She glared as if we were going to argue, but it didn’t matter. We had tons of nail polish.
She went to the exit and stuck the key in.
“Wait! What’s your name?” I asked as she unlocked it.
“Jade,” she replied.
“Cool! I’m Laurel, and that’s Julius.”
Jade snorted with laughter. “No way! What kind of dumbass name isJulius?”
Jule’s whole face burned red, and I got an elbow to the ribs. “What the hell, Laurel?” he hissed.
“Sorry! It’s just Jule,” I said, anxious because Jule actually seemed mad at me—which never happened.
Jade opened the door, raising her eyebrows. “Later, Laurel. Juli-ass.”
“Hey! Take that back!” Jule shouted as she darted out the door. He ran after her, and I went back to our corner by myself. He was fuming when he came back empty-handed.
FIFTEEN
FINCH
“Honeys, I’m home!”
Ocean’s cheery voice cut through the quiet of the house, bringing a breath of fresh air. I could see Kaos’s tense shoulders relaxing as he turned his head toward the door. He was present but in one of his jittery moods, where he felt tense like static.
“Report,” I said, sitting up straighter.
“I come bearing gifts.”
Ocean ignored my order, bowing deeply as he stepped into our dingy living room and waved a scrap of red cloth.
His face was lit up by his contagious smile, and he was glowing with joy in the bond. I ground my teeth.
Kaos made grabby hands at the cloth, and Ocean hopped onto the back of the couch, putting Kaos between his legs. He dangled the red fabric like a cat toy.
Kaos snatched it with no real effort, just a sudden snap of his hand in the air.
“Yikes. Remind me not to mess with you,” Ocean said, ruffling Kaos’s hair.
“Fat lot of good that would do,” I grumbled.
I’m sure he could feel my impatience, but I was indulging whatever scene Ocean was playing out, mainly because Kaos seemed interested.
Kaos’s face was intent as he inspected the cloth, bringing it up to his face and inhaling deeply. A growl rose in the room as his pupils blew, his hand tightening on the cloth. His shoulders had hunched.
I leapt to my feet, snatching the cloth out of his hand. “What the fuck are you doing to him?” I snarled as Kaos bared his teeth at me, but before he could move any further, Ocean started running his fingers through Kaos’s long, blue hair. Kaos’s shoulders relaxed again, a purr rumbling from his chest.
Ocean shot me a smug grin. “What do you think?” he asked, nodding at the fabric.
I frowned and looked down at the silky fabric in my hand. It didn’t look like much, but then I brought it closer and the scent hit my nose.
Vanilla and roses.
Floral and sweet, filling my lungs and burrowing into my soul.
Absolutely not.
