“Thetattoos!”
“I’m thinking of asking Khatri to stay with August. I don’t trust anyone—” Seiji cuts me off like he’s been doing all this time.
“Grey fucking eyes!”
“SHUT UP, SEIJI!” everyone roars in sync, frustrated by his constant wailing.
“You don’t understand! He looks likethatand hastattoos, and OH MY FATES!!” he continues screeching about how unfair life is.
I don’t understand why Seiji is going off the rails. I get that my best friend is somewhat good-looking, but I don’t think it’s enough to make a man completely lose his shit.
“Fucktard does thisEvery. Single. Time,he finds someone attractive, and they’re not gay or his mate. Suddenly it’s the end of the fucking world for him.” Hazel ignores Seiji’s meltdown and tosses another grape in the air before catching it with her mouth.
“Oh, mama, I’m in love with a criminal…”
Princess is now staring out the window and singing his poor heart out like he’s in a breakup music video.
It’s always too dramatic with Seiji.
Angel bangs his head on the table, grumbling that his friend needs to find his mate soon. Swatting the back of his head, I warn Angel to stop and rub the slightly red skin on his forehead.
“You guys are so cute,” Grace sighs dreamily, shifting her head to rest on Hazel’s shoulder, but thankfully, realizes it at the last second who is next to her and retreats.
“It’s disgusting, and I want you both to die,” more words Hazel says but doesn’t mean.
“Thank you for the kind words, Hazel. Now, let’s get dressed and ready to go. It’s a long drive, and I don’t want to miss Harvey’s schedule.”
Yeah… we found Harvey. Khatri barged in this morning with pictures of my best friend exiting a ghoul club an hour and a half away. The Warriorhead is certain Harvey visits the club every two days at the same time to ask around for information on the coven.
In the last few weeks, the absence of information on Harvey was starting to weigh heavy on my chest. I was slowly slipping from my present to darker times. To help me escape my head, the group made it their mission to keep me occupied with different activities and made sure Angel was always within reach in case I broke apart.
I remember how their worry and concern initially confused me and made me suspicious, but it didn’t take them long to show me that that’s what families do.
Stick around and lift each other.
In my two months living with them, they’ve managed to get under my skin. I don’t know when, but they’ve become my safety net. And to think, there was a time I was hesitant to call them friends.
“Another Horsemen…jolly,” Hazel squints at his picture as if trying to dig out his deepest, darkest secrets.
From what I see in the photos, Harvey has changed a lot physically. Now he looks like a wall of muscles with those broad shoulders and biceps three times what they used to be. The permanent bags under his eyes that I’m so used to are nowhere to be seen. He lookshealthy. I’m so glad he left the bruised and unhappy boy in that cell.
Once the last detail is hashed out, Grace grabs my hand and orders Hazel to follow. When the tiny Bookkeeper declares that she will be dressing us up tonight, both Hazel and I exchange a wide- eyed panicked look over her head.
According to Grace, we don’t know what dressing fancy means, andsheis the only one who can save us from ourselves. Istill don’t understand what’s wrong with me wearing my mate’s hoodie. His soothing scent keeps me from gutting people.
I’ve been silently sitting on this chair for the last twenty minutes, and every time I gather the strength to open my mouth, Grace shoots me a challenging look that has me backing down. I don’t think I’m supposed to piss off someone poking my face with sticks and brushes.
Grace might look harmless and delicate, but she has a mean streak of a fiery black woman. I didn’t know someone as sweet could be so damn scary.
Ruffling through her closet, Grace pulls out three dress bags, and Hazel decides this is the hill she wants to die on by immediately protesting.
“If you put me in a dress, I’m not above stabbing you.”
With hands on her hips, Grace asks, “Why are you against dresses again?”
“Where do I start? Oh, I know—they’re impractical. How the fuck am I supposed to kick someone without worrying about flashing my underwear?”
“Why do you think you’ll have to kick someone?”
