If Fae appearance is some kind of perfect state of being, that scar just doesn’t add up.
Leaving the mystery for another day, I open the door and make my way into the room, fidgeting with my hands, nervous about how to proceed with Hale. I knew what I wanted in the heat of the moment and didn’t feel shy about it, but now… well now is a whole different thing.
He’s lying on his back under the comforter, already snoring away with one hand behind his head and the other on top of the comforter covering his dick.
Giggling softly, I realize nothing further is going to happen tonight and the tension leaves my body. I make my way over to my side of the bed, turn the bedside light off and slip underneath the covers gently, not wanting to disturb him. Laying on my side, I feel the urge to reach out and touch him but refrain, knowing he needs to rest.
“Love you.”
His soft, barely audible declaration has me freezing, though he isn’t fully awake when he says it. Those damn butterflies erupt in my stomach again as his words, bringing a happiness I didn’t think I could feel so soon after Beth’s death.
I close my eyes, thinking of our last conversation.
She had been right. I am strong and I am very loved.
It’ll be a long road to recover from her death. At least now I know that it wasn’t my fault or Gaia’s. In fact, her mere presence in our lives was a blessing and a gift. And though Beth loved us, I’m sure she’s happy where she is, reunited with her husband who she spoke so fondly of and the kid she cried for when she thought we were asleep.
I hope you are at peace now with your family.
Chapter Ten
Lana
I lie in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, trying to find a position in which I can relax and doze off, but it’s no use. It seems like I’ve been in bed for hours. My mind is running through all the events of the past day.
Has it really only been a day?
It’s still dark outside. All of this shit will be here in the morning to deal with, Lana. Go to sleep.
There’s just too much on my mind between Gaia, what had happened with Hale
I try to be stern with myself but my eyelids refuse to stay closed. Everything Gaia said keeps digging its talons into my brain, dragging me by the roots of my hair, down the rabbit hole. Realizing this is futile, I give in and let my imagination run rampant, as wild what if scenarios jump in my head like a group of tantrum-throwing toddlers, begging for attention. Look at me! No, me!
What if Hale and I both suffered from a traumatic brain injury during the storm and didn’t realize it? I don’t recall any head wound so I cross that off the list. Next.
What if Gaia’s religious following is actually a cult and somehow, they slipped drugs into our food and drinks while we were napping at the lake?
It’s doubtful that we’re important enough for a cult to randomly target so that one seems a little farfetched. Next.
What if the tornadoes earlier ripped through a gas pipe in our house and this was all a hallucination after some serious gas inhalation? Shit, did we even get gas where we lived? And does gas even cause hallucinations or just death?
Internally groaning, I move onto the only other option I have left.
What if Hale and I aren’t hallucinating and everything Gaia told me in my dream is real?
At this point, that seems most likely.
Fuck my life.
A loud rap on our door has me bolting to my feet with a grace and speed that I have never before possessed. Hale flies out of bed just as fast and quietly makes his way to the door, opening it to greet the late-night visitor.
“Lana, turn the light on,” Hale calls out to me, not a trace of sleepiness in his voice somehow. “I guess we’re having this conversation now.”
I need coffee to deal with this shit and there’s no coffee in sight. What’s a girl gotta do for some liquid gold?
At this point, I’m deliriously tired so of course, the guys had to show up.
Begrudgingly, I turn the light on, bathing the room in a warm glow that illuminates my men as they walk in. They all look like shit, like they’ve been to hell and back and trying to make sense of our lives.
I can relate.
I look closer at them, trying to pinpoint exactly what has changed that makes them look different. Despite the fatigue in the way they’re carrying themselves or their emotional detachment as they refuse to meet my eyes, they all seem a bit larger, height-wise and in their builds. There’s a healthy glow under their skin that makes them look almost radiant.
They couldn’t all have gone through a growth spurt simultaneously overnight, right?
Yesterday, they were fine specimens of the human male population but now, they look almost—
My brain screeches to a halt.
Oh fuck.
They look otherworldly.
Of course, my guys have to outdo everyone in the looks department, even fucking Fae, it seems.
Putting the thought out of my head, I sit on the edge of my bed, uncertain of how to greet them or if I should speak first. They filter into the small sitting area and deposit themselves where they can. The twins lounge on the couch, Ash on the chair, which leaves Zedd on the floor. Hale stays by me, hovering and not taking a seat.
Playing with my fingernails, I sneak glances at each of their faces, trying to get a read on them. They look like zombies, beautiful zombies, but still. It’s freaking me the fuck out. Maybe I need to get my apology out there quickly so I can figure out how to make this better.
Taking a deep breath, I start in a rush, “Listen, guys, I owe you all a huge apology. The way I treated every single one of you was out of line. I understand why you don’t want to look at me. I’m disgusted with myself right now for the way I acted. We all lost our mom and I know this will be a big change in our lives. We will get through this together though, I hope.” I finish lamely, staring at the floor, ashamed that I’m now offering to support us in getting through this when I put them down so horribly yesterday.
I can’t bring myself to look at them, the betrayal and sadness likely painted on their faces.
“Lana,” Zedd says. “We didn’t come here to discuss that right now. When we went to our rooms tonight, something happened to each of us and we thought you and Hale should know, in case it happened to you as well.”
I groan aloud and facepalm. Once again, I rushed into an apology without waiting to see what the conversation is actually about. Foot, meet mouth.
“Explain,” Hale clips out, looking at Zedd.
Zedd’s eyes widen and he looks around the room nervously, gulping and almost obsessively looking back at Ash. The poor guy looks like he might vomit.
“What he’s trying to say is,” Leo interjects, saving Zedd from the pressure. “We think we all have some form of magic power or that we might be losing our fucking minds.”
Welcome to the fucking party, boys. We’re all a little mad around here, apparently.
I can’t help but laugh out loud at the Mad Hatter reference my mind supplies and the guys all shared worried glances at my reaction.
You look like you belong in a straitjacket in the looney bin. Pull it together.
Struggling to contain my giggle at both that fucking awesome joke and the comical looks on their faces, I manage to get out, “I’m laughing at a joke I made in my head. Not you guys.”