38. Rami
Rami
Ididn’t question Ethan as we silently dressed, or when he told me to take him home. Just did as he asked before following him silently up the stairs.
He went into his room first, emerging with his duvet and a pillow in his hands. “Can you pop to the shop and grab as many boxes of cereal as you can carry, please?”
Affection rushed through me as I realised exactly what Ethan was planning. “Of course, baby.”
When I returned, I walked straight past Ethan’s room to the one next door. I tapped lightly on the wood, then waited until I was given permission to enter.
Before today, I would’ve said finding Ethan snuggled up in bed with another male was my worst nightmare. That discovering it would break my heart.
Instead, it doubled in size.
“Hey, Quill,” I said, keeping my voice low as I crouched down beside his bed. “How are you doing?”
Quill jerked a shoulder, like that was as much as he was capable of.
The duvet was pulled up to his chin, but the little skin on show was pale, his gaze hollow.
He’d obviously showered after leaving the warehouse, and I had to wonder if one of his housemates had forced him under the spray.
His hair was still knotted and dripping.
Ethan shot me a look, the concern there mirrored in the bond. He was under his own duvet, his shoulder pressed against Quill’s. “Did you get us some cereal?”
“I sure did.” I pulled out the various boxes and lined them up on Quill’s chest of drawers so they could see the options. “Got twelve pints of milk too. Should keep you going for a little while.”
Ethan’s eyes bugged wide. “When I told you to get as many as you could carry, I didn’t mean every single option.”
“It’s not my fault I can carry a lot. You should’ve been more specific.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Quill’s lips.
“I’ll go get some bowls,” I said, straightening up.
I dashed downstairs to find Dahlia, Darius, Jeremiah, and Nox all sat around the kitchen table. From the bottle of Adamanthea in the centre and the glasses each of them clutched, I knew Ethan and I weren’t the only ones worried about Quill.
“How is he?” Nox asked anxiously as I entered. “He won’t let any of us into his room.”
My chest ached at the knowledge that Ethan was the only one he’d allowed into his space. My presence was being tolerated by proxy. I already knew my mate was special, but that he was a safe person for Quill?
It made me love him even more, if such a thing was even possible.
“He’s not good,” I said bluntly. “Ethan’s with him now.”
Dahlia blew out a breath, shaking her head. “We tried to persuade him to stay behind, but he wouldn’t have it. Not when he realised it involved Ethan.”
A lump formed in my throat. Ethan wasn’t the only special male upstairs right now. “I’ll never be able to thank him enough for it.”
“The good news is that his stores are fully replenished,” Darius said. “Thanks to Nate and Theo.”
Unlike angels, demons’ powers didn’t replenish as easily.
They needed access to sin. With how little he left the house, Quill often ran lower than he should.
It was the reason Nox and Micah fucked on the roof sometimes, or Jeremiah and Noah did the same in the basement.
Lust from an archangel was like a supercharged hit, keeping Quill stable just from being in the proximity of it.
Nate and Theo wouldn’t have been doing anything of the sort, obviously. They were close, but not that close. “What did they do?”
“Let’s just say they took care of Damien in ways I hadn’t realised were possible,” Nox said with a shiver. “Disturbing fuckers.”
“Lots of wrath,” Jeremiah said, naming one of the deadly sins. “Especially as he regenerated at least fifteen times before they put him out of his misery.”
“Good,” I said curtly. “I’m glad they took my instructions seriously. I’ll have to remember that the next time they piss me off.”
Which, knowing them, would probably be in the next twenty-four hours.
“Thank you for bringing Ethan here,” Nox said. “I know how difficult that must’ve been.”
I frowned. “Why would it be difficult?”
He and Jeremiah exchanged a bemused look before the latter answered me. “Um, because you’ve just mated? We figured you’d be fucking like rabbits and answering Ethan’s questions about the lore and backstory.”
I shrugged. “Nah. This was more important. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
Darius studied me intently. “You’re a good male, Rami.”
“Comes with the territory.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Darius said, surprisingly heatedly. “Please, just take the compliment. If I give one more only to have it thrown back in my face, I’ll start burning shit.”
All of us stared at him. Nox was the one to address it. “You good, Darius?”
“Fuck it,” he muttered, shoving back from the table. “Sorry. I know I’m being a dick, but I’ve got somewhere I need to be. Keep me updated about Quill.”
He walked to the back door and out into the small yard. Seconds later, the familiar sound of wings on the air filtered through.
Jeremiah sighed, sitting back in his chair, looking at Dahlia. “Any update on whatever’s going on with him?”
“Nope,” she said shortly, filling her glass with another shot of Adamanthea. “And before you ask, I don’t have an update on my situation either.”
Fuck. Why was love so complicated? You’d think having fated mates would make it easier, but that was far from true. It made me even more grateful that my mate was only one floor away from me. That he loved me. Accepted me.
“I’ve made Quill an emergency online appointment with Dr. Tyler tomorrow morning,” Jeremiah said abruptly. “I’m not sure he’ll attend though.”
“I’ll speak to Ethan,” I said. “If anyone can persuade Quill, it’ll be him.”
Nox gave me a kind smile. “He’s pretty awesome, Rami. I’m happy for you.”
I grinned back at him. Sure, today had been traumatic, awful, and possibly the worst way for Ethan to learn the truth, but that he was officially mine? That made me happier than I had any right to feel. “Me too.”
After locating the bowls and spoons, taking several so neither of them would need to leave if they didn’t want to, I returned to Quill’s room.
What I walked in on had me stopping in my tracks.
Ethan’s back was against the headboard, Quill sat between his legs, head hanging low. In my mate’s hands was a comb. He was talking about someone called Fraser as he gently worked the knots out of Quill’s hair.
“I do feel bad for him,” Ethan was saying, “out of all the chief stews, he really seems to have had the shittest luck in terms of his interior team.”
“He’s very entertaining to watch.” Quill’s voice was barely audible. “Hot, too.”
“That he is,” Ethan said, continuing to work the comb through Quill’s matted locks. “Not my type, obviously, but I can see the appeal.”
Quill looked up, his gaze settling on me, and his lips lifted into what was almost a smirk. “Yeah. I can see that.”
I winked at him. “I can’t help it if I’ve ruined Ethan for all other men.”
“He’s so humble too,” Ethan muttered, but his smile told me he didn’t mind. “But he’s brought us supplies, so I guess he can be forgiven.”
“You don’t have to stay, Ethan,” Quill murmured, his gaze dropping back to the duvet. “You guys are newly mated. I bet there’s a million things you’d rather be doing right now.”
Was that Ethan’s heart aching, or my own? I supposed it didn’t matter now. They were one and the same.
“No,” Ethan said firmly as I nodded in agreement. “The only thing I have to do right now is rewatch season three of Below Deck. We both need the chaos of Rocky to recover from today.”
Quill gave a weak chuckle. “Chaos is the right word.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” I said, leaning past Quill to kiss Ethan’s cheek. “Text me if you need anything, okay?”
“You don’t have to leave,” Quill said. “I don’t mind if you stay.”
The lines around his mouth and the stiffness in his shoulders told a different story. “Nah, it’s all good. I need to debrief with the Seraphim about today anyway. You two enjoy your Below Deck marathon and cereal, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Quill’s shoulders sagged in relief. I met Ethan’s eyes behind him, and the love that shone there had me weak in the knees.
Thank you, he mouthed.
I blew him a kiss before stepping out of the room and closing the door.
As I left my Ethan with another on our first night as mates, there was a lightness in my chest. Without a doubt, I knew I was doing the right thing. Ethan was exactly where he needed to be, and I’d be here when he was ready.