“It’s dinner time?” His eyes widened as if I didn’t know what dinner time meant.
“No, after that.” I squinted at him, trying to process his words.
Did I mishear him? Was I dreaming? Did he just tell me three Vampires, over a hundred years old, were having a slumber party?
“Pizza-popcorn night?” he questioned, the corners of his lips twitching into a mischievous smile, looking at me as if I was the weird one for inquiring about what that was.
“Yeah, what the hell is pizza-popcorn night?” I asked again, unable to stop my blink of disbelief.
“It’s when we all make our own pizza, eat it for dinner, and then pick a movie and eat popcorn? Quite simple, really. It’s everything the name suggests it is,” he explained with an air of nonchalance, as if such a thing was an everyday occurrence for monsters.
I couldn't suppress a laugh, picturing the scene in my mind. I couldn’t see Bastian making a pizza with his more serious demeanor but tonight, now that I was paying attention, he was wearing gray sweatpants and a tank that fit him just as well as his suit did. Fuck.
Three Vampires, gracefully assembling their pizzas, discussing toppings with the seriousness of connoisseurs. A slumber party that defied the laws of nature honestly sounded like a fun time compared to my life as of late, so I decided I’d give in a little.
“Okay, I guess count me in. Do I get to make my own pizza?” I asked, and he smiled at me. So bright and full, it thawed my heart of ice ever so slightly.
“It wouldn’t be a pizza-popcorn party if you didn’t get to make your own pizza. We went and bought all of the stuff while you were asleep. Come on,” he said, offering me his hand to help me stand.
And for the first time in my life, instead of grabbing for my weapon first, I grabbed the hand of a monster—or what I had once believed was one.
15
Serina
Ididn’tthinkstayingin a house with them would be sonormal.
I had spent the last week on antibiotics, laid up in bed while the guys tended to my every need. The only thing I did get to do was make my own pizza, which as Thorne showed me how to toss the dough, it did end up on Nox’s head, so I didn’t think they would let me do that again at the next pizza-popcorn party.
I didn’t ask them to help me. If anything, I tried to do everything on my own, but they wouldn’t allow it. Anytime I tried to do anything myself, I’d get caught and they would take care of it for me.
The pain was nothing but a lingering ache now, and as I walked downstairs, Bastian was going over things at his desk while I could see Thorne’s back, all his muscles flexing as he cooked dinner in the kitchen.
I wanted some fresh air. No, I needed it.
I hadn’t been outside in days, and even though winter was coming, it seemed like a nice night tonight.
I stepped toward the door, and Bastian didn’t look up from his work as he said, “Don’t run off, or I’ll have to chase you down.” He glanced up at me, and I rolled my eyes.
“Ay, ay, Captain,” I said, but the thought of him chasing me down and pinning me to a tree somewhere in the woods, like he did on the wall at the motel, did something to my insides.
It didn’t bring me fear like I thought it would. No, I didn’t fear that they would hurt me. Not anymore, or at least not as much as I should.
I walked out onto the porch. The leaves had gathered along the wooden planks, and the trees had shifted to dark reds and browns. The air was crisp, and I inhaled a deep breath when I suddenly heard a curse come from around the corner of the house.
I walked down the fenced porch and rounded the house. Nox was in the garage working on a black classic Camero that made a slew of memories cross my mind about my time with my dad when we would work on our vehicles to clear our heads.
I moved without thinking and crouched next to the car. Half of Nox’s body was underneath it, and I couldn’t help but admire the way his clothes hugged his body as he worked.
Fuck, what was wrong with me?
I cleared my throat. “Need any help?” I asked, and he rolled out from under the car, piercing me with his blue eyes and dark locks falling over his brow.
“You know your way around a car?” he retorted, and I nodded as he climbed to his feet. “Well, there's not much left to do. There’s a bolt I can’t reach to tighten; even the socket wrench doesn’t fit in the tight space.”
I grabbed the wrench from him and laid on the creeper to roll myself under the car.
It was hard to spot him amidst the car parts, but he reached in to show me where the bolt was. I easily tightened it for him before pulling back out. I stood, handing the wrench back to him smugly, and he rolled his eyes. He tossed it back into the box that was a mess of tools and turned to me.
