And I hope Tatum is ok.
“He’ll be fine,” Ahren reassures me.
We fall silent, simply listening for anything that might disturb the silence. There’s no sign of animals or insects, well, none that I can hear. The only sound that can be heard is the soft snoring of three of the Westwood boys. As for the power in the ground beneath us, it still surges through me – it just feels different.
I’m almost drifting off when I hear someone move from behind us.
“I’ll take the next shift.” Theo’s voice, still thick with sleep, comes. I look over my shoulder at him just as he adjusts his pants that already reveal way too much of his Adonis belt.
I look away quickly, not even sure why I ended up looking where I shouldn’t when it comes to him. Men are hot… I mean, we’re shifters, and all werewolf men have these crazy abs and muscles, but there’s something about this idiot that distracts me just a little more.
Urgh, I hate him.
“You sure?” Ahren asks him.
“Yup, I got enough rest. Why the hell are you awake, Blondie? Bed not good enough for you?”
Guess not,I write, tossing my hair over my shoulder.
“Try sleeping,” Ahren advises, unfurling his wings as he stands up, turning to Theo, who has come over to us.
I nod.In a bit.I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them.I’d be happy to take over watch,I offer.
Theo grins, that skeletal mask turning into a wicked grin. It’s not really a mask, but what his face has morphed into. “Oh yeah? You lost your voice, remember? How do you plan to alert us?” he mocks.
I frown.Like this,I say, flicking my finger and sending an invisible needle straight at his stomach. He jerks back, massaging those annoying abs.
“The fuck you did! You’re a crazy woman!” he hisses.
Ahren chuckles. “You will learn to never challenge a witch.”
I nod in agreement. Watching in secret amusement as Ahren lies down before shifting onto his side. Clearly, those wings aren’t comfortable to sleep on. Unlike me, Theo doesn’t hide his snicker.
“Shut it!” Ares growls, his voice a low rumble as he turns over, trying to go back to sleep. He’s so grumpy. All five of the brothers are so different.
I cast a silencing spell so no one can hear the dummy. He seems to realise I cast a spell as he looks at me with those sharp eyes. “Now you want to silence me, too?”
Whatever. You know, I think I like the mask; this way I don’t need to see your annoying face,I write.
He grins again. “Well, I can agree with you there. I like it. It looks dangerous and pretty cool.”
If you say so.
“I do,” he replies as he sits down a few feet away from me, resting back on one elbow, one leg raised as he stares into the never-ending darkness. I glance at him; his scars are glowing. I wonder what they mean, or why they are glowing like that. “If you ask me, Blondie, you’re on edge. Why?”
I look over my shoulder at his face.I’m not,I write. His eyes burn into mine before he arches a brow.
“Whatever you say, Blondie.” He lies down fully, resting his head on his arms. Those huge biceps bulge as they flex. I turn away, not replying as a soft wind blows through my hair. “You’re not responsible for any of us here. We all came willingly of our own accord, so stop pinning all this shit on yourself. Relax, get some sleep and remember we’re doing this together. We’re all in this shit together. You don’t need to have the answer to everything.”
I stiffen, my heart betraying me for a couple of seconds before I rein it in. How- how did he even come up with that? I never let that on. I can contain my feelings!
He’s silent after that, and I take a few slow breaths, trying to steady my thoughts and my heart that won’t quite calm down.
‘I see you’.His words from the party flit through my mind again, uninvited. As much as I want to brush them off, I’m unable to ignore the rising curiosity within me. I force myself to turn, crossing my legs as I lean forward.
Tell me, how can someone so dumb be so observant?I write, the glowing words hanging between us.
Theo lets out a low, deep laugh, the sound lazy andinfuriatingly cocky like usual. “Who said I’m dumb? That’s just cruel, Blondie.”
