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10
Darren
Gretchen turned from the sink with a huff. “Would you stop pacing? You’re giving me palpitations.”
I paused mid stride. “I’m sorry, Gretchen. I don’t mean to cause you undue stress.” I slid on to the stool at the island. “I just feel as if they should be back by now.”
“They will be back when they get back,” Gretchen replied stiffly, stirring the sauce on the stove. “Besides, if Antoine dies you’ll surely be the first to know.”
I snorted. “Thanks. That’s really comforting.”
Gretchen gave me a sympathetic smile, putting her spoon down long enough to reach across the island to pat my hand. “I understand how you feel Darren, but worrying yourself sick is not going to make them come back faster.” She turned back to the stove and picked up her spoon once more before adding, “I just hope that slimy piece of filth gets what’s coming to him.”
“You and me both,” I muttered, leaning on my elbow. I stared down at the counter, stroking my gloved fingers along the top of the surface. I frowned. There was a smudge. We couldn’t have that.
I jumped up from my seat dead set on getting a sponge and cleaning supplies when the front door opened.
“They’re back!” Gretchen dropped her spoon, not caring that it fell on the floor as she made a dash for the kitchen door. I rushed after her, the smudge on the counter completely forgotten in my need to see how Piper and the others were doing.
The twins came in first. Gretchen rushed over to them, feathering about like a mother hen. When she saw that they were indeed fine, she moved onto Marcus who had some blood splatter on him.
“Oh god, where are you hurt?” Gretchen cried searching for his injury.
Marcus patted her on the shoulder. “Do not fret so. It is not my blood.”
Gretchen sighed, clasping her hand to her chest. “Thank goodness. Where’s Piper?”
“She’s coming,” Wynn told her on the way in, his own shirt splattered with blood as well. This did not look good.
I stayed back from the door giving them room to enter. The twins headed straight for the kitchen while Marcus waited in the doorway. Wynn inclined his head toward me on his way up the stairs, not overly concerned it seemed for Piper’s safety. It made me feel better and worse at the same time.
Antoine came next.
It took everything in me not to run to him. I wanted to strip him down and search every inch of him for anything that the council might have done. I resisted for the sake of the others, not wanting them to see how worried I had been. I didn’t have to pretend with Antoine. He could feel my anxiety which at times was a blessing and a curse.
Today, it was a necessity.
Pulling his jacket off, Antoine approached me holding the jacket out for me to take. It too had blood splatter on it as well as a few places on his face and neck. I frowned after closer inspection seeing some kind of thick meat substance caught on his collar.
I picked it up with my gloved hands and stared at it.
“It’s not any of ours,” Antoine answered my unasked question. “Well, none of any of us that matter.”
My brow arched. “I am to assume this belongs to Morpheus?”
“Morpheus is dead?” Gretchen asked, completely forgetting about the others to hear the news.
“And about damn time,” Rayne snapped, bumping the door with his shoulder as he came in carrying an unconscious Piper. “None of you wanted to help huh?”
Gretchen gasped. “What happened to Piper?”
“She’s fine,” Rayne explained, shifting Piper in his arms. “Just asleep.” At that very moment, Piper let out a loud snort. “See, just fine.”
“Then why is she covered in blood?” Gretchen asked not letting Rayne pass until she looked him and Piper over completely.
“Let’s just say we were in the splash zone.” Drake walked back into the foyer, a blood container in his hand.
Gretchen’s brows furrowed. “Splash…zone?” Then she seemed to realize there was one person less than who left the house. “You mean, this is all from Morpheus?”
