"Makeup," Ian confirms. "She made Heidi wear it at all times. Even though the Frosts kept Heidi in their fuckingattic, and almost no one saw her except their staff and some doctors. And me," he adds, his expression softening slightly. "Every time I saw Heidi cover up her face, it killed me a little. As if being born a prey shifter and an empath wasn't enough of a sin in that godsforsaken family."
Fucking Frosts.
At this point, screw being professional. Every chance I get to tell Heidi how pretty she is, I'm taking it. I'm going to praise every inch of her perfect body until she fucking believes it.
Kaenon's jaw is clenched so hard I'm surprised his teeth haven't cracked. "How could her kin punish her for the way she was born? That was not within her control. Mark or no mark, her beauty is enough to make Paradise weep with joy. I cannot understand?—"
"This Daphne bitch. She dead yet?" Zak cuts in, impatient.
I nod. "She was killed off with the rest of Heidi and Everett's family a while ago."
Kaenon glances at an empty space in the room with a frown.
"Heidi's spirit companion confirms this. She says she used the magic touch of a…care-oh-lie-nah reaperto end the 'rich evil ho bag.' What is a ho bag?" he adds, glancing at us in confusion now that he's muddled through the words he doesn't know.
"An apt description of Daphne," Ian says before heaving a sigh. "I've never been jealous of a ghost before, but here we are. There goes my chance at vengeance. I've daydreamed about killing that woman for everything she did to Heidi more times than I can count."
For once, I completely understand the thrall. There's nothing worse than missing out on seeing shitty people get the reckoning they deserve. I would know, since that DeLune bastard got to my father before I could make him pay for murdering her.
But just because we didn't get to Daphne first doesn't mean I'm going to tolerate anyone else mistreating Heidi. From now on, she has nothing to worry about.
Because from now on, she has us.
31
HEIDI
When I finish confessingthat Ian and I made out last night, followed by Asher's word-for-word warning about not pushing him or he would tie me to my bed and teach me a lesson, Jessica cackles like the madwoman she is.
"I called it!" she shrieks, doing a ghost-style victory lap around the back deck of my house. "I totally called that those two were into you—because spoiler alert, El, they'reallinto you."
"Not necessarily," I start to protest. "Kaenon just followed me here because Athanis?—"
"Was leading him back to hismate,chica."
Whoa. Wait a second.
"What?"
"That's what that sexy priest told me," Jess goes on smugly, folding her arms as I continue to gawk at her. "Kaenon got one whiff of you and realized you're his mate when you set him free, and that's why he hunted you down and showed up here. And we both know Zak's been obsessed with you since you were in the Nether. Meaning, four out of four of the sexy men in your house aresuper into you."
I fan my cheeks that are now hot despite the spring chill out here. "Oh. Crap."
This is bad.
Not the whole four-gorgeous-men-are-into-me part. That's still unbelievable, but it's actually giving me a case of the butterflies.
No, it's bad because it means I'll have to pick one of them.
Oh, gods.
"Psst. Admit it, I called it."
"You called it," I grumble, preoccupied with dread over this new problem.
"I'll take my reward for being right in the form of more butterscotch cookies. Now," Jess claps her hands, rubbing them together and chortling like an evil cartoon villain. "Since you're no longer in denial, when are you going to let these guys take you to Pound Town?"
That makes my blush a million times worse as I trynotto imagine all four of them. In bed. With me. Kissing, licking, thrusting, and moaning—sweat dripping as they fill me up over and over…
