I only catch the briefest glimpse of his wicked smirk before his grip around me tightens, and the ground beneath our feet disappears.
Chapter 45
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule forty-five:Always be willing to give your life for your friends – but not your cupcakes. That’s just ludicrous.
Sin is a terrifying, all-powerful creature, but he has nothing on the violence that radiates from the three women blocking our bedroom door.
After apparating back to the Otherworld, we briefly stopped by headquarters to organize a watch outside the Rusty Dagger. Arianna happened to pop in while Sin and Morgana were having a tense discussion.
That was all the time I needed to send out a bestie SOS.
Sin and I are just returning to our room when we find Arianna standing guard, framed by Sarah and Rosie. The latter still isn’t looking too good, but shelooks fierce as she crosses her arms, mirroring Arianna’s aggression.
Sarah is holding onto a pink cardboard box as if it contains the meaning of life. Rosie has a garment bag, and Arianna has a satchel slung over her shoulder.
They are absolute heroes.
Sin’s brow arches, and I explain, “They’re here to help me get ready.” When he still doesn’t react, I embellish, “Without you.”
He stiffens, and something that looks like fear flashes in his eyes.
“We need a testosterone time-out,” Arianna quips.
“It’s girl time,” Sarah adds, cheering.
“She’ll be safe with us,” Rosie adds softly, and Sin’s eye twitches in response.
Guilt splinters into my heart, and I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not leaving the room. I know you’re not ready to let me go, and I’m not asking you to. But I do want to hang out with my friends. I missed them, too.”
Conflicted gray eyes search mine. His need to keep me safe and his need to keep me happy are directly at odds with each other.
“We weren’t asking,” Arianna all but growls, and small tendrils of darkness creep through the hallway.
Sin ignores her.
I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing at her sass, and Sin’s focus snaps to my mouth.
His eyes flare before he reluctantly steps back. “I’ll be outside the room.”
The moment the door shuts behind us, Arianna casts a silencing shield. “There, now he won’t eavesdrop.”She bounds toward the bed but stops short. “Wait – did you guys change the sheets? I donotwant–”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I force a small laugh. “No, but also, we haven’t really… you know. That’s part of why I want to talk to you guys.”
Unbothered, Sarah hops onto the bed and sets the box down in the center. My mouth waters when she opens it. It’s filled with delicious-looking cupcakes.
An infectious, conspiratorial grin breaks across her face. “I had to fight off Conner and Isaac to get these. Also, Conner says he’s hurt that he can’t join girl talk. He thinks the fact that women love him and he loves women qualifies him for the hangout,” she finishes with a laugh.
My answering giggle is genuine, and I get more comfortable, resting back on my hands. “What are they up to?”
Sarah’s grin turns devilish. “They’re having dinner with Dr. Parnard. He’s actually a fun guy when you get him out of the classroom and into a new realm. I cannot believe you had him kidnapped. Was he about to fail you or something?”
Before I can worry whether she’s upset over what I did, she picks up a cupcake, waving it at me as she adds, “I always knew the introverts were the wild ones.”
Arianna settles in front of me, and Rosie joins us after hanging the garment bag on the edge of the wardrobe. They immediately reach for cupcakes and then give me expectant looks.
“First,” my brow pinches as I turn to Rosie, “what’s going on with you? This is beyond missing Irena.”
