"I'll find him easily enough," Void pronounced, confident and a little boastful. I glanced over my shoulder to watch his eyes close, and he lifted his arms, hands palm up—and nothing happened.
"You're God of the Void, dumbass," Mav remarked, picking up a box of long-soft cornflakes. "Not God of Earth. Some of your tricks don't work here."
"I know that," Void replied in a tight voice.
Oh my god. His golden cheeks tinged pink.
Wait, wait—had Void been blushing this whole time in his home realm, and I'd just never know because his skin was grey? Oh, my god.
And I thought him terrifying when we first met.4
"I'm hungry," Sang complained, making a paltry effort to pat the cushions down for a hamster escapee. "Climb on my face, sweet human. Let me drink from you."
My face flamed, but I rolled my eyes. I'd begun picking up the habit from Mav, and my amount of eye-rolls per day doubled.
"That doesn't make sense," Mav commented. "If you're hungry, how is drinking going to help you?"
"My Hala's sweet nectar can sate any need."
"Sweet nectar," Void repeated, something judgey in his tone. "How ... flowery. No wonder our mate is always so needy when it's my turn to make her come."
"Guys," I groaned, getting to my feet to search the windowsill, mostly to hide my mortified face. I might have been more than comfortable having sex, but talking about it so casually, and explicitly, as my mates made me all squirmy.
Big, cuddly arms snuck around my waist, and I jumped. "You like how I talk, don't you, sweet human? Tell Void to stop being mean to me."
I patted his arm where it rested around my waist. "I definitely like it, Cheshire Cat."
He purred louder, nuzzling the back of my neck.
"Found the little fucker!" Mav crowed victoriously. "He's eating his way through a whole box of cereal."
I spun, tearing out of Sang's arms and rushing into the kitchen where Mav had opened the box of cornflakes. "But they're not even crisp. They're really old."
"He doesn't seem to give a shit," Mav replied with a laugh. "Here you are, firecracker. One missing hamster returned safely."
Emotion overcame me when I peered into the cereal box and saw my missing friend. He peered up at me with beady eyes, wondering why his new home was on the move.
"You!" I snarled when the rush of happiness and relief faded. "You are in so much shit, Thief. There'll be no dried apricot snacks for months! Years!"
He didn't comprehend the sheer level of trouble he was in, but that was okay. He was okay, not squished by traffic or lost to a neighbouring house. He was here, and I was never losing sight of him again.
I swallowed, reaching into the box and grabbing his squirmy body. "You're sure he'll be okay if we take him back to the void?"
"He'll be fine," Mav said warmly, rubbing my back. "Stop worrying so much, you'll get a permanent crease between your eyes."
I shot him an exasperated look, but couldn't fight a smile.
"I can ensure his transition from hamster to void-beast goes smoothly," Void offered, crowding close to peer at Thief. "He's been stocking up on reserves, I see. He'll be strong."
Maybe it was selfish to take Thief home with me, but I missed him. And anyway, he'd live much, much longer as a shadowkind-hamster. He could live out the rest of his life eating as many cornflakes as he wanted.5
"You're—" I began.
"I'm sure, brave girl," Void cut me off, a flicker of a smile on his lips. "Is there anything else you want to collect before we leave?"
I cast a look around, but my most treasured possessions were back in the void, in my hand, and hanging around my neck.
"I have everything I need," I replied, my heart light when I realised just how true that was. "Let's go home."
* * *
Thank you so much for reading Hala’s wild, spicy adventure! If you’d like to read more from the void world, let me know! And keep reading to discover more steamy, psycho RH romance books from me!
Leigh x