Saint smiled darkly as I took them, gesturing to the dining table just beyond the kitchenette. I turned and headed to it, placing down the pasta and water, dropping into a seat.
Saint moved to stand behind me and my neck prickled from the closeness of him. “I want you to stay fit,” he purred. “You can use the gym here when none of us are in it. And you can have your lessons with Monroe to keep that fine ass of yours in shape.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly and Saint’s fingers combed through my ponytail.
I picked up the water, my mouth still dry from the workout and I tipped my head back to drink the whole thing. The second it washed over my lips, it burned. I’d taken in a whole mouthful, realising it was vodka far too late and I spat it everywhere, dropping the glass and making it roll across the table, pouring across the mahogany.
Saint yanked my ponytail so hard, my neck snapped back and I was forced to look up at him with my heart thumping wildly against my ribcage. “If you ever disappear like that again, I won’t feed you vodka, I’ll feed you fucking arsenic.”
“Fuck you,” I spat, unable to fight it back. I’d wanted to say those words all day. I’d wanted to scream them while clawing his eyes out.
He yanked me out of my seat then threw me down on the table face first, pressing his weight over my body to crush me to the wood.
“Want to say that again, Barbie?” he growled dangerously.
“I want to say it at least a thousand more times,” I admitted and Saint’s laughter suddenly filled the room. He released me and I pushed myself up, ignoring the bruising ache in my hips as I found Kyan and Blake looking at me from across the room with hope in their eyes.
Saint sailed towards them, turning and perching on the edge of the couch. “We didn’t break her,” he spoke to them like I wasn’t there.
“I knew it,” Kyan growled with a hungry smirk that said he couldn’t wait to start pushing my buttons again.
And game on fuckwits. Because I couldn’t wait to start pushing a few buttons of theirs.
My phone rang and I jerked upright, glancing over at the nightstand where the screen was illuminated in the dark. Whoever said there was no rest for the wicked had certainly been right about that.
Am I really lucky enough to be rescued from my daily torment?
It was four thirty, I’d been waiting on that fucking alarm to pull me from the dark at six am and fate had done me one better.
I rolled towards my cellphone, glancing at the caller ID to make sure that it wasn’t some cock-hunting sophomore who’d managed to get a hold of my number somehow and decided to try her luck at offering me a wake up blowjob. That shit had happened before more than a few times, though after I’d had those girls expelled it seemed to have broken the curve. Most of them had caught on to the fact that Blake was the only one of us who might be tempted by that shit. I hunted my own prey and told them exactly what time of day it suited me to have my goddamn cock sucked and Kyan just kept his pursuits off campus. Luckily for me and the universe, the person calling me was one of a very select few who could get away with that shit during the night.
“Father,” I said in greeting as I connected the call, wincing a little at the rough edge to my voice from lack of use.
The half second of hesitation let me know he’d heard it and was less than impressed. Be prepared for all eventualities, Son, and life will never figure out how to kick you in the ass.
“Son,” he replied curtly, his tone letting me know he was in his office. Late night work, or I guess early morning work, only ever took place when absolutely necessary and the fact that he was taking a moment to call me let me know that something important was happening. “It’s time to consider a supply run. The Hades Virus is spreading rapidly and the public are panic buying at an alarming rate. The stores are failing to re-stock and there are certain items which are becoming increasingly difficult to get a hold of.”
“I have storage space here, I can easily gather supplies,” I agreed instantly as I knocked the covers off of me and stalked downstairs.
“Good. Toilet paper stores are running particularly low and the manufacturers are having trouble keeping up the supply chain.”
“Got it.” I made it to the fridge and drew out a bottle of water so that I could banish the damn roughness in my voice.
Father hesitated and that was enough to make me fall still. That man was the king of the pregnant pause. He could use a simple lull in conversation to make you feel a thousand different emotions at will, but this time I could have sworn that it was a genuine sign that he was unsure about what to say next.
The sound of a door closing came down the line and I fell still, wondering what could possibly be so damn important that he didn’t trust his staff to hear it.
“Listen to me, Saint. This thing, this virus, it’s getting worse before it gets better. A lot worse. I suggest you prepare the means to keep yourself isolated for an extended period of time just in case you need to.”
“I can stock The Temple with everything we need,” I assured him.
“If you plan on letting others join you while you quarantine yourselves, pick carefully. You don’t need to be carrying dead weight through this.”
“I never do.”
“Good.”
“Have the CDC got any news about a vaccine?” I asked him. We’d be on the front line to receive one once it was produced at least. Money could certainly guarantee that much.
“Slowly. Too fucking slowly. Stay safe, Son, the future of our family lies in your blood.”
“You too, Father.”
That was the closest anyone in my family ever came to implying love for each other and we didn’t express even that much all that often. This virus situation really was getting bad.
The line went dead and I pursed my lips as I moved to the drawers beside the front door and pulled out a lighter and a firecracker. I headed down the short corridor to Blake’s room at the back of the building first, pushing his door open and looking in at him where he slept in the middle of his huge bed.
“Wake up,” I snapped. “We have work to do.”
Blake cursed as he pushed himself upright, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes as he called out to ask me what work, but I was already heading down the hall to open Kyan’s door.
I lit the fuse and tossed the firecracker into his room before pulling the door shut again and striding away.
I made it back to the kitchenette before the thing exploded and Kyan’s curses poured through the building.
He burst out of his room and ran at me with the clear intention to beat the living shit out of me for that prank but there was no time for that shit.
“Suck it up, Kyan,” I snarled. “This is important.”
The rage in his eyes flared as the bloodlust called to him but through pure force of will, he managed to fall still. He stood in the centre of the corridor, muscles flexed and hair spilling into his eyes as he panted with the desire to rip me a new one and waited for my explanation.
Blake appeared behind him and I set my water down on the counter. “We need to go and secure supplies in case of a shortage,” I said in a tone that brokered no arguments.
“Now?” Blake asked.
“No. I just woke you up in the middle of the fucking night to say let’s do it tomorrow,” I deadpanned.