So Anxo came up with a solution. Now she stands on his ridiculously expensive shoes while he leads them both with slow, limited movements. But he never complains… why would he when he gets to hold her that close?
Grace curls into me as we sway to the soft tune, smiling at each other and stealing kisses. When I hear the sound of my best friend laughing, truly laughing without a care in the world, it hits me deep in the chest. After a decade of nothing but pain and tears, we’re finally free.
We made it out.
We’re home.
26. The circle of idiots
Nevaeh
It’s been a week since Grace and Harvey’s wedding, and the newlyweds still haven’t left their room.
The last time I saw Harvey, he was twirling Grace in his arms before he picked her up bridal style and walked out of the ballroom. The hopelessly horny, loved-up pair locked themselves in their room that night and haven’t been seen since.
Diamond huffs, bored out of his mind, and my head bounces where it rests on his stomach. Technically, he’s Papa’s horse, but he lets me pester him because he loves me too much to say no.
When I first came to see Diamond, he kept his distance. It stung to think he’d forgotten the only little girl able to pet his grumpy ass. But by day three, I was done being treated like a stranger. So I took the risk of him headbutting me and reached out to touch him.
The horse leaned down, gave my hand a cautious sniff, and instantly recognized my scent. For hours, Diamond wouldn’t stop nuzzling my hands, begging for more pets. His craving for something familiar squeezed my heart.
It was painfully clear how much Diamond had suffered without the only two people who could touch him.
Most people either run away screaming or freeze in fear on the verge of passing out when they see Diamond. It’s not his fault the Fates chose him to be Death’s immortal horse.
Since every horse mirrors its rider, Diamond’s skin is paler than a ghost, and scorching fire erupts from his legs, tail, and wings. The fire makes it impossible for anyone withoutBlackburn blood or who isn’t mated to the Grim Reaper to get near him without blistering.
As a kid, it always bothered me that my horse was the only one who didn’t get pampered like the others. So once Diamond warmed up to me again, I spent days scrubbing his filthy coat and combing out his tangled mane.
The stable hands told me they hosed him down once a week, but that was all they could do without being able to touch him.
I still remember the angry tears dripping down as I groomed him for the first time. The poor thing hadn’t been properly cared for or shown any affection in almost three years.
As much as I miss him, I can’t forgive Papa for leaving Diamond like this. I get that he wasn’t in his right mind, but that doesn’t excuse abandoning the horse that never left his side. I think Diamond and I will be holding that grudge for a long time.
My grumpy horse huffs again, signaling me to get off his stomach. He acts like he only tolerates my clingy ass and constant blabbering, but IknowDiamond loves my company. He’s just mad at me for leaving, but it’s not like I had a choice.
“The newlyweds are finally here,” Seiji calls from the training grounds.
I dust myself off and pat Diamond to let him know I’m heading for training. He always acts like I’m disrupting his peace, but I don’t miss those little whines when I walk away.
After the Deviants attacked us in the human realm and we miserably failed to fight as a team—mostly because of me—it became clear that we needed to work on our team dynamic.
The morning after the wedding, Angel dragged us out of the comfort of our beds to whip us into a real team. It’s been a grueling week of sharpening our skills and waiting for the whole team to finally get together so we can move on to team-building exercises.
Every time I practice releasing my Divine, Angel sticks close by. It’s been… difficult. My Divine doesn’t appreciate me trying totake control after all these years. But now that it’s stronger, I can’t afford to let it keep running wild.
It needs discipline, even if it means it tries to burn my organs from the inside every time I push back.
While we’re out here sweating and covered in dirt, Harvey thinks the only workout he and his wife need is the kind that happens in bed.
The second we see the couple walking hand in hand toward the field, Seiji and I start hollering and throwing out dirty jokes. Grace hides her face in her mate’s chest while Harvey seriously considers strangling us to death.
Thankfully, I have Angel on my side to redirect Harvey’s pent-up aggression somewhere more productive.
And just like that, it was time to sweat like pigs again…for them.
I stuff a handful of spicy Cheetos into my mouth as I watch Harvey jot notes between rounds of pummeling the poor training dummies into the ground. You’d think a week in bed with his mate would mellow him out, but no, he’s pissed he had to leave his room at all.
