“Yes,” the four awake guys all answered me at once, not even letting me vocalize my concerns about infringing on time they needed together. Of course, it wasn’t like they really had a choice. Their fathers had set this up.
Ace got in next to me as Rowan turned off the lights. Caesar was next. The bed was big, but we did all have to cuddle to make this work.
“I call sleeping with Maci tomorrow.” Tanner yawned.
“I’m the next day,” Rowan finished. The beds creaked as they adjusted themselves to get comfortable. As for the two with me, they might never have shared a bed with a girl between them before, but they settled quickly. Caesar spooned me from behind, his arm slung over my waist. Ace and I faced each other in the darkness. He lay on his side, one hand on my hip, the other supporting his head as he lay on it.
Around me, everyone seemed to settle. Griffin hadn’t moved an inch since he’d fallen asleep, but Tanner tossed a few times before he finally seemed to drift off. He was a deep breather, and I could hear him where I was. It wasn’t so much that he snored, as he took long audible breaths in the bed next to us.
I’d never know why I was sure Rowan fell asleep next, but as the minutes passed, I was absolutely certain he was out too. Caesar breathed lightly against the back of my neck, each minute his body loosening against me. Sleeping next to me did seem to work for him.
But I was awake, and so was Ace.
We stared at each other in the darkness, the lights from the window illuminating enough I could see he was up too.
“Hi,” I whispered to him.
He grinned at me. “Hi. Is this okay, or are you totally uncomfortable?”
“This is more than okay. I like it. Just hard to turn off my head.”
He nodded, a piece of his hair falling over his eyes before he brushed it aside. Although we were already very close, he inched farther against me and leaned his forehead against my own. “Would be crazy if you were able to just sleep after this day. It’s too much for most people, I think.”
I swallowed. “I’m not thinking any particular thoughts. It’s more like…I just can’t settle.”
He kissed my lips, gently. “You’re safe here, right now. I won’t let anything get you. I know it was awful, but the fact that Rowan’s father marked you means no one would dare bug you right now. Do you want to know a secret?”
“Another one? Are there more?” I winked at him. “Yes, tell me if you want to.”
“My father isn’t as bad as the others. He actually talks to me. Sometimes, when I was very young, he’d hug me. I know that he’s aware I’m around. He doesn’t just remember me when it comes to the change. I think that as much as he will absolutely make me go through with it, he regrets what’s going to happen.”
That was really interesting. “Something in him is just different than the others?”
“Yes, and I wonder if it might be different in me too. Like maybe when I’m over being ragingly mad trying to feed off everything, maybe I can come find you wherever you are and we can talk. Like…I talk to my dad. It won’t be a great conversation. He’s limited in the things he’s interested in. Nothing modern. But he likes books.”
I nodded. “If that is possible, to see you without you wanting to kill me, I’d like that.”
“Good.” He yawned. “Try not to worry. It solves nothing. I had to stop worrying a year or so ago because otherwise, it was going to destroy me. If something is inevitable, it happens whether we worry about it or not.”
I appreciated that what he was saying was true, but he needed to give me a huge break if I wasn’t feeling particularly Zen in that moment. “Ace.” I swallowed. “I don’t mean to be a bitch.”
He winced. “Say it. If I said something shitty, call me on it.”
“In the last few days, I’ve gone from not knowing you guys at all, to having this strange attachment to you, to being nearly raped by my mother’s friend, stolen from, and discovering there are vampires. Also, you are all going to die next week. On top of all that, I’ll have to be stuck with the vampires forever because of all this. So…I’m not really in a place where Ican’tworry. Not yet, anyway. I’m worrying.” In fact, as I’d said it, my stomach panged. “Quite a lot, actually.”
He nodded. “You’re right. It was a pretty condescending thing I said. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”
“Not that big of a deal. No apology necessary, I just wanted to explain.”
Behind me, Caesar adjusted himself, muttering something and holding me tighter.
Ace stroked a hand down the side of my face. “It’s your birthday now. Happy birthday, beautiful.”
I looked at the clock in the corner. He was right. It was 12:01 in the morning. It was, in fact, my birthday. “Thank you.”
He gently kissed my lips again. “I like the strange attachment.”
“Me too.”