AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Miles grimaced. “Yay.”
I finished filling up a second cup with blood, and brought both of them over to her. Her grimace deepened when she accepted them, but her eyes closed. Her nails grew sharper, and I saw the faint outline of tattoos appearing on her skin as she gripped the glasses.
The guys had made it sound like drinking blood would be a hard adjustment for her, and I knew Miles preferred to cope in private. So, I grabbed Brynn’s arm and tugged her off the barstool.
“We’ll give you a few minutes. I thawed a couple more bags and texted you the instructions on how to warm them up, in case you’re still hungry,” I said.
“Good luck!” Brynn called out.
Rafael,August, and Bash were all sitting at the table when we walked into the other apartment. Raf had just showered, so his hair was wet and he was dressed in clean, casual clothes. Bash looked slightly disheveled for the first time since I’d met him. And August… well, he looked normal. For him, normal seemed to be ripped jeans and a tight t-shirt.
The men were deep in conversation about how they tracked and killed murderous vampires, but Rafael abandoned his seat the moment we stepped inside the room. He pulled me into his arms, and mine wrapped around him automatically.
Brynn slipped past us with a quick smile, taking the seat Rafael had been sitting in without stopping to ask permission. August was between her and Bash, but Bash’s body stiffened as he continued explaining.
“How is she?” Rafael’s voice was low, smooth, and still gave me the damn goosebumps.
My traitorous body didn’t seem to get the memo that we were supposed to be mad at him.
“Dealing with it. She seems… lost.”
“Her whole life just changed. Lost is reasonable.” His hand moved slowly over my back.
“It is.” I glanced at the group sitting at the table. They were focused, but I wasn’t about to have a conversation about the future of our relationship with so many people around. “I need to shower; I still feel like there’s blood on my skin. Let’s talk in a few hours.”
Raf dipped his head, brushing a kiss to my cheek before he strode back to the table and took the chair next to Bash’s.
Letting out a long breath, I went up and took my second shower of the day.
Brynnand I hung out in her new apartment until Miley texted us two hours later.
Miles
You can come back if you want.
We exchanged looks, and headed over immediately
Both of us stopped just inside the doorway when we found her sitting in the corner of the couch, snuggled up under multiple blankets. Her dark curls were loose and damp, and I could smell my shampoo from where we stood.
A glance at the kitchen showed everything was clean, and the smell of lemony disinfectant told me she had gone so far as to wipe down the countertops too.
The TV was on and a streaming service was open, but nothing was playing yet.
Miley peeked up from her blankets to look at us. “Can you make the popcorn with chocolate on it?”
I smiled. “Sure.”
“Do I still smell delicious?” Brynn shimmied, and Miley’s face softened.
“Not as much. Come snuggle.”
Brynn crossed the room, vaulting over the back of the couch and plopping down next to Miley. She earned a snort, and my smile widened.
She was asking us for things, which was rare for Miles. It took a lot for her to ask for help, even in the form of popcorn and snuggling. We would be there for her, though, no matter what.
“What are we watching?” Brynn asked, cuddling up under the mountain of blankets.
“I don’t know. Something without vampires, or blood.”
