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“The boyfriend thing.”

Seeing such a big man look so uncertain and uncomfortable tugged at my heart. He genuinely cared about not upsetting me. I’d noticed from the beginning he considered my feelings and well-being. Another contradiction of everything I’d been taught about demons.

“It’s fine. I doubt we’ll see them much before you leave.” I set my phone down and grabbed my bowl when the microwave beeped. “You can call me Rae,” I said before taking a bite, leaning over the counter.

He seemed to relax at that, coming around the counter and preparing his own meal once Ezra finished. Cyn and Zeke got to work putting leftovers on plates after him.

When I finished my meal, I looked at the guys. “Thanks for coming today,” I said, thumb tracing the bowl’s edge. “Even if it was to keep me from running away, it was nice not to be alone.”

Zeke looked up from his plate before he jumped up and rushed around the counter, wrapping me in a tight hug. “We wouldn’t leave you alone,” he said. He let me go when I wiggled, his grip squeezing too tight.

I’d reached a point where I didn’t even try to stop him anymore. It wasn’t like having him touch me bothered me, anyway.

I looked from Ash to Ezra. “And thanks for saving me earlier.” I swallowed when I met Ezra’s eyes.

Instead of the usual intensity when Ezra watched me, he dipped his head in acknowledgment and moved around Zeke and me to the dishwasher, putting his dirty dishes away.

I wondered if he stayed this quiet with the guys when I wasn’t around.

My gaze drifted to Ash as he ate his dinner.

Mr. Stevenson thought Ash was my boyfriend and that both he and the guys were here to take care of me.

I hadn’t corrected him.

If the guys left now, people would ask why. The lies would stack up, and I wasn’t prepared to deal with the aftermath. Letting that story stand meant I couldn’t just turn them away without consequences.

After what they’d done for me at the funeral, I wasn’t sure that was such a bad thing. They’d saved me when they didn’t have to. I might be the reason they were stuck here, but their presence meant I didn’t have to drown in my grief alone.

I wasn’t alone anymore.

And I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better… or trapped right along with them.

18

CAREFREE

ASH

Irolled over onto my side, trying to fall asleep on Rae’s sectional sofa. My back ached, but I wouldn’t complain. She allowed us to stay. I could endure a little discomfort to ensure my brothers slept well.

I didn’t think Ezra slept much, judging by the summoning book on his chest. He spent every free moment trying to decipher the symbols whenever he couldn’t transcribe the text.

He didn’t want to spend a minute longer than necessary in the human plane.

When chasing sleep proved futile, I left the uncomfortable chaise and crossed the living room to the stairs. I climbed up the darkened stairwell in silence, careful not to disturb anyone, until I reached Rae’s bedroom door.

She kept her bedroom door open, even though Cyn and Zeke slept across the hall. Either she didn’t see them as a threat, or she trusted they wouldn’t hurt her since we needed her to get home—or at least that’s what Ezra believed.

Something continued to pull me to her, and I felt helpless to stop it. I no longer wanted to. The strength she showed against her aunt and the delemoras’ haunting stirred something inside me I couldn’t ignore.

Rae tempted me in ways that extended beyond physical attraction and the confusing pull that insisted she was my Nyrith. I liked the woman beneath the surface. In such a short time, I found myself enamored with her.

Despite her uneasiness around Ezra and apprehension about how far Cyn would take their altercations, she showed her inner strength when she met their challenges head-on. The way she adapted to Zeke’s sensitivities and his different ways of approaching life spoke of her nurturing side.

When she groaned, throwing the covers off and sitting up, I froze. She rubbed a hand down her face, then swung her legs over the side of the bed, turning on the bedside lamp.

My gaze dropped when she stood, the lamplight soft on her skin. She wore nothing more than a pair of black panties and a tiny T-shirt. I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle the sound rising in my throat.