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I walk into the kitchen and find Murmur’s tail wrapped around Knots' body, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping him from defending himself. Knots' sword is against Murmur’s offending appendage.
“Try it, and let’s see if you can grow back your tail,” Knots hisses as he nicks the tail. His voice is deadly serious, and I find it so fucking hot that I shift slightly.
“Really?” Ryker whispers, but I ignore him.
Murmur’s eyes flash in my direction, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s relief when he catches my eyes. “Maybe you can talk some sense into him,” he says, unraveling his tail.
“Can you grow back your tail?” Lynx asks, popping the top off a drink. Like the others, he’s wearing dark jeans that hang off his hips and just a black t-shirt, and I’m jealous once again that someone else isn’t required to wear the attire I am. I shake my head as I peek down and see that he’s still barefoot.
I’m pretty sure he needs shoes at least.
“Can you grow back your tail in your animal form?” Murmur shoots back, giving Lynx a pointed glare.
“Don’t know.” He shrugs and chugs half his bottle. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he smiles. “But I would rather not find out.”
“Same.” He turns back and eyes Knots before bringing his attention to me and the guys.
“I can!” Moni announces as she comes from the pantry in the back with her hands full of wrappers. I have no idea what she has, but they are piled up underneath her chin.
“Ho—how do you know that?” I’m lost for words.
She dumps her loot on the countertop, and Chester starts throwing it into a bag as she turns to face me. “Oh, that’s easy. It was JP’s fault.”
We all turn to glare at him.
“Oh no! Don’t be throwing me under the portal. Look, it wasn’t my fault. Mom told me to catch the Gorat, so I set the traps,” he points out and glares back at Moni.
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to use my candy to do it. You know those ugly rat thingies love sweets, and El only gave me so many. She said they gave me hypertension,” she argues, placing her hands on her tiny hips.
JP pinches the bridge of his nose. “Moni. She said they made you hyper, which made her tense. Not hypertension,” he explains, shaking his head.
“Oh,” her shoulders slump slightly. “Well, the point is, I went to get my candy back but I wasn’t fast enough. One of the traps took my tail, but it grew back, better than ever.” Proudly, she lifts her tail up, showing it off.
Murmur clears his throat. “Okay then. Like I was saying, before you guys go, make sure you stop by the training room and grab weapons. Then come see us before you take off. We’ll be in the throne room. Lucifer is holding court for a few hours this morning. And you need to rest,” he throws back at Knots before walking out of the kitchen.
Knots scoffs before he turns and starts throwing a few bottles of water into a satchel that’s on the counter. I run my hand over his back before sitting on the counter to face him; the rest of the guys continue to pack around me.
“Are you okay?” I gently ask, staring at his expression as he shoves more items into his pack.
“I’m going,” he growls out.
“I didn’t say you weren’t. I asked if you’re okay, and don’t lie to me. I deserve better than that.” He pauses and sighs before slowly focusing on me.
“I’m frustrated. This is the first time that I can remember feeling such weakness, and I’m expected to sit on the sidelines.” His voice waivers slightly, and I scoot over closer and pull him between my legs. Knowing he needs more, I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him.
He wraps his arms around my shoulders, and I speak into his chest. “Knots, you’re not weak by any means. Your body is fighting the effects of Hell, and it’s pretty fucking amazing that you’re even standing here and fighting to come with us.” I feel the small tremors in his body, but I keep quiet as he hugs me back.
“I’m a protector, Rez. It’s what I’ve always known. To ask me to sit on the sidelines is essentially castrating me.” He shudders in my arms, and something wet hits my neck. Slightly pulling back to glance up, I see tears in his eyes.
“Oh, Knots,” I say, wiping them away. “I’m not going to make anyone stay behind, but I also want us to take precautions to make sure we don’t hurt you either.” He takes in a deep breath, his taut muscles relaxing under my fingertips as he blows it out.
“Thank you,” he says, and presses his lips against mine. I melt against him as he deepens the kiss.
“Nope. None of that. We have places to be and asses to kick,” Zeke says, plopping down a satchel next to me. Pulling away from Knots, I glare at my Vamp until he smiles at me and pops a fang. “What? It’s true.”
“Go ahead and get your weapons, while I make sure we pack enough food for our trip,” Knots says as he helps me off the counter.
* * *
