“Dibs? What are you...twelve?” I swat his arm and he laughs, walking back over to Levi.
My eyes come up and lock onto Cole’s. He’s staring at me with those icy blue eyes, his face a mask of pissed off. This one could go either way. My alpha isn’t one for sharing; he’s already made that perfectly clear. What if this is all too much for him? What if he walks away? At one point in time, I may not have minded so much, but now I’m pretty sure I’d be lost without the grumpy asshole.
“Oh, stop looking at me like that,” he says, his arms crossed and his scowl firmly in place. “I promised I’d prove to you that I deserve to be right here by your side.”
“You did,” I say softly.
He stalks up to me and stops with only inches between us. He raises his hand, his thumb pulling my bottom lip out from between my teeth, and drops a kiss on my forehead. “I keep my promises, Fate.” He pauses, a grin tilting his mouth. “But I still don’t want to see any of these fuckers’ swords anywhere near my own. When you’re with me, you’re all mine.”
I swallow, the promise in his eyes enough to have me melting on the spot.
Mack clears his throat, and I turn to look up at him.
His hands are in his pockets and his lips quirk slightly to match the mischievous grin that I’m sure is slowly spreading across my lips.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I think?” he asks.
Making my way back to him, I wrap my arms around his waist and tilt my head back, my eyes locking on to his. “What do you think about all of this, Mack?”
His arms envelop me, and I can’t help but burrow into him like I’ll never get close enough.
“To have you here with me is a bit surreal. I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel this way about anyone, ever, and the fact that I’ve got this second chance with you, stealing these last few hours reconnecting even before my other three brothers...hell, it makes a man feel powerful. It makes me want things I stopped hoping for years ago. And I want them with you. So, I think you need to stop worrying. None of us are walking away from you. We didn’t a hundred years ago, and we won’t now. Or ever.” He seals his promise with a kiss, and the tension drains from my body.
“Now that we’ve got all of that settled, we need to meet downstairs in the study,” Cole states before heading for the door, obviously expecting us all to follow.
“Downstairs for what?” I ask.
“Cole thinks Destiny might have answers, so we’re going to talk with her,” Knox offers.
I sigh dramatically. “Reality is highly overrated.”
Cole’s staring at us impatiently from the doorway. “Are you coming?”
“I mean, there’s coming and then there’s coming. One is way more fun than the other. I say we go with option two.”
“You might be able to distract all these other fuckers with sex, but it won’t work on me. It’s time we get some real answers. Now come on.”
“But do we have to?” I whine.
“Fate, don’t make me give you an order,” Cole says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Ha! I’d like to see you try.” My hands land on my hips as my lips quirk up.
“Fine.” He smirks. “Fate, get your tight little ass downstairs. That’s an order!”
The entire room holds its breath, the heaviness of Cole’s power hanging in the air even though the command wasn’t aimed at any of them.
I walk straight up to Cole, the guys all waiting for me to give in to the command. A blinding smile lights up my face. “Cole?”
“Yes, Fate?” he asks, his eyes wide with a quick flash of confusion before it’s replaced by his trademark scowl.
“Eat. Shit.” Then I wink before continuing past him. “I’m going to go take a shower, boys. Need to dress to impress for this lovely little reunion. Meet you all downstairs in, say...an hour, give or take?”
God, it feels good to be me again. Even if I can’t remember exactly who me was, this sure does feel right. Pushing Cole’s buttons is way too much fun. I just wish I could’ve taken a picture of his face to remember this momentous occasion. His shocked expression would be a fantastic reminder of just how badass I am. Total missed opportunity there.
My room is quiet as I enter, a much appreciated moment of solitude washing over me and helping me regroup after the chaos that always ensues when my guys are around. I mean, there are five of them and only one of me. Sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming after ten years of being alone.
I head straight for the adjoined bathroom. Reaching in to start the shower, I let all the ways I’m going to take advantage of my immunity to Cole’s powers fight for priority in my brain. Steam envelops me as I step in, the hot water instantly soothing my sore muscles. I get a wicked sort of satisfaction at the fact that my lack of acquiescence has to be chipping away at that huge ego of his even now. Wonder what all the guys think about it? Will they resent that I don’t have to follow the same rules? I don’t know how any of this group shit works. I haven’t been a part of one for over a hundred years. I’ve only had to rely on me, myself, and I. #GhostGirlProblems.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m loving the fact that I’m finally part of the team. That there are people who care about me and have my back. But somewhere deep down inside, something is tugging at my mind. Telling me that I need to work extra hard to protect them. That whatever happened all those years ago, the threat is still out there and it’s very, very real and closer than we think. Whoever it is, they’re waiting and they’re gunning for us. I can’t...no, I won’t...let my guys get caught in the crossfire this time. Call it a gut feeling, instinct, repressed memory, hallucination. Whatever the fuck this feeling is, it’s twisting me up inside, making me antsy, and I hate being antsy.
Taking my time, I wash and condition my hair then grab my loofah, scrubbing my body and cleaning off my time with Mack. Eau de sex isn’t really the scent I’m going for during this upcoming reunion with my sister. I spare a glance at my legs and other girly bits. Things are a tad hairy, if you know what I mean, so I quickly take care of that too. Who knew shaving your lady parts required so much flexibility? Phew! I need to work out more.
With everything clean and my fingers turning pruney, I finally step out and dry off quickly, running the towel roughly over my hair as I head for the walk-in closet. The dress I’d picked out in an effort to wrap myself up in some semblance of normalcy - but let’s be honest, I’m so far from normal, it’s not even funny - sits on the small chair in the corner. Before I pull it over my head, I find myself in front of the floor-length mirror on the wall. Willing myself into my ghostly state, I can make out the bathroom behind me through my translucent body, all of it reflecting back at me. Then I’m solid again. I flicker back and forth. Testing my power. Testing my control. A mere thought is all it takes to switch back to my ghost girl form, and I watch as red jeans mold themselves to my legs, paired with killer black heels and a black T-shirt. My hair is now dry, lying in loose waves against my back. My makeup is a little more dramatic, black winged eyeliner and bright red lipstick. But something’s still not right... Ahh. Of course. I watch as Ghost Girls Do It Better scrawls right across my chest. So much better than a lame dress. Plus, it’s a quirky little reminder to myself and a huge fuck you to those who think they can mess with me...and maybe a little something to draw the boys’ eyes right where I want them.