People move around. It’s hard to count, but maybe twenty. When Jace comes into view I have to hold back a growl. He’s speaking with an older dark haired woman, a shock of white running down her locks, Emma. The bitch who started all this.
“I can sense him,” Rurik whispers. “Apollo is in there.
I’m about to say something, tell him to be patient. We need a plan, but all the air leaves my lungs and my blood turns to ice.
No. No, it can’t be.
But I’d know those curls anywhere.
I’d knowhimanywhere.
“Golden…”
And he’s covered in blood.
Chapter Thirty-Five - Golden
Laying on the soft carpet in the living room, I stare blankly at the ceiling.
“Lucero is an old vampire, he’ll be okay,” Ramy tells me, his soft voice reassuring.
“Exactly,” Kai chimes. However, even as he nervously tugs at his sandy blonde braids.
“Apollo will be okay, too. He’s coming back,” I remark, scooting closer to where Kai’s lounging on the sofa. “I’m pretty sure Rurik would tear down the whole city to get to him.”
Kai’s easy smile slowly drops, along with his shoulders. “I know. But also my life has turned upside down. I finally got my best mate back only to lose another; who was apparently a fucking vampire the whole time. And now Summer’s an eighty year old mage who casually repairs the tattoo studio on the side. What next?” Kai blows out. “Absolutely mental, mate.”
I hug my knees, whole body rocking as I nod my head. “Right, it’s fucking looney tunes. How do you deal with it, Ramy?”
There’s a pause, and then Ramy pulls a set of keys from his pocket. “We can always bail?” And he grins, no longer small or hesitant, he’s all big and goofy.
I crack up, throwing myself on the ground laughing hard with Kai, who wraps his arms around Ramy.
“I guess we’ll stick around for now. C’mere, Ramy, lemme do your hair.”
Ramy obediently sits between Kai’s legs, and when Ramy looks at me with a knowing glint, I mouth ‘thank you’ as Kai already begins to calm now that he can fuss over someone.
While Kai brushes out Ramy’s long midnight strands, I grab his discarded phone. “Can I borrow this, Kai?”
Distracted, Kai nods while he chats away with Ramy, and I flop on my side, sofa cushion under my head as I bring up the search engine. Making love with Lucero brought up so many emotions; love and lust and connection, but also confusion, and I think it’s time I do some exploring.
Phone glowing in my face, I type the question that’s been quietly whispering in the very back of my mind since Lucero left this morning.
'How do I know if I'm asexual?'
“And you're done.”
Kai’s voice startles me out of my zone and I realise it’s been over half an hour.
“Thank you,” Ramy replies, fingering the two cornrow braids that go all the way down his back.
Kai adds some oils to Ramy’s scalp that I have no idea where he got. “I know that face, Golden, what were you looking at?”
I sit up. “Well you know how you mentioned you thought I was asexual?”
Kai nods absently and once he’s slicked Ramy’s hair up to his high standard, he rubs the excess oil through my curls.
“I just wanted to know more.” I shrug, scalp tingling at the quick head massage. “Instead I learnt so much about flags!”
