I think I’m in serious trouble.
The very best kind.
Chapter eleven
Jade
Flyn kissed me. Or I kissed him. I’m not sure which one of us moved first, but whatever. It happened. Our lips met, and we kissed. There were actual fireworks and everything.
And now I’m home, lying on my bed even though I might as well be floating. I’m still fully dressed, and my phone is on my stomach where I dropped it after texting Flyn that I got home okay.
It’s like I don’t want this day to end. If I don’t get ready for bed, if I don’t go to sleep, then this day will last forever. The day Flyn kissed me.
Stuff like this doesn’t happen to me. It just doesn’t. I can’t believe this is real.
A heavy sigh escapes me and echoes around my empty room. Who am I kidding? This isn’t real. Flyn kissed a human, the weird boy he used to work with. The boy who disappeared. The one he thinks is an assassin or something.
He didn’t kiss a half-fey. He didn’t kiss a former sex slave. He didn’t kiss the man who nearly destroyed the world.
Flyn did not kissme.
He brushed lips with shadows and half-truths and if he ever discovers the truth, he’ll be horrified.
It’s wrong of me to lie to him. It’s selfish and immoral.
But fuck does it feel good. It is so nice to be noticed, to be seen. To be wanted. And sure, I know he is drawn to my physical appearance. I’ve seen the look in his eyes, because I’m not blind.But it feels like so much more than that. He likes me. Notme, obviously, just the glimmers he is allowed to see.
And maybe that’s enough. Maybe I can allow myself to enjoy it. At least for a little while. Sips of water after being lost in the desert. It’s far better than nothing. Or is it? Is it actually a taunt and a tease?
I put a pillow over my face and scream silently into it. Then I remove the pillow and take a deep breath. Okay, sleep. I do not want to lie here all night spiraling and angsting.
Everything always seems clearer in the morning light. A little more hopeful.
With one last sigh, I heave myself out of bed and head for my bathroom to get ready for sleep. Hopefully, my dreams will be pleasant. Hopefully, they will be about Flyn.
Iquickly hide my yawn behind my hand. The steaming coffee mug in front of me hasn’t had a chance to do its thing. The morning light streaming through the dining room windows is bright, and the room is filling with people as everyone gathers for this family meeting Pink has suddenly called.
I’m not awake enough for this. Tendrils of dreams are still clinging to me. I’d rather be thinking about Flyn than focussing on whatever this is.
Just as that thought crosses my mind, Ned and Morgan walk in. I quickly snatch my gaze away and hide my shudder of unease. One day I won’t wilt in Ned’s presence, but today is not that day.
Blearily, I look around. Everyone is here now. All the former harem members. And their assorted mates, husbands and boyfriends. Apart from me. I’m the only one sitting here alone.
Red and his boyfriend, Brodie. Lello and his mate, Carter. Gray and his mate, Mal. Ned and his boyfriend, Morgan. Pink and hishusband, Monty. And me, sitting here alone like a dumbass. The odd one out. The loser.
“Thanks for coming, everyone,” says Pink.
The low hum of chatter immediately stops. All eyes turn to my best friend.
He clears his throat a little awkwardly. “When we moved into this house, there were only eight of us.”
Yep. The seven harem boys and Brodie. The healer slash secret agent who helped get us out.
My gaze wanders around the crowded room. The sounds of Ned and Morgan’s three kids playing drift in from the living room.
Everything has changed. Everyone apart from me.
“It’s become a bit of a squash and a squeeze,” says Pink.
