives.