“Shut up, Luc. You know you liked it.”
“Barely tolerable. I literally escaped your clutches at the first opportunity.”
“Methinks thou dost protest too much.”
Merri groaned in annoyance and tossed a pillow at my head. “Methinks thou both should be quiet.”
“Want me to shut them up, Red? I know a surefire way.”
“I can simply murder the lot of you and keep her to myself,” Grim offered.
“Can’t die, remember?” Sin chirped.
“More’s the pity, or you would have been dealt with centuries ago,” Malice snarked, his arm tossed over his face on the far side of the bed.
“I have an entire prison at my disposal,” I chimed in. “I can lock them up and throw away the key, darling.”
“Maybe I need my own room after this is all over,” Merri teased. “Then I don’t have to listen to any of your alpha-male posturing.”
There was no denying the happiness radiating from her. True. Pure. Honest.
Our bickering wasn’t tied to animosity any longer. We were a unit, and no matter what happened, the five of us would continue to ensure our mate continued feeling that way.
Assuming we survived that is.
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
MERRI
My hair glistened as I pulled a brush through the red strands, the light reflecting off my locks causing a glossy sheen I only ever saw when I was fully fed. Topped off, one might call it. There really was no reason for me to ever go without feeling like this. I had five mates at the ready to keep me at full power, no matter the circumstances. Why did I ever think depriving myself was a good choice?
Because you felt selfish? Or worse, like you might kill them?
I paused my brushing with a frown, unable to tell if my inner voice was trying to give me much-needed grace or make me feel stupid.
Sometimes it was hard to tell.
Maybe that was why I started replacing my bitchy internal self with Andi’s much more supportive voice?
Fuck, I needed therapy. Clearly, I was damaged in more ways than I could ever deal with. But honestly, who among us? If I’d learned anything in my cam girl days, it was that no one escaped this life without some kind of trauma. We were all just doing the best we could with the hand we were dealt.
A soft knock on the bathroom door pulled me from my thoughts. “I’ll be right out,” I called, thinking it was one of the guys.
Instead, Lilith’s voice floated from under the door. “There’s been a development, pet. If you’re not already, I suggest you dress for a trip to the surface.”
Well, shit. That was unexpected.
“All right. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I glanced at myself in the mirror. A crop top and skirt weren’t exactly conflict appropriate.
By the time I changed into something more fitting for a fight, everyone else had already gathered in the common area. I strode in, anticipation singing in my blood. It was impossible to know what to expect, but Lilith wouldn’t have come to get me if it wasn’t serious.
“What’s going on?” I asked, sidling up to Chaos.
“A new hellmouth opened up on the island of Hawai‘i.”
That wasn’t exactly life-altering news. Hellmouths had been popping up all over for months now.
