I loved food. I just sometimes forgot to eat because I was so damn busy.
When he slid oatmeal to me, I began eating, slowing down so that I didn’t rush myself. Tilting my head curiously, I asked a question that had been plaguing my mind. “What class level is he?”
Razar let out a low rumble. “Class Alpha.”
I paused, taking a bite of the bagel to my left and arching a brow. “Where the hell did he come from? You’re telling me we just happened to find a Class A wandering around?”
He chuckled. “Not exactly. Your father sent a team to Egypt to extract him. It was an emergency mission.”
“Oh.” I nodded and then shook my head. “How bad is he?”
“You’ll see,” Razar mused as I finally finished my breakfast, standing up and taking some of the stuff to a stacking area for used plates. Of course, it currently only contained mine, because I was almost positive this room had been installed to remind me to eat on the way to work. It was one of those things my father did that made me know how much he loved me. Turning, I intertwined my fingers with Razar’s again before standing on tip-toes to brush my lips against his hard jaw in a silent thank you for breakfast. A low rumble broke from his chest as he walked with me down the hall, towards where I knew we would find my father.
“Are you cold?” my nightmare asked, looking over my sweater with a small frown.
I know. He was adorable and ridiculous. Honestly, I think it was just his natural protective urge to be like this. Overall, nightmares tended to be a bit more primal in the way they viewed things. Sometimes, though, they had a depth of perspective that far exceeded any other creature’s, including mine. They saw things in ways I never would have thought of or considered. That was why it infuriated me when humans tried to degrade them to beasts. The true vile beasts were humans.
Nearly two minutes later, we reached a securely locked door that led to a long familiar hallway. I flashed my badge as the security guard nodded, his eyes immediately moving away from me and onto Razar as he opened the doors for us. Razar gently ushered me through the door, his rough hand on the small of my back. I paused momentarily when his touch disappeared, turning to watch him say something to the guard. The man paled as he nodded sharply, and Razar turned from him, catching up to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
I always forgot to ask him what he said to the guards each morning, but whatever it was scared them enough that there was a new one nearly every day.
Honestly, it was pretty sexy. I flashed him a small smile as his eyes darkened with what I really felt like was heat, before leading me towards a door. I wondered if my other team members would be here already. Razar let out a low rumble, making me assume that at least some of them were. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the relationship and the mutual respect he had for the others, he probably would have killed them.
“Morning!” I used a sing-songy voice as my father looked up from his desk. Wearing his trademark lab coat, he offered me a small smile and adjusted his glasses before motioning us into the suite. I took a bite of the granola bar that I still had as the large door we walked through locked shut and the light above the door momentarily bathed the clinical room in green, signifying that the room was in fact safe and secure.
However, before my father could respond, my gaze fell on the two other figures in the room.
Christ.
I hadn’t had enough coffee to deal with them yet.
2
Arabella
Well… let me rephrase that. I could deal with them, but there was a chance I would end up bopping each of the over-controlling bastards on the head for being nut jobs.
My gaze moved towards the massive wall of glass windows to remind myself why I was here. I almost smiled, noticing a large form shifting in and out of the darkness of the shadows. My curiosity had me stepping forward in interest.
Honestly, if there was one thing that would probably end up killing me, it was my curiosity. At least I would die learning something though, right?
“Is that all you’re eating for breakfast?” A rough voice had me rolling my eyes.
Do you see what I mean? Sure, it was adorable when Razar did it, but I could literally hear the accusation in this man’s voice. As if I was committing some horrible sin for having a freakin’ granola bar for breakfast.
My father offered a small, barely-there chuckle as he began checking off his normal morning list in a manila folder, something I probably needed to look over as well. Sometimes I liked to walk in there and be surprised, but if this was a Class Alpha nightmare, it would probably be a good idea to know what I was dealing with.
Slowly moving my gaze towards the two princes scowling and brooding in the back of the control room, I looked to Damian, who had spoken to me. Yes, Damian, as in Lucifer’s son. Oh! Let’s not forget his best friend, Hades’ son. As you can imagine, humans were rather upset to find out that their arguments of which ‘Hell’ existed had been useless this entire time, because surprise!—there were plenty of sexy villains for them to hate and me to love.
“I didn’t realize that my eating schedule was your business,” I mused, knowing I had to push back with the two of them, because if I didn’t… well, let’s just say the ‘give an inch and they will take a mile’ analogy was perfect for them.
Razar chuckled softly at his teammate’s expense, making Damian narrow his eyes.
“Here.” My father offered me a fresh mug of coffee. I couldn’t help but smile, realizing that he had chosen to hand me a bright blue mug with glittery gold wording on it, despite his natural preference for dark colors. My father wasn’t good at showcasing emotions, but it was small actions like this that made me know how much our relationship meant to him. I took a sip of the warm drink, nearly moaning at how good it tasted.
“What are we dealing with?” I asked him, not waiting for Damian’s response but knowing that he would have one for sure.
“Brief her quickly, if you can!” my father called out as he walked towards an attached room that served as his office. I couldn’t help but smile, knowing the man couldn’t focus on communication if his life depended on it. Razar sat down in a large chair near the door, the plastic creaking under his large frame as I looked away from the window and focused on the other two.
Damian stepped fully out of the darkness as his eyes moved over me slowly. I really tried to not get turned on by the man, but it was a bit difficult considering how sexy he was. He totally did not deserve my attention, considering what an insane, overbearing nut job he was, but I couldn’t deny his effect on me.
Leaner than Razar but slightly taller, the man was dressed in a dark suit today, highlighting his large shoulders and what I knew to be a muscular build underneath. How did I know that? Well, in the past six years since he’d arrived at eighteen, I’d seen just about everything when it came to these men, him included. As in, I’d seen him naked. Not on purpose, but trust me, I had not been able to forget it. Probably never would. Still hoped to see him up close and personal one day, but there wasn’t much chance of that happening, considering our relationship dynamic. He drove me crazy. At least most of the time. Sometimes he was really sweet.