There’s a tuft of brown hair in the corner of my eye, and I glance over to find Isaac crouching beside us.
He ruffles my hair instead of helping me escape the others. “Missed you, nerd.”
“Oh my god, stop being so standoffish!” Sarah exclaims, and lets me go just long enough to pull Isaac into the dog pile.
I can’t breathe. There’s an elbow in my sternum. And for the first time since Need showed up in my apartment, it feels like the world is tilting back into balance.
“I missed you guys so much! I’m so sorry I got you into this mess, but I’m so happy you’re here!” I hug them back, rejoicing that my people are back with me.
They’re safe.
Finally, we start to untangle, and I work to choke back my sobs.
Sarah helps me up, and Conner nudges me. “See, I knew you were too hot to be a mere human like the rest of us. Girl, you’re supernatural!” He says the last word like a catcall, and I look over his shoulder just in time to see Sin’s jaw tick.
Right, fresh mate bonds.
Before I have a chance to worry, Arianna snorts, “Give it a rest, would you?” She grins at me. “I apparated them in this morning. I figured you might need some backup to deal with whatever possessive mate bullshit Sin might be throwing around. He’s been insufferable, by the way.”
Sin is still staring daggers at where Conner’s shoulder is touching mine. I give him my most reassuring look, trying to help him feel more at ease.
“Conner flirts with everyone. I think it’s the only way he knows how to communicate.” I turn and give Conner a thankful smile. “And by the way, you’re the only reason I’ve been able to handle being around so much testosterone. So, thank you for desensitizing me to male attention.”
I’m not sure he hears a word I say, since he’s already making his way around the table. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s forgotten about my existence.
His eyes are fully focused on Arianna, and if he were a cartoon, I’d expect to see big pink hearts over his eyes.
“See, Ari? My godly manhood is contagious. I’ll grow on you.” He tries to put his arm around her, only to scream when he finds himself hogtied by shadowy ropes.
“Boundaries!” Sarah yells, shaking her head like this is nothing new.
Arianna gives Sarah a sweet smile before turning back to Conner. “You’re funny, Conner. I like that about you. But you’d probably lose some of that charisma if I had to feed you your own hands.”
She sounds giddy and delighted as she says it, but a knot forms in my stomach when I see the small pools of darkness forming under her feet.
She’s rattled.
“So, it would probably be best if you kept your hands to yourself,” she finishes, and then drops Conner on his head.
“Just keep thinking about tying me up and putting things in my mouth, sweet Shadow Mommy,” Conner chokes from the ground.
Settling back beside Sin, I wait until the others have coffee before I ask, “Not to sound anything other than happy to see you guys, but what are you doing here? Isn’t it safer in the Shadow Realm?”
Sarah scoffs, “And be left out of the fight? I don’t think so. We’ve been training with Magnus. You’re not alone in this. We’re going to fight beside you, Vivi.”
My jaw drops, both terrified and moved by the bravery of my friends. “I… thank you. That really means a lot. But I don’t want you guys on a battlefield full of immortals. If you want to help, we could use extra hands in the medical bay,” I offer, hoping they aren’t too upset by my refusal.
“Woo! Nurse Conner is in the house!” Conner exclaims, winking at Arianna. “Want to get me a sexy uniform, Shadow Mommy?”
Sarah and Conner start bickering again, and even Magnus and Arianna jump in, evidently already at ease with each other.
Sin leans in closer to whisper in my ear, “See, kitten? We’re all ready to make sacrifices for you. You just need to let us.”
His words land somewhere deep within me, in a place that feels uncomfortable. I’m looking for something to say that will deflect his attention away when there’s a loud boom.
The door explodes.
Chapter 40
