I shake my head with a smile. “He makes me happy. More than I ever imagined.”
“Good. Now stop frowning and come inside.” With that, Nevaeh turns on her heels, and I have no choice but to follow.
A buzz of different conversations overlaps as we walk in, but Seiji’s voice cuts through everything. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I almost miss dealing with Visha.”
Everyone stares at him like he’s lost it, but he throws his hands up.
“Hear me out! At least she was straightforward. Hated Nevaeh, attached directly. Tiberius makes her look pathetic. She was like the first villain in a series. You just know it gets worse from there.”
I sigh as I drop into the empty chair beside my mate. “I hate to admit it, but I agree with him.”
I raise a brow at him when Seiji holds out his fist expectantly.
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head.
“What? You hugged August, we saw you dancing with Dean… andkissinghim. So what, you won’t fist bump me because I’m not adorable like the kid or hot like your mate?”
How is that even a question? “Yes.”
“Wow. Just stab me in the heart, why don’t you?”
A grin breaks across my face, and Seiji’s shoulders drop in relief.
I knew the idiot was trying to make me smile.
Once everyone gathers in the living room, I ask how Tiberius got in. Harvey explains they found a small, almost invisible crack in the portal, enough for his essence to slip through and get into our heads.
Jackson leans back with a grimace. “We’ve seen what Hazel can do, but he feels worse.”
Seiji scoffs. “I disagree. Hazel is way scarier.”
That might be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said about me.
I want to break this awkward barrier I’ve created between us, and now, thanks to Seiji, I have the perfect excuse. I take a deep breath, and before I can talk myself out of it, I hold my fist out toward him.
His eyes widen, but he quickly catches on, then gently—almost cautiously—bumps his knuckles against mine.
That was the lamest fist bump ever.
I hear a sniff, and when I look at him, he’s wiping under his eyes. “I knew you loved me!”
Oh no.
Then another fist appears in front of my face. Harvey is looking at me wide-eyed, the picture of innocence as he waits for his turn.
“Seriously?”
“It’s your fault. You’ve been starving us of your affection.”
“Never say that again.” I still bump his fist, and he throws it in the air in victory.
I’m starting to understand why Anxo keeps saying he’s surrounded by idiots.
He’s not wrong.
Nevaeh clears her throat, pulling everyone’s attention back to the topic at hand. “I don’t remember the details, but I remember feeling like the portal was calling to me. I needed to cross it. It felt… desperate. Like everyone I loved was on the other side, and I had to reach them.”
“Maybe Tiberius was trying to lure you somewhere you’d be vulnerable and alone,” Grace mulls over.
