“Youshut the fuck up,” she gags, and I continue laughing, “I expected to come home to her still sound asleep, looking half dead and covered in blood.”
“This is a vast improvement, then,” I remind her. Anything is better than the defeated, half-lucid woman she was an hour ago.
With a nod, she relents.
As we lay out the things we brought for Bel, she admits, “I’ve never seen anything like that before. I mean… I’ve watched horror films, supernatural stuff, but nothing can prepare you for seeing your best friend covered in blood, screaming like a banshee.”
I start throwing together the ingredients for the spicy margarita Belissenda loved so much in Vegas, “It never gets easier.” I sigh, trying to busy myself for a distraction so I don’t have to think about the memories for too long, “I’ve seen people react that way to the horrors they’ve seen countless times. It’salwaysscarring. Though, admittedly, I’ve never seen anyone I care for so deeply that way. It’s debilitating. I’m helpless in a way I never thought I would be.”
“You both really love her?” she asks as I work.
I pause before I can answer, wanting to be as truthful as possible, “I wouldn’t throw around the L word so easily. I don’t know that I’m capable of such a thing, honestly. But I’d kill for her, topple governments, burn the whole world to the ground if she asked me to.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s love,” she laughs. “She deserves that. In fact, she deserves double that, so I guess having two of you is perfect.”
I smile to myself, having thought almost the same thing just earlier. I know that what Bel deserves is Caspian. He’ll lavish her with so much love she’ll never need anything else. But she’s stuck with both of us anyway because I’ll never let her go. But Isla doesn’t need to hear any of that, so I say nothing.
As it would appear the Bel and Caspian havefinished,I make my way up and knock on the door of the room they’re occupying, “Okay, lovebirds, we’ve got food and margs when you’re ready.”
Within a few minutes, they both toddle down the stairs, Caspian looking like the cat that ate the canary and Bel looking like a very happy canary who was just eaten to their heart’s content.
“Hi, Gorgeous,” I coo, wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her to plant a slew of sloppy kisses on her finally smiling mouth.
She forgets herself and our audience just for a moment, eyes closed in bliss as she kisses me back wholly. My stomach flips as she gifts me with just these few seconds of affection, arms hooked around my neck to steady herself.These are the first kisses I’ve had from her since Vegas.I just want to enjoy her for a few moments, pretend we’re somewhere else without all this pain weighing her down.
“Okay, Bel, please stop now. I’m going to puke,” Isla pleads with us. I break our kiss with a laugh, placing my blushing girl down on the ground. She instantly sprints to Isla and hugs her friend, needing all the comfort she can get from those around her.
“I’m so sorry I lied,” Bel confesses, clinging to Isla like her life depends on it.
“Oh, yeah, that. That sucked,” Isla admits, “but I get it. If you’d told me all of,” she gestures to where Caspian and I stand side by side, “that, I would have sent you straight to the psyche ward. Just no more secrets, okay?”
With a sigh of relief, Bel promises, “No more secrets.”
Isla grimaces, “In the spirit of full disclosure, there is something you should know.”Oh, fuck, what now?“According to Eamon, I’m from the demon hunters bloodline.”Oh. Right.
Bel’s brows pinch together in confusion, “How-”
“I guess he could tell just because they can’t, like, sense me or something,” she attempts to explain, though honestly, none of us have the information necessary to do so. That revelation just got lost in the fray.
“That is why it was always a surprise to me when Isla was around. I could not sense her comings and goings the way I can most others,” Caspian adds, walking toward the food to prepare Bel a plate of the curry we brought.
“I cannot sense her emotions, either,” I confess.
“Is that why you looked at her like she was an alien when you met?” Bel giggles, and I nod, cringing at the memory.
Caspian guides her with a hand to sit at her little kitchen table, placing her food in front of her. She thanks him, and he plants a kiss atop her head before grabbing her a drink, too. There are only two seats at her table, so I quickly steal the other to have a few moments with my girl.
Her eyes glitter as she looks at me, still red and swollen from all the tears she’s shed. She glances down at her bandaged hand, her expression dropping in defeat. Without drawing any attention to it, I scoot my chair closer and scoop a small spoonful of the fragrant dish into her mouth.
Caspian and Isla are talking about Eamon and the possibility of her reaching out to him to discuss what her bloodline means.Absolutely fucking notI overhear her scoff, though her increasing heart rate gives away how excited the possibility makes her.
Bel mouthsThank youto me between bites, using her unbound, less functional hand to lift her drink to her lips. I kiss her cheek in response before whispering, “Isla pointed a gun at Eamon.” Her big eyes go wide, unable to speak while she’s chewing, so I continue, “He looked ready to shove her to the floor and fuck her brains out right then and there.”
“Shut up,” she says finally, “Did he really? That dude is fucking massive!”
I nod excitedly, happy she’s talking about something other than the terror she’s been through today. I recount the entire exchange to her while she continues eating and drinking. I’m sure she could feed herself with her non-dominant hand, but I’d rather do it myself than watch her become frustrated with the struggle.
“Hey, is it alright if I stay the night?” Isla asks suddenly, “Or is it gonna be too crowded?”
