“Let’s just say I’m curious.”
August looks back at me merely seconds later. “When I unfroze Aspen, it unfroze Ellison too.”
“It gains us nothing. None of this gains us anything,” Ellison says.
“You don’t know that,” I soothe him.
“I want to work on this some more, if it’s okay,” Nolan requests.
“Please, it’s more than I’ve ever gotten,” Ellison says, looking hopeful.
Aspen clings to me while Nolan concentrates and after about a minute, Aspen stands up.
“It’s taking too long to do anything,” Nolan complains.
“You were faster than the first time,” Landon says.
“Also… this just means I have to keep him distracted for one minute. I can distract someone for a minute. I am aphenomenaldistraction,” I assure Nolan.
“That’s true… as long as I’m feeling him, there’s hope.”
“I think this could actually work,” Ellison says, and I can see him feeling relief over this mess for the first time in days.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ELLISON
Everyone decides to crash at my place, even though I tell them that, besides Nolan, I want them far from me. Of course they don’t listen. They never do because they’re convinced they can help me and be here for me.
And here I am, just standing here staring at my suitcase some more as I question if I really should run. Though Nolan and I practiced for a significant amount of time, he could never get it under forty-five seconds. Of course, Asmodeus doesn’t seem concerned about that time at all, but a lot could happen in under a minute.
So I should just run… but why does running sound so fucking hard to do? For the first time in my life, I have people other than my illusions… this is what I’ve always wanted.
The door opens and Asmodeus steps in. He shuts the door behind him.
“I’ve tucked everyone in with their very own lucky dolls. The only one who complained is Nolan… I’m not quite sure why. Maybe he was just acting shy since it was his first lucky doll.”
He comes at me and slides his arms under mine and then picks me right off the ground. One hand grabs my ass and the other wraps around my back while he carries me over to the bed.
“Why?”
“I must tuck you in as well,” he says as he flops down on the bed with me in his arms. He tucks my head against his chest, refusing to let me remove it. “I like it when you motorboat me.”
“That’s not what’s happening here.”
“Are you sure? Because it could be.”
“Positive.”
“How disappointing.”
“You’ve been sleeping better?” I ask.
“I still have dreams of them… and sometimes when I let my mind wander, I can hear their hatred, but it’s been better because I know that when I wake up, I’m not going to be alone with my thoughts,” he says. “And I’m going to have my husband beside me.”
I wrap my arm around him and squeeze him. “I really think you skipped the dating manual and went straight to married life.”
“There’s a manual?” he asks. “I find it sexy that you read the manual.”
