“Eris. It’s me,” he announces. There’s a soft grunt and a throat being cleared. “It’s Jace. Open the door. Please.”
I smile at the tenderness in his voice, but quickly mask my amusement as I rise and turn the doorknob in one smooth motion. It isn’t locked; they didn’t even check… Were they going to wait until I let them in?
Jace fills the doorway, his broad chest heaving, and his jaw clenched. I recognize the murder simmering in his eyes. His knuckles drip red. There’s drywall debris on his shoulders, and I think I can safely assume he’s the culprit behind whatever damage is beyond my view.
I won’t fault him for it… but I might have some retroactive anger if they left Daniel alive inside my apartment.
I need him dead.
I glance behind Jace and narrow my eyes. Silas and Kieran stand flanking him like dark centennials, furious silhouettes vibrating with the need to do more damage.
No one speaks for a hot, awkward minute.
I don’t even know what to say…
The past few weeks form a maddening collage in my mind as I reanalyze every conversation we’ve ever had. Every shared moment. Every touch.
Jace’s gaze sweeps over me, looking for any outward sign of injury. I snap my attention to him, biting my tongue so I don’t explode.
They don’t deserve the amount of anger I currently have simmering in my blood.
“Are you hurt?” Jace asks me, his eyes imploring me to be honest.
“No.” I shake my head. “Not physically.”
Silas’s eyes drop to the gun in my hand. His mouth twitches in approval, but not surprise… That smirk is suspicious. Isn’t this one of those situations where—never mind. I can’t even finish that sentence.
There is no situation like this…
Ever.
“She didn’t run,” Silas murmurs to Kieran.
“I didn’t have to,” I say, with a little more sass in my tone than I intend to use. “Why would I run? This is my home.”
No one answers me.
Kieran steps closer, voice low. “Are you okay?”
“No, but I’ll be fine.”
That’s a lie.
Something is alive under my skin, electric and burning. Eating me from the inside out.
And it has nothing to do with Daniel or my current circumstances.
It has everything to do with them.
My HimLock guys… who have a metric fuck-load of shit to explain.
But I’ll give them a pass until I have a fresh mind to process their answers.
They came for me. That’s still kind of blowing my mind because it almost sounds like they were coming here before Daniel showed up.
I won’t read too much into it right now.
I slide the safety into place and extend the gun as something like a peace offering, showing them I’m not a dangerously wounded animal who might shoot.
