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Ugh. I don’t want to think about the pain. Today is a new day, and despite my impending doom, I want it to be as normal as possible. I want to spend every second with the four loves of my life. I want them to screw my brains out and make me feel more alive than ever, maybe splurge on something delicious, and at the end of the night, fall asleep in all of their arms because it will be the last chance I get.
Fuck. Okay, cue the waterworks.
Today was supposed to be a good day. Don’t tell me I’m getting all sentimental now. I’ve come this far. I just need to hold it together for two more days.
Knowing there’s no hope of getting back to sleep, I glance at Zade’s alarm clock, and while it’s still early by my standards, it’s mostly acceptable to get up for the day. I sneak out from under Zade’s arm and dash into the bathroom for a quick shower and to get ready for the day. Every passing second my brain replays my night with Zade, remembering the way he touched me and how he felt pushing inside of me. I asked him not to just fuck me, but to give me more, and he delivered in a big way. It was perfect, everything I needed from him and more.
Finding one of Zade’s shirts, I pull it over my head before trudging out of the bedroom and leaving him in peace to sleep. He’s a light sleeper, so I don’t think it will be long before he realizes I’m not there and comes searching for me, but until that happens, I’ll be spending my morning with my head buried in the bylaws in a last-ditch effort to try and save myself.
Striding out into the living room, I see Cara in the kitchen, busily helping herself to the coffee machine. “Want one?” she asks with a yawn, her gaze dropping to Zade’s shirt with a hint of jealousy.
“Please,” I say before indicating toward the hallway. “I’m just gonna check on Easton and Sawyer first. We had a rough night.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” she says. “Are you okay? I can’t imagine the shit you went through.”
“Honestly,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders. “It’s just kinda bouncing off me at this stage. I mean, in comparison to what’s going to happen at the ritual, a little kidnapping and torture is child’s play.”
Cara nods, her lips scrunched in concern. “That’s umm . . . yeah, that’s disturbing,” she says. “You need professional help.”
“Believe me, I know,” I mutter before darting down the hallway toward the boys’ bedrooms and bypassing Dalton’s knowing he’s perfectly fine in there. And honestly, if I walk in there with no pants on, I’m going to end up spread wide across his bed with his face between my legs and his piercing somewhere in my esophagus. While I couldn’t think of anything better, if I allow myself to venture through his door, I’ll never get a chance to check on Sawyer and Easton. Besides, it’s a busy day, and I have a plan to stick to.
Starting with Easton, I quickly turn the handle before peeking inside to find him already sitting up in bed, studiously studying the new snake in his hands. “You better be careful,” I tell him. “Keep paying so much attention to that thing and Venom might get jealous.”
“Will Venom get jealous, or is it you?”
“Wow, barely even seven in the morning and already bringing out the claws,” I say, striding through his room and dropping my ass to the edge of his bed, keeping a healthy distance from the little nope-rope who I’m sure will one day turn into the most terrifying snake I’ve ever seen. Not that I’ll get a chance to witness it.
Easton reaches over and places the snake into a small portable enclosure beside his bed before curling his arm around my waist and dragging me up his bed. “You good, Pretty?” he questions, taking the hem of Zade’s shirt and lifting it enough to check my injuries.
I smile at him before dropping my gaze down his bare chest to his broken rib, which he seems to be handling a shitload better than my bruised one. “I came here to do the same thing,” I tell him, glancing up to meet his heavy stare. “Yesterday sucked. I hated seeing the way he hurt you. It killed me, but your stupid ass was practically provoking him. Do you have any sense of survival?”
Easton laughs and pulls me in close enough to brush his lips over mine in the sweetest kiss. “If I didn’t provoke him, he would have set his attention on you. Besides, he wanted it. Whether I provoked him or not. He was trying to prove some kind of point, otherwise, he would have put a bullet through my head in the parking garage.”
