He exhales once, slow and resigned. “Alright,” he says. “So…what the fuck are we doing with him?”
I laugh again, breathless and incredulous, because of course, that’s the question.
9
AERI
“What the fuck do we do with him?” Kross asks as he crouches down next to Mark.
I stare at Mark.
Then at Kross.
Then at Kade.
“Well,” I say, glancing at the body and then back at them, “he’s definitely not walking out of here, and seeing as you two are professionals at this whole murder-adjacent thing, I’m gonna say that’s firmly not my fucking department.”
Kross lets out a sharp laugh, head tipping back like I just made his whole night. “I fucking like her.”
Kade doesn’t react. He’s already shifting gears, the way someone does when they’ve flipped from instinct to procedure. His eyes sweep the bathroom—mirror shards, smeared sinks, the floor that is very much not something I want to look at too closely, and then they come back to me.
“We’ve got this,” he says calmly. “You should get out of here. With him being your ex, the last thing we need is any of this circling back to you.”
I scoff. “What? I might not know how to dispose of a body, but I can still help. I mean, you guys did this for me.”
His expression doesn’t change. “This isn’t up for debate.”
Kross steps in closer, wings rustling as he moves, feathers still ruffled and uneven. “He’s right,” he adds lightly. “Besides, your friends are probably wondering where you disappeared to, and this bathroom’s about to get real boring, valentine. Trust me, you donotwant cleanup duty.”
I open my mouth to argue, because how do they expect me to just walk out of here knowing what they did for me, and just, act like none of it happened? Suddenly Kade’s hands are on my arms. Not gripping. Just firm before his thumbs press lightly like he’s checking I’m still real.
“You’re good, right?” he asks.
I consider the question.
My body still feels like it’s vibrating under my skin. My thighs ache. My nerves are fried in the best possible way. There’s blood on the tile behind me and the echo of something I absolutely cannot unpack right now.
“I mean,” I say slowly, “definegood.”
Kross grins. “She’s fucking glowing, bro.”
“Eat shit,” I mutter, even though my mouth betrays me by curling at the edges anyway, which makes Kross laugh.
“There she is.” He smirks, adjusting himself like my mouthy little comment got him hard all over again.
Kade’s gaze drops to my thigh, and it takes maybe half a second for Kross to notice too.
“You motherfucker,” Kross snaps instantly.
He shoves between us before Kade can react, dropping his height just enough to get a clear look. Kade stiffens, shoulders tightening.
“Now’s not the time,” Kade warns.
Kross ignores him. His jaw clenches, eyes dark, annoyed in a way that has nothing to do with pride. “You fucking marked her,” he says flatly.
I snort. “Should I be worried?”
Kross straightens and steps into my space, grin sharp but edged now—territorial. “Nah,” he says. “Just means he got there first.”
