“Oh, fuck,” I blurted.
Xander made a half-hearted attempt to pull me back into our shared warmth, but I swiveled and swatted him away. “Xander, get up. We’ve got company.”
His brows knitted together, a crease of confusion forming between them before his sapphire eyes flickered open. “What?” he rumbled, his voice laced with suspicion and displeasure.
As I fumbled into my pants with frantic haste, Xander took in the animated scene on the screens.
“Fucking hell,” he echoed, a growl rumbling in his throat as he raked a hand through his tousled hair
Fully dressed, I snatched up my duster with Bob safely nestled inside. I pivoted around, searching for an exit. Strangely, until that moment, the thought of wanting to leave hadn’t crossed my mind.
Xander was up, his pants slung low around his chiseled hips, a sight that kindled a familiar warmth coursing through my lower body, stirring memories of our shared intimacy. But I pushed all arousal and emotions aside. A storm was about to hit, and I needed to stay focused.
“This way,” Xander said, leading me to a stone staircase that curved around and up a wall. With each step, I slipped more into battle mode. By the time we stood in front of the large steel door, I was ready.
As it swung open, a tumult of yelling and arguing assailed us, hitting like a sucker punch
Silence dropped like a curtain as I stepped into the room, Xander right on my heels, his hand a comforting weight against my lower back. Yet, no amount of preparation could brace me for the confrontation ahead.
Bianca, Grim, Timothy, and Vivien were scattered around the room. Confusion creased Grim’s brow at our arrival, while Bianca’s eyes ballooned in shock. Vivien, however, couldn’t mask her triumphant smirk, her eyes dancing with delight. As if she had been in on my secret all along.
She was my friend; I shouldn’t have felt embarrassed. But so many people charging into my private, intimate moment made my skin crawl and my heart pound. My stomach knotted up, then knotted again.
“What is this?” Grim asked, looking back and forth between me, Timothy, Xander, and Vivien. It seemed my friend had kept some secrets after all.
“See?” Vivien said, pumping her fist in the air. “No one has to die.”
Bianca watched me closely, and I tried to avoid her gaze.
Xander stepped forward. “What brings you all here?” he asked, sounding unimpressed. “I haven’t had this many visitors since we moved from Egypt.”
Timothy’s mouth tightened, and I suddenly felt like a teenager caught sneaking a boyfriend into my bedroom. Except his disapproving look was aimed at Xander.
Grim gestured at the goddess in the soft pink dress. “Bianca came to me insisting that I put a stop to our arrangement.”
“Hear, hear,” Bob chimed in.
I bit my lower lip to keep from shushing the blade, as no one else could hear him. At least he’d remained silent during my other, more intimate moments. Who knew I’d appreciate a blade’s discretion so much?
Bianca’s light blue eyes darted between me and Xander. “Then you can’t do it? You can’t go through with it?” The conflict in her eyes told me she didn’t necessarily approve of our relationship, but I think she was willing to accept it if it got her what she wanted.
“Miranda will follow through as planned,” Timothy interjected.
Vivien’s impish smile transformed into a displeased frown. “Hey, just because you aren’t getting any, Timmy, doesn’t mean you have to dampen other people’s happiness.”
I tensed. Was this happiness? Was that what I’d experienced in Xander’s strong arms, in his bed, in his cave? Or was it merely a fleeting moment of peace?
Timothy whirled to face Vivien. “Quit stoking the fire, Vivien. Can’t you see this is a recipe for disaster?”
“That’s exactly my point,” Bianca interjected, her voice tense. “If she ends Xander’s life, catastrophe will follow.”
“That’s as vague as saying if you toss a coin, you might hit a leprechaun or just get a heads or tails,” Vivien shot back.
Bianca’s nose wrinkled as her brows knit.
It was a weird saying, but I completely understood her meaning. That’s part of why we were friends.
Grim’s voice, steady and low, cut through the escalating tension. Acting every bit the judge he was, he commented, "Bianca, your prediction could use more specificity and clarity if it is to hold any weight.
