“That doesn’t make any sense,” Forge growls.
I need to tell them everything. I need to come completely clean.
“What happened?” Forge asks, his voice softer. “Something must have happened to cause this.”
“I don’t know.” I shake my head. It’s true, I don’t. Not really. My memory is foggy.
“Come on,” Night snaps. “There has to be something. What did you do? What happened?” He pushes his chair back but doesn’t stand. His eyes are still blazing.
Bolt stands up. “You called us to an emergency meeting for this?” he spits out.
“It’s a big fucking deal!” I growl, feeling myself bristle. I don’t know what’s crawled up Bolt’s ass, but he needs to watch himself.
“It’s bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s an emergency,” Bolt says, shrugging like it’s nothing. “Surely, it could have waited until the weekend. You could have texted us in the meanwhile.”
“It’s a fuck-up,” Night says. “Firstly, Bolt, you could be next. How would you like to lose your power?”
My thoughts exactly.
Bolt shrugs. “I’ve used it a handful of times. I don’t see how my ability to shoot lightning from my hands will help anyone, least of all myself. If anything, it’s a hazard. I might lose out on a fifty-million-dollar deal because this couldn’t wait.” He’s scrolling on his phone, which he puts down on the table to glare at Night.
“Not everything is about you,” Night barks. “Lyre is supposed to help Ava and Shannon with their pregnancies. He’s supposed to be their safety net if something goes wrong…which it might.” Night runs a hand through his hair, looking scared shitless. I don’t blame him. There are so many things that could go wrong with these pregnancies. I don’t say anything. I need to make this right.
“Then he should have called this little meeting with the two of you,” Bolt bites back, deadpan. He’s acting like a jerk. “The rest of us didn’t need to be here. I’m sorry about your powers, Lyre, but I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.” He doesn’t look sorry at all.
“Don’t be such a fucking prick!” Night snarls.
“Hold up.” Forge stands. “Lyre is clearly upset about this. Night’s right, it is troubling. Some of us rely on our powers.” I don’t like the way Forge is fisting his hands. It looks like he’s itching for a fight. A punch-out won’t solve anything.
“You?” Bolt snorts. “You didn’t even know you had a power until recently and, correct me if I’m wrong, you haven’t been able to use it again since saving your girlfriend.”
“My mate! We’re married, asshole!” Forge snarls, taking a step towards Bolt. “I’m not talking about myself here. It’s not always about number one.”
Samuel yawns loudly as he stands. “This bickering is irritating.” He waves his hand in Bolt’s direction.
Bolt’s eyes widen. “Don’t you dare! Don’t you—” Before he can finish, he falls to the floor in a heap. He’s fast asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.
“Thank you.” Rage rubs his temples. His right eye twitches.
“What the hell is up with him?” Jarrod points at Bolt. He doesn’t wait for an explanation.
“I happen to like my power,” Rage rasps. “I, for one, wouldn’t want to lose it. We would be weaker as a brotherhood. More susceptible. There must be an explanation, Lyre. Tell us your theory. I’m sure you have one.” Surprisingly, he picks up his muffin and takes a small bite.
Everyone turns to look at me.
I push out a breath. “There is only one thing that I can think of that might have affected my powers.”
Might have.
Not hardly.
There is only one thing.
“What would that be?” Trident asks, putting another pastry in his mouth and raising his brows.
“Tell us,” Jarrod urges. “We can’t help if we don’t know.”
Bolt gives a soft snore as he readjusts his position on the floor. He’s curled up in a fetal position. Serves him right. I’m just glad they didn’t fight. I don’t have time to redecorate.
“Please, someone remind me to get a video of him before we leave,” Tri chuckles, pointing at Bolt. Then he clears his throat. “You were saying, Lyre?” He turns his attention back to me.
Best I get this over with. “I brought a woman home last Saturday. We spent the night together. She was gone in the morning. I didn’t catch her last name. I have no idea who she is. All I know is that my power is gone. It must have something to do with her.” I wrack my brain, running through the events of that night. “I can’t think of anything else.” There is no other explanation. I know it was her.
“What do you know about her?” Rage asks.
“Her name is Gabrielle. Gabby for short. She can dance. Has a wicked sense of humor. She’s gorgeous. I enjoyed chatting with her. We talked a lot. I enjoyed having a drink and a laugh. I enjoyed—”
“Fucking her,” Trident says bluntly. For once, he sounds serious.
“Yeah, I’m not going to lie.” I shrug, lying through my teeth. “That too.” I clench my jaw, trying to hold onto something…anything. Nope!
“So, you think this Gabby woman somehow stole your power?” Jarrod asks.
“Looks that way.” I nod.
“And you don’t know much about her?” Stephan asks. “You said you talked to her for a long time.”
“In hindsight, she never actually said much about herself. She told me she’s an admin assistant but didn’t say for which company. She gave me no indication of the type of dealings they have. She told me she enjoys jogging instead of going to an actual gym but never said where she likes to jog. She gave me no real facts about herself.” I’m such an idiot. I know I found her attractive. I was more focused on that than anything else. It was like I was in a haze. A lustful haze.
“What now?” Forge asks, eyes narrowed.
“I’ve thought it through,” I continue. I’ve done nothing other than think in every spare moment of the last few days. “I want to hire a private investigator to try to find her.” I already have someone lined up. “It’s going to be tough, otherwise, with the limited information I have on her. The good news is that I have a CCTV camera at my front door. I have a side picture of her from when we arrived at my place. It’s a little grainy, but it’s something.” I go to a desk on the far side of the room and pull out a couple of black and white photographs, which I hand out to them.
“I can see why you brought her home.” Tri whistles.
“This woman more than likely sucked out my powers, this is no time to joke around.” I bristle because he is right. I’m not usually pulled in so quickly. She was lovely, one of the sexiest women I’ve ever met and yet... I’m such an asshole to have fallen for all of that.
“I’m sure that’s not the only thing she sucked,” Trident says, a smirk on his face.
I want to punch his mouth. Fucker! “You could be next, asshole! Especially with the number of women you take through your revolving bedroom door.”