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“Do you want my honest answer?”
He grimaced. “Maybe not. We’ll get you sorted at the house. You’re okay with coming to my place for a bit?”
“I don’t really have anywhere else to go. I mean, I have my apartment, but after all that,” she fluttered a scraped hand in the direction of the distant harbor, “I don’t really have any desire to be alone right now.”
“Yeah, you and me both.” Now, it was his turn to study her as she stared into space. “You want to talk about what happened at the House of Blue?” Considering how quickly she’d fled that place, something extreme must have happened.
But Shay said, “Not unless you want to talk about what happened at the House of Black.”
Even just the thought of his dad made him twist the wheel in a crushing grip. “Maybe another time.”
Silence returned. And then Shay whispered, “I’m glad you came for me.” It was better than a thank-you from this stubborn, spitfire girl, and he took it gladly.
And even though it wasn’t a thank-you, he still said, “You’re welcome.”
By the time Shay limped into Roman’s house, her head felt light as a feather, her vision speckled with stars. She was too short to comfortably sling her arm across his shoulder, so she had to grip him by the waist instead. His arm was wrapped snugly around her waist too; had she been in less pain, she might have swooned over the simple gesture.
“You should just leave me here and bring me a towel or something,” she said as they shuffled away from the garage. Darien had entered the house before them. “I’m going to bleed all over the place.”
“You think I’m worried about that?”
She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, but he was purposely staring straight ahead. He still looked slightly dazed, blood all over the side of his face and neck.
It felt like it took forever to get to the living room, and when they did, Shay was taken aback by how many unfamiliar faces were waiting for them.
Three more Devils, not including Darien; a Shadowmaster who Shay recognized was Kylar Lavin; two boys who looked to be about twelve; a female hellseher in her late thirties.
And…a human girl. Shay’s age, by the looks of her. She had blue eyes, bright blonde hair that was waist-long and thick, and very soft, feminine facial features.
She was absolutely beautiful—an exquisite planet Darien orbited around. They were polar opposites, and he stood slightly in front of her like a bodyguard. After what Shay had witnessed of Darien at the harbor, it made her pity whoever might be stupid enough to get too close to this girl.
The female hellseher in her late thirties rushed forward. “How bad is it?” Her attention flicked between Shay’s face and her bad leg.
Roman said, “Needs stitches, definitely.”
“There’s a bathroom just down the hall,” the woman said as she took Roman’s place, sliding her arm under Shay’s. “I’m Joyce—I’m a doctor from Angelthene. I can fix you up in no time.”
“Thank you,” Shay breathed, wincing as she pivoted toward the bathroom. With one last glance at Roman, who stepped toward her as if to follow, she limped down the hallway. Leaving bloody footprints everywhere, just like she’d feared.
Roman had just turned around to face the group of people in his living room when Paxton rushed forward and collided with him.
“I was so scared for you,” Paxton whispered into his shirt, his thin arms squeezing Roman tight.
Roman hugged him back. He’d missed Paxton way more than he’d realized. “Scared? For me? I’m insulted.”
Pax peeked up at him with shining eyes. “Did you see Dad?”
“We’ll talk about that later.” He unwound his arms from around his brother and gestured to the living room. “Let’s go sit down, my body’s killing me.”
The others were standing—all except Eugene and Ivy. Roman had never been bothered by the weight of being stared at, but he found that it bothered him tonight. He could sense that his family had a lot to tell him—and he’d be willing to guess that at least some of it had to do with the blonde human in the group. Darien seemed stuck to her as though they were magnets, constantly positioning himself around her as if he were ready to destroy someone if they breathed in her general direction.
Roman hadn’t been around these two for more than a few minutes, but he found it obvious. Maybe it was because he’d never seen his cousin act this way with anyone—ever. It was…weird. Darien, in a sense, had always been a lone wolf like Roman. Clearly, a lot had changed—and so had Darien.
“I get the feeling I’m about to be bombarded with a shitload of information,” Roman said as he moved toward the couch, Paxton shadowing him. He eased himself down slowly, and Paxton sat beside him.
Ivy said, “We’ll try not to overwhelm you, but…” She glanced at Darien. “It might be a challenge.” She offered Roman a warm smile. “It’s nice to see you, cous.”
“Likewise.” He glanced at Tanner and Jack, and gave them each a nod. “Atlas. Jack.”
