The man has been through it. Whateveritis, I don’t have any reason right now to add to it.
My Valtrue stands in a straight line, tense from head to toe, and I muster up what I can of a smile.
“See you at home?” It was supposed to be a statement, but the uncertainty, plus the raspiness in my voice, makes that unclear.
“Fucking better. Don’t make us hunt you down again.”
“I won’t, my little psycho.”
His devious smile is the last thing I see as V morphs into nothing but a ball of light. It grows larger by the second and soon enough it, he—I don’t know—expands until Yemi, Sevryn, and I are completely covered.
A warm sensation spreads through every inch of me, cocooning me in safety, but it comes and goes just as fast as the sigh it pulled from my chest. My eyes readjust and I slump as our house is the first thing I see.
Yemi’s gasp has me whipping my head over to her, though, and my jaw drops.
Fuck. Her house has changed. Again.
The color is the same, but it’s definitely bigger. There’s a new window on the opposite end of the house and it’s lacking a flower box like the original one out front.
“You all don’t possibly live here,” Sevryn says.
“Uh, no. This is the guys’ and my house,” I say, pointing. “That’s…”
“That’s my, well, our house.”
“Our house?” he asks.
I spin around, sensing them before they even make a sound. Kyzen, Amick, and Riven stare at me, and my body heats with worry.
“Where is—”
Creed appears first and a millisecond later, Jay pops up beside him. Her face blanches as she takes in the sight of Yemi, Sevryn, and me.
“What you see here, Jay, needs to be kept secret. Is that clear?” Creed’s dark tone has her shoulders bunching and I scowl at him.
“Of course,” she says, stepping closer to me and giving V the quickest of glances. Her throat bobs as she lays a hand on my arm.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be.”
She gives me a tight smile. “The bruises are the same as any other. A day, maybe more, to fade.”
The desire to place my hand on my neck is strong, but I refuse. I just give her a single nod.
Adrenaline had been sparing me the true realization of the soreness, and now I’d like to hang onto the blissful ignorance by soaking in her wonderful power.
Everyone stays silent as she finishes me up—unorgasmic—moves to Yemi, then nervously to Sevryn. He attempted to refuse, but the quiet, soft, “Let her,” from Yemi had him giving in.
The three of us release a collective breath when she starshoots away, and I go to ask what now, but Amick beats me to saying anything.
“To answer your question a moment ago, Valtrues live together in the Godsdawn. Yemi, do you feel comfortable getting him situated on your own or would you like one of us present?”
She gives him a small smile. “I’ll be fine on my own. Thank you, Amick.”
“Very well. Take some time to do that, then we will all get together to talk—”
“Tomorrow. Take the rest of the afternoon to do whatever you want and need. If you want to come over today, you’re more than welcome, but you definitely don’t have to,” Kyzen cuts in, glaring at Amick before smiling at her.
