The door flew open with another loud bang. “I can hear you, Annalise.”
“Don’t care, Stony,” I mocked. Bitch move, I know, but the guy seriously needed to calm down. Joey wouldn’t even be up yet, not to mention ready to handle me and my three new pals. “I was Human less than a week ago, and now I’m sucking blood from your dick and causing blizzards in July. Get the fuck out of here before I rip your balls off and feed them to Quint’s Bull. Hit the gym, go for a run, jack off, do whatever you have to do, but for fuck’s sake, let me sleep.”
I didn’t even open my eyes, didn’t care.
He must have left at some point though, because about three minutes later, Quint whispered, “That was so hot my dick is like steel right now. Just thought you should know.”
I groaned, annoyed as hell, and rolled over to my other side so I was now facing Cabe. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed, making him appear softer, even more beautiful than when he was awake. I reached forward and brushed a strand of blond hair off his forehead, liking the freedom that the bond gave me.
I fell asleep listening to the sound of their hearts as they both tumbled into sleep again, following closely behind me.
When I woke up the second time, I felt much better. Strong, capable, and ready to face my ex-boyfriend. I was nervous, but only because I didn’t want the guys to witness one of my fights with Joey. They always got loud, sometimes got physical, and never failed to make the house shake.
I was about to tell him that I was leaving our apartment to live with three strangers, all of them tatted and ripped, because I was some sort of super Human that was tied to them. Oh, and they were also super Humans.
Spectacular. This was going to be fun.
I strolled into the kitchen casually, finding all the guys in various states of “ready.” Quint was shoving his feet into Timberlands, Cabe was searching for a hat to wear, and Lanier was standing by the door, spinning his keys around his pointer finger with a serious expression.
“You guys do know that you constantly look like those flashy Instagram male models, right? It’s really disgusting how hot you all are,” I said, moving into the room and heading straight for the coffee maker. The one they owned made full pots of coffee but also had a section that brewed individual cups.
I needed one of those bastards, stat.
“Really?” Lanier grumbled. “I told you we would stop for coffee.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m really not a morning person, Lan, you’re gonna need to let me win this one. Just go wait in the car if you’re so impatient. Take a walk or something.”
God, he was antsy.
Why was he acting so fucking weird this morning?
His shoulders were tight, he was searching the room like he was looking for someone, and it wasn’t helping my nerves.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that our fearless leader is anxious to get to the ex-boyfriend’s house,” Quint said as he checked himself out in the gigantic mirror that sat next to the front door. He looked good enough to eat, wearing ripped black jeans, a black sleeveless hoodie that showed the New York skyline, a wicked smile on his face, and his hair a sexy mess on his head. The piercings and tattoos really wrapped up the beautifully twisted package. I was practically drooling all over the floor of the penthouse.
“I want to get this over with. Something feels weird,” Lanier said, checking the time on his phone. I paused, studying him. He was really worried about something, and the look in his eyes dropped a brick in my stomach.
“What’s goin’ on, boss man?” I asked, walking toward him while my coffee brewed.
“There is someone watching us right now, and I don’t know where they are or what they’re looking for, but I have a feeling that it’s not good. It feels malicious. Dark.” He looked down at me, his green eyes serious. He was in leader mode, watching the house while his pack got ready to head out. My pussy was dripping at the sight, but my chest tightened with dim anticipation. The adrenaline of the risk began pumping through my veins, but this time, I found that it wasn’t as welcome as it was earlier this week.
I had more on the line.
“We don’t know how serious the threat is against you. I’m not willing to take risks; we make this quick, and then we get back here. We will take turns watching the penthouse, one of us alert at all times.” He put a hand on my shoulder, spun me around, and used his foot to kick me lightly in the ass. “Get your fucking coffee and let’s go, Annalise, I want this over with.”
“Alright, alright,” I replied, moving quickly through the kitchen. I had enough respect for him to know when my sass wasn’t welcome. He was protecting me, and I needed to stay aware of our surroundings.
This was my crew, my makeshift and temporary family. I’d protect them with everything I had.
I felt the bond sizzle and vibrate between us, as if Lanier’s awareness had woken it up. It was gearing up, warning us all that danger lurked. We all paused and looked at each other.
“Nope, don’t like that.” Quint shook his head, grabbing his wallet off the counter and shoving it in his front pocket. “You stay next to me, Annalise. Get your shit, let’s go.”
I grabbed a to-go cup from the little coffee station they had set up and poured the liquid quickly before capping it and meeting the guys at the front door. Bestia began to stir, I felt the lick of her power dart up my spine, the energy preparing itself for whatever was plotting against us.
Lanier opened the door and stepped into the hallway, looking left and right casually as if he was just curious. I kept my eyes peeled as I walked ahead of him, not listening when Quint bitched and Cabe tried to grab my arm.
I had triple what they had; I was stacked with power. It might have been foreign and uncomfortable just yesterday, but the bond had wrapped its claws around my throat. Protect them or suffer the consequences.
I didn’t question it, the sick feeling in my stomach, knowing that it wasn’t just the connection we shared that was giving me the intense need to protect. Those feelings were also mine.
Nothing was amiss in the hallways, the same red walls and marble flooring. The building was quiet, as usual. No kids running around or parents screaming. The entire place seemed to be hushed.
I walked with Lanier the rest of the way to the elevators, and he reached forward to press the button. Quint walked up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. Turning to look at him, I caught his smile not quite reaching his eyes. I frowned, not liking his worried energy.
“We’re good, Q.” I patted his hand with my own. “You’re a fucking Demon, buck up.” Throwing his words back at him with a confident smile did the trick. He laughed and squeezed my shoulders, rolling his own slightly.
I was quickly figuring out that Quint needed constant reassurance, but I hadn’t figured out why. He was a fucking Demon; he had a Bull inside of him that could crush a grown man in seconds. He was lethal, but for some reason, I made him weak and insecure.
It was the opposite of my connection to his best friends. While I made Lanier and Cabe stronger, gave them new powers, I made Quint doubt himself.
I wished I could take all of his insecurities away, but I didn’t know how. I wasn’t even aware of the problem. I reached up again but this time, grabbed his hand and squeezed, wanting to give him more than a snarky comment.