“Hey, Vada. What’s going on?” I answered as I set the oven timer.
“Sorry to call you so late. I just wanted to check in on you and see how you’re doing. I know the last few days have been rough.” I wasn’t sure what it was about her voice, but my shoulders lowered as she spoke, and I smiled to myself.
My stomach did a little flutter, betraying what my thoughts were trying their damnedest to avoid. “Thank you for checking on me. I’m good, just stressed out. How are you handling things, new role and all?”
She sighed, “I really hoped that this wouldn’t happen. I came here to rest and learn who I am. Instead, I’m thrust into aposition I wasn’t prepared for. I don’t know anything about thePax,really.”
“I totally understand. Would you like some material to study? You’re welcome to swing by if you’d like. I’m just planning on reading until I pass out anyway.” I sat down on the couch, closing my eyes at the delight of my spine decompressing.
She paused for a minute. “Only if it’s no hassle. Are you sure?”
I laughed, thinking about how similarly our minds worked. “No, you’re more than welcome over. I just put pizza in the oven. If you leave now, you should get here right around the time that it’s ready.”
Throwing on some sweatpants and a racerback shirt after a quick shower, my shadows alerted me to someone pulling up in front of the house. The timer went off right around the same time. I rushed to the oven and pulled the pizza out, setting it on top of the stove before running back to the door to let Vada in.
I answered the door a little out of breath. Was it anticipation? Anxiety about being alone again with Vada? I honestly didn’t know. I felt like I was in my early twenties again, and I wasn’t too sure if I liked that. I just told her the other day that I wanted to take this slow, but my body was going to give me away.
Fuck, she was beautiful. She was dressed down in a similar fashion to me. She wore black leggings and a gray hoodie, long dark brown hair back in a loose messy bun on top of her head. It was obvious from her appearance that she wasn’t really expecting to go out either.Perfect. She’s fucking perfect.
I smiled while also trying to remain nonchalant. “Hey, come on in. I’m just getting ready to slice the pizza.”
She smiled back, eyebrows raised at the change from theoutside of the house to the inside. “Wow, I expected your place to be small.”
“Yeah, everyone does. I think a lot of people forget that I have illusion magic on top of the shadows. I mostly use it for decorating purposes nowadays,” I said, laughing as Vada followed me to the kitchen.
I got the pizza cut and handed over a plate to Vada. “I hope you like Buffalo chicken pizza. The cheese on this pizza is a St. Louis classic called Provel. It’s made from Swiss, provolone, cheddar, and I think liquid smoke? Some people love it; most people despise it. It’s probably obvious which camp I’m in.”
She took a bite, chewing as if she didn’t want to be rude, but hated it nonetheless. “It’s like creamy plastic.”
I threw my head back and cackled. “Alright, so you’re in theloathecamp. I get it.”
I got up to grab another slice for myself and asked her if she’d like something else. She declined, but took another bite of the pizza, grimacing.
“It kind of grows on you, I guess,” she said, and I chuckled. At least she was adventurous.
“Hey, I warned you it’s not for everyone.” I took another large bite, trying to think of something else to say. Instead, there was a bit of awkward silence between us, as if we were both unsure how to proceed.
Once we finished eating, we made our way to my living room again. I watched Vada as she took in my space. She was standing next to my bookshelves, a smirk on her face as she scanned the titles in the fantasy romance section of my library. I’d taken to filling my shelves with books I’d read, and they were usually only special edition copies. It might’ve been a little vain, but I enjoyed the aesthetic. It appeared Vada did, too.
I picked up my e-reader, flipping to the next book in the monster series I was reading. Vada moved over to the section onthe living history of thePaxand grabbed a few texts. I sat myself on the smaller loveseat with a fluffy blanket, then set my cup of coffee on the side table next to me. Vada sat down next to me on the other side as I was resting my back against the armrest, putting my feet on the cushion to get comfortable.
“Which texts will you be studying first?” I asked her, waiting for my e-reader to wake up so I could start reading.
“I figured I would start with theCatervae Paxcharter, then move on to the history of each faction, starting with the Demons. This might help me understand where we can begin figuring out the culprits,” she said. The stress lines in her face were evident from the last few days. We were all running ragged, but part of me wanted to soothe that stress from her, even being just as stressed as she was.
“Yeah, that’s good thinking. Are you sure you don’t want to rest and read something else for the night? You’ve been working just as hard as anyone else has the last few days,” I said, accidentally knocking my foot against her hip. I quickly pulled my foot back, wrapping my arms around my legs.
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m sure. If I’m going to lead the Demon Faction, I have to work twice as hard to catch up.” She cracked open the spine of the book in her hand. “Go ahead and read your book, sweet girl. I’ll interrupt you if I have any questions.”
We fell into a comfortable silence at the confirmation that we both had other things to focus on. I offered to share my blanket with Vada, and she accepted. While she was pulling it onto her lap, she also adjusted herself to put her feet up on the couch. Our legs were touching, almost intertwined, yet neither of us mentioned it. It was natural to just sit in the quiet now and be in each other’s presence. I’d never been comfortable so quickly with anyone else, and I wondered if Fate had a role in this, or if Fate only stepped in to force us to meet as we had.
I thought of the elevator ride the other day, her hands on my waist, whispering into my ear. I shuddered, pretending to read my book, but I was watching her. I was watching the cute little scrunch between her eyebrows as she read through the book, her concentration making it seem as if she didn’t want to miss a single detail. I admired her dedication. The last few days had proven that she was a detail-oriented person. I appreciated that about her, because I could tell she was the opposite of me. She was meticulous, where I was more of a big picture sort of person.
I was enraptured, getting turned on about the idea that she put so much time and effort into everything she did. Her words were intentional. Her actions were calculated, which solidified that she was a force to be reckoned with. I’d never met someone like her, and it was distracting. From the rumors I’d heard circulating thePax, she had jumped in, meeting her faction members, learning their histories, and finding ways to make small adjustments in just a few days. The entire faction was infatuated with her, and I’d not heard a single peep about her powers. Hell,Iwas infatuated with her, and I couldn’t figure out what it was about her presence that felt like home.
I forced myself to start reading my book, taking a few minutes to really get into it. I was already turned on and hyper-aware of Vada’s presence, but I was getting to a spicy scene in my book, too. It was making me squirm, and my legs rubbed up against hers. Vada took a deep breath, I assumed to scent my arousal, and looked up from her book as I was sneaking another glance at her. Her pupils were blown. I couldn’t move my eyes from hers. My heart gave a hard thump in my chest as I tried to keep my breathing slow and even. I clenched my thighs together, realizing too late that reading a spicy book in front of her was the worst idea.
“What are you reading over there that has you squirming,Adaela?” she said with a glint in her eye and a sexy-as-fuck smirk on her lips.
