“You’re leaving?”I signed, so used to using ASL that I forgot Moa and Aaron couldn’t understand. Thankfully, Deacon translated for me.
Moa nodded. “Yeah. I figure you all deserve a bit of privacy before tomorrow.”
She left the rest unsaid. None of us knew what would happen tomorrow, if we could win, if any of us would survive. She gave us the evening alone to make up for that, to allow us some time for just us.
Aaron nodded, quiet, and followed Moa out of the house. The two of them had more than enough money and ability to find somewhere else to stay for the night, so I let them go with a silent thank you.
Of course, as soon as their car pulled away, it reminded me that I was now alone with the men I loved.
Talk about awkward…
Trying to erase that, or at least ignore it, I waved the men into the house after me. A quick tour let them know the general layout, showed them where the rooms were, the bathrooms, the kitchen. The fridge was full of easy food—we’d stopped by the store to ensure we had enough to feed everyone if they did show.
When I reached the end, when we all stood in the living room, I turned back toward the men and froze.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt quite so outnumbered, when I questioned my sanity about this relationship, about pursuingfivemen—no, not men, but shades.
The confidence I’d had talking to Aaron and Moa floated away.
Because now, looking at them, I wondered just what the hell I’d been thinking.
And worse?
A deep, simmering heat inside me as I faced them all said no matter how stupid, I wasn’t about to back down.
Chapter Fourteen
Deacon
I couldn’t stop staring at Hera.
She’d given us a tour, had made sure we had everything we needed, but none of that changed the tension between us all.
And there sure as hell was tension.
This undercurrent ran, sparking from person to person, and it increased each time we found ourselves faced with that troublesome siren.
And now, Hera fresh from a shower, smelling of the soap she’d used, a sheen on her damp skin, it grew even more.
A deep sound echoed in the room and for a moment, I thought I was growling. I tried to stop it before I realized…it wasn’t me.
Instead, Brax had let out the sound.
Hera froze by the bathroom door, like prey who had just realized she was surrounded by large and scary beasts who wereextremelyhungry. She widened her dark eyes, going entirely still.
What, did she think movement would make it worse?
It probably would…I thought about how we’d react if she ran, how much fun chasing her would be. Hell, we’d been chasing her for the past year, hadn’t we? Each in our own way, each at our own speed. Maybe we had herded her into this trap all along.
Hera gulped, then grasped the neckline of her robe tightly as if it were some sort of armor instead of a flimsy piece of fabric. She moved her gaze from one to another of us.
Was she wondering what to do?
I could almost see the questions on her face. We had one night only. Who would she spend it with? How could she possibly make a choice like that?
And her answer? She let go of her robe to sign.“I guess I’ll go to sleep.”
I nearly snorted at her words, at her decision. I knew her well enough to read her easily, to know her thought process. It had me speaking up despite how I normally let others do it. “Really? Might be our last night, and you’re just going to go to bed alone?”