9. Curve Balls
9
CURVE BALLS
TESSA
H oly hell. Things have always been a little weird in this place, but it feels like we’re leveling up.
I walk back upstairs to my room in a daze, contemplating all three guys’ behavior. Grabbing my shower caddie, I take a quick shower and return to my room before anyone can throw me more curveballs.
Relief fills me when Dante hasn’t shown up in my bedroom.
Should I tell him what the guys said? Or is it better if I don’t tell him? Letting him know that Evan and Kurtis approached me could send the mansion into chaos.
I don’t want to make shitty decisions about this. Why is this on my shoulders?
Thankfully, Dante isn’t in his room yet either, so I don’t have to worry about talking with him. I wonder how long Karma is going to work with him tonight. Will he be showing up soon?
Between my new job, the weirdness, and not getting enough sleep over the last couple of months, I’m feeling perpetually tired, so I give up worrying about things. I tuck under the covers and fall asleep faster than I expect, even with so much swimming in my head.
I stir a few hours later as I hear Dante return to his room next to mine. I wait, but he doesn’t come over to mine like he usually does. Which is odd—especially after his possessive display before dinner.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I pull out my phone.
TESSA: You okay?
DANTE: I’m good. Karma said I should spend the night by myself tonight to fully integrate my healing session.
TESSA: I understand. I should probably get a good night’s rest too since I have a big day tomorrow.
DANTE: Sorry for being weird tonight. This healing thing is stirring up a lot of strange emotions. Insecurities.
TESSA: I love you.
DANTE: I love you. Thank you for being cool with me.
After I check my alarm settings, I toss my phone onto my nightstand. I hear Dante pacing in his room, and the urge to console him is strong. But if Karma requested he take some alone time, then he probably should have that space to process. She doesn’t make random suggestions.
I contemplate searching for her myself and asking if she might give me a healing session, too. Though if she wanted me to go through the process with the others, she would have made that happen. She probably wants to focus on the damage Instant did to the others first since they all were here years longer than me.
I can be patient. I don’t fucking like being patient, but perhaps that’s a test?
My psychic energy reaches out, and I feel chaotic emotions stirring in Evan’s room, then in Kurtis’s.
Sure, they always teased and flirted with me, but I didn’t know that their feelings went deeper than that. Or are they just flailing and grabbing for me now because they don’t like how their Karma therapy makes them feel?
Do I want them to want me?
My mind wanders to what a future with either of them might be like. I can’t say I hate the idea of either of them in my bed. But I don’t want it for the wrong reasons, or to be a distraction to their healing.
Fuck. Is that why Karma told Dante to stay away? Am I a distraction for him? Our lives were shit before we took down Instant. Maybe I was an escape then and now.
My heart aches and pangs with sadness when I contemplate pulling away from Dante. Or Evan and Kurtis. I finally found people who care about my existence, and I don’t want to give that up.
But what if it’s all an illusion?
As I fall asleep again, I create a protection circle around me. I don’t want to have another dream with that sexy god telling me to hook up with all three guys. Not tonight.
I don’t know if he’s my subconscious or an outside entity. Either way, forming a barrier to my mind will hopefully prevent another interaction tonight.
Thankfully, I didn’t dream of the mysterious dream god.
I get up early as per Death’s work hours and find all three of the guys are still asleep when I’m ready to leave for the day.
Megan appears in front of me as I finish my coffee in the kitchen. She smiles as I straighten my blouse. I cock a brow when she doesn’t immediately pop us away to Death’s domain.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“He wants me to take you on your first ride-along.”
“Oh, I thought he was going to take me for my first day.” I try not to be disappointed that I won’t have guidance from the big guy himself. But maybe it’s better a co-worker does it since I don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of him.
“Nope, it’s me today,” Megan says happily. “He thinks you should make friends with some of the other agents since you aren’t living with us.”
“Shit. Is he going to have me move into the death housing?” I’m a bit conflicted about that. On the one hand, I’ll be able to get my bearings with my romantic situation. On another, I’ll miss my guys.
Megan shakes her head and pops us out and into the underworld, but we’re in a place I don’t recognize. There’s a long corridor in front of us.
She guides me down and opens a door, revealing a bigger and nicer room than the one I have at the Karma house. And it has an ensuite bathroom. The room isn’t furnished, but it doesn’t feel like anyone’s energy has claimed it. Nor does it seem personalized in any way.
“What’s this?” I ask, not wanting to insult her if this is her place, but it doesn’t seem like she would live anywhere without pink bling.
“It’s your room. Stay here or don’t. Death doesn’t care as long as you show up when you’re expected to and do a good job.”
I glance down the hallway and see several other closed doors. “Do you have a room here?”
“Yep.” She shows me to a door and swings it open. The space glows with pink and sparkles. I practically have to shield my eyes and not look directly at it. “I stay here most nights unless I’m on the prowl.” She claws the air like a big cat and mock growls.
“You date a lot, then?” I ask.
“Enough. One-night stands since I can’t really tell a regular human about my unusual career path.”
I lean against the wall outside her room and give her a long look. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why all the pink and sparkles?”
“Why not?” She shrugs, but then must realize I really want to know. “I suppose when we deal with death and endings, I need something bright and positive. I didn’t care much for girlie stuff when I was in my before-times.”
I snicker at her name for the part of our lives before the gods came along and changed everything, even our personal connections, to the world.
“I can understand that.” I fiddle with my shirt buttons. “I’m nervous.”
“You?” she chuckles.
My brows pull together in confusion, and I snap my attention to her. “What does that mean?”
“Uh, just that… well, I’ve read your file. You’ve dealt with so much in your short life. And you have powers of your own. You instinctually rescued souls and guided them to the beyond. You pulled your guy, Kurtis, from death’s grasp.”
“Yeah, but that was a pure fluke. I didn’t know what I was doing either time.”
She shakes her head at me, and suddenly I feel all her long weary years. “Tessa, that’s my point. You did it all before on your own. Now I’m going to train you and you have Death on your side. And when you go solo as an agent, I’ll be here for you when you need to talk out the rough jobs.”
“Thank you.” I shove my hands in my pockets, feeling awkward. I’m still getting used to kindness.
“I guess we should get on with training!” she says and bounces down the hall with me in tow.