Well, he could keep his girlfriend for all I cared. Who did he think he was? I certainly didn’t want to date him. And as far as him thinking I didn’t like him? I didn’t get that because I had never even so much as spoken a single word to him. Hell, as far as I could remember I’d only ever been around him the one time, and I had kind of liked him then because he hadn’t been insta friendly towards me, he’d just seemed real. Apparently, he really was a dick. I didn’t like him so much anymore. Go figure.
I thought about those thick, feminine like eyelashes that framed those light, light brown eyes. Those hollowed out, haughty cheekbones. His sun kissed, golden skin. He was a dick, for sure, but a really, really pretty one. Damn shame if you asked me.
I thought about what I remembered about the person behind one of those other voices. Dash. I remembered he had bright red hair, a big, full beard and light grey eyes filled with hideous demons. Other than an exchange of our names we’d never even had a conversation.
So why were they all talking about me like this? Like I wanted, or expected them all to date me. Had I given them the impression that I was interested in them all in some sort of romantic way? I didn’t think I had. At least not with these four. Tyson and the salt and pepper twins however… Now that was an entirely different story. I had no idea what in the hell I was doing with those three, but they didn’t seem to mind the way things were going so I wasn’t even going to try and dissect it for fear if I did it might fall apart inside the mess that is my head. I was learning, if it’s a good thing to simply leave it be.
But this, what these A-hole’s were talking about. I felt like I was missing something here, something important.
I pressed my back against the wall and willed my heart to not beat out of my chest. Eavesdropping wasn’t something I would normally take part in, but this was too good for me to walk away from. It hadn’t been intentional on my part, honest. I had woken up starving with my stomach making angry noises at me so I’d gone in search of something to appease the hunger. And where does one go to find food? The kitchen, of course. Which happened to be where these fools were gathered, talking about me, no less. And keeping me from finding something to eat.
Trust me when I say I wished I had never heard this particular conversation. Which was the thing about eavesdropping, wasn’t it? But for the life of me I couldn’t seem to walk away and maybe I would have been able to if they hadn’t been talking about me.
“You know,” Julian said quietly, “she might be different from the rest and none of this will matter.”
“What are you talking about?” Quinton asked. “We know she has magic, she’s one of us. She’s ours. We’ve finally all agreed on it. We’re keeping her and that’s that.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what are you talking about?” I heard the anger creeping its way into Quinton’s voice and was once again thankful it wasn’t aimed in my direction.
The anger in his voice reminded me of Tyson whom I hoped didn’t wake up and find me missing then come in search of me. I did not want to get caught listening in on a conversation that had in all likeliness never been intended for me to hear.
“She might not want to be with any of us. Just because that’s how it worked out for the rest of the covens who have women does not mean that’s how it’s going to work out for us. Those other women were raised knowing what they are, and were raised since birth expected to be with multiple men in their covens. Ariel wasn’t raised that way. For all we know she might find the idea of being with more than one person repugnant. What then, Quint? It’s not like we can force her to be with us. No. Stop, Quint. I know what you’re going to say. I’m not saying she’s not staying with us if she wants to. We all shared the same dream right before she showed up here. I know she belongs with us. We all know it, even if some of us are trying to fight it, have been trying to fight it since the dream. All I’m saying is she might not want that for herself and we can’t force it on her, and we need to be prepared for it just in case. That’s all I’m saying.”
There was a long, pregnant pause where I could practically hear them thinking in the other room.
It was Damien who spoke first into the loaded silence. “We can’t let that happen.”
“So quick to change your tune, my friend,” Quinton said smugly.
“There are no guarantees in this life, Quint,” Dash said. I thought he sounded bitter. “You of all people should know that. She might even choose another coven.”
“Annabell was not my fault,” Quinton growled.
Who was thi
s Annabell person, and what the hell did she have to do with me?
A big hand came out of the dark and landed on my shoulder making me jump. Lucky for me I didn’t scream.
I looked at Addison with big, frantic eyes. I put my finger to my lips, silently begging him to keep quiet. I pleaded with my eyes as much as I could in the dark hallway.
“Annabell was-“
Addison’s eyes flashed dangerously when this Annabell’s name was said by Julian. His hand moved from my shoulder to my bicep where he squeezed almost painfully. He pulled on my arm, dragging me down the hallway, away from the kitchen and the conversation I wasn’t supposed to be listening to. We cleared the hallway and he kept on moving with me behind him the whole way. Up the stairs we went. He didn’t hesitate at the top of the stairs, going left towards the room he shared with Abel.
I should have protested being manhandled this way by Addison. Tyson could wake up at any second and wonder where I’d gone off too. I didn’t want to worry him needlessly.
Addison pushed me into his room and shut the door quietly behind us.
“What’s going on?” Abel asked sleepily as he sat up in his white bed. “I thought she was sleeping with that prick Tyson tonight.” He flashed me a flirtatious grin that looked more adorable than anything else because his hair was sticking up around his head every which way. “Not that I’m complaining about you being here now. You’re more than welcome to sleep in here with us anytime you want to.”
He flung his white comforter aside and scooted closer to the wall. He patted the bed in invitation. “Come on, pretty girl. Get in here.”
“I found her downstairs, listening in on the guys talking about that bitch, Annabell.”
“Shit,” Abel hissed.