Well, except for Jaxon, who’s avoiding my gaze and standing stiffly beside me with his hands tucked inside his pockets.
“Not at all,” Alex assures me. “We were just … caught off guard by your extra power in the spell.”
“Caught off guard is a total fucking understatement.” Blaise speaks for the first time. He stares at me with a look of contemplation while sweeping his thumb across his bottom lip.
“We should get going,” Rhyland states to no one in particular. He glances at a watch on his wrist. “It’s getting late.”
“Does that mean we’re running low on time?” I wonder. “Do things close early around here?”
Strands of Alex’s dark hair fall into his eyes as he slowly shakes his head. “Nah, little daredevil. It actually means the opposite.” He leans in, lightly brushing his lips across mine before saying, “It means the town is about to wake up and come alive.”
Chapter 8
Jaxon
I’ve done hair and makeup before, but nothing I’ve ever done looks as beautiful as Hadley right now. She looks like a dark angel sent from hell, which is a good thing in my world. One day, I might paint her as that, with wings and all. Right now, though, I stand back and observe her beauty, memorizing it, but also, something feels a bit off. Something I can’t place. It has nothing to do with the way she looks. It’s just …
Well, it’s almost like I’m getting this weird sense of déjà vu. But I have no clue why.
We’re walking down the cobblestone road, heading for the club. Alex is on one side of her and is holding her hand, while Rhyland walks on the other side, keeping close. Blaise remains a ways back, oddly quiet. I’m not positive why, but I do think it has to do with the beautiful reaper that I know is currently taking up a lot of space in my mind at the moment.
Out of all of us, I typically remain the calmest. Rhyland is close to having my composure, but he’s been known to lose his cool on occasions. However, it’s been my gift for as long as I can remember. And I need to be that way. It keeps the balance between the four of us. But when we were doing the sealing spell, I felt her power blaze through me, and I almost lost my shit. It was overwhelming to the point where all I could think about was devouring her.
Thank the reapers I managed to keep my hands to myself, or I might have broken my trust with her. And while that unsettled me a fucking ton—this foreign sense of being out of control—that’s not what has me lollygagging behind everyone.
It’s this stupid feeling of déjà vu that I can’t seem to get rid of.
“There are so many weird-looking creatures around here,” I hear her whisper as she peers around at the busy streets lined with magical supply shops, blood banks, and clubs.
I can only imagine how weird it is for her to be here after growing up in the human world. Hardly anything around right now looks human except for the occasional witch we pass by and us. Her attention locks in on one creature in particular, a faerie with lavender wings and sparkling silver eyes. All faeries are good looking, but this one in particular is exceptionally alluring to the point where Hadley gawks at him. He notices her, too, and winks.
“Fuck,” Rhyland immediately says then spins around and rushes toward Blaise.
Just in time, too, because Blaise is already snarling at the faerie and moving toward him. Rhyland grabs him by the jacket and tows him back.
“Don’t,” Rhyland warns. “We don’t have time for fights. And besides, do you really want to get her involved in that?”
Blaise tears his eyes off the faerie and shakes his head. “No.” His gaze strays to Hadley, who’s looking at him with adorable perplexity in her eyes.
“What was that about?” she asks me as I move to her side to take Rhyland’s previous spot.
I keep my hands in my pockets, still feeling too riled up to trust myself with touching her. “That was about jealousy.”
Her brows knit. “Over what?”
“Over a faerie paying too much attention to what belongs to us,” Alex answers. When Hadley still looks confused, he laughs softly and adds, “You.” He places a finger to her parting lips. “And before you chew my ass out for that comment, remember that we belong to you, as well.” He lowers his finger. “It’s a two-way street.” He kisses her then so easily.
A hint of jealousy sparks inside my chest. I’ve never felt anything like it before, and I don’t know what to do with it. For centuries, I’ve felt mostly numb inside, and that worked for me because it was either that or feel everything from my past.
The abuse.
The torment.
The agony of everything that happened to me before and during my time in that orphanage.
My brothers don’t even know the entirety of it—what happened to me before I went to the orphanage. They know a little, a vague story of minimal details, but that’s it. Not because I want to lie to them, but honestly, I can’t even remember all the details myself.
From what little details I can recall, I spent a lot of my early life being broken by several different creatures, and I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be whole again.
Chapter 9
Hadley
Walking around this place is insane. So many different kinds of creatures, all dressed up like we are, but we’re probably the most human-looking creatures around. Most of the ones we’ve passed have horns or scales, and some even twinkle with glitter. Like that faerie that winked at me. He was one of the most sparkling things I’ve ever seen. However, I think the winking thing may have caused Blaise to snap.
It seems ridiculous for him to react that way, but I’m not totally surprised. Blaise has always been like a lightning storm—slowly rumbling under lightning strikes. Although, I have an inkling that I haven’t actually seen the entirety of his storm yet. I’m a bit annoyed by his jealousy, too, but I think now is not the time to get into an argument with the reaper who always has the ability to drive me crazy. All of them seem a bit tense, too. Well, except for Alex, who acts as if he’s completely in his element as we stroll down the crowded street with our fingers intertwined.
“Where’s this club, anyway?” I wonder, glancing from Alex to Jaxon, who’s walking quietly by my side.
Jaxon is clearly distracted as he stares at the ground with a crease between his brows. I don’t know what’s troubling him, but a need to help him is brewing inside me that wants to emerge. It’s … odd, to say the least. Sure, I’ve spent years being the helper to my sisters, but I never thought I’d feel that way toward anyone else.
It has to be because I fed off them … right?
I’m not so sure anymore.
About anything.
“We’re getting close,” Alex tells me while pulling me closer to him until I’m pressed against his side.
We’re approaching a particularly crowded part of town, and that has him edging toward nervousness.
“Stay close, okay?” he whispers in my ear. “I don’t want to risk losing you in the crowd.”