by Sadie Hobbes
And what a pretentious jerk that makes me.
Donovan looked at the apartment building and then back at Graham and Marcus again. “What are we waiting for? An invitation? Let’s get going.”
Shaking himself, Graham crossed the street. Marcus adjusted the bag he held on his back. Bottles clinked. They were full of pomegranate juice, one of Graham’s favorites, and some of the last bottles in Graham’s pantry. But he could always get more. And Marcus was right—Addison and her wards had helped Marcus out. The least he could do was to provide some food and drink. His own pack was weighed down with food, as was Donovan’s. Mary had really gone overboard.
There was a small foyer on the first floor of the apartment complex. A door to the left led to the first-floor apartment, and the stairs straight ahead led up to the second-floor apartment.
“I’ll do a quick perimeter check, and then I’ll meet you upstairs.” Donovan stepped back outside, shutting the door behind him.
There was peeling paint on the walls like Graham had suspected. The handrail was long gone. Holes in the walls showed where it had once been secured.
Marcus edged past Graham and hurried up the stairs. He knocked quickly on the door.
“Who is it?” a young male voice asked.
“It’s Marcus. From last night?”
After a moment, the door’s locks clicked and swung wide. Standing in the doorway was Addison Baker.
She was stunning. She had long chestnut-colored hair, skin so pale it looked like smooth porcelain, heart shaped lips, and the brightest blue eyes. She wore jeans and a T-shirt, which in no way took away from her beauty. In fact, it enhanced it. She was a woman comfortable in her own skin.
And she was the servant who’d fallen into his arms at the Uriels’ home.
Graham stepped forward. “It’s you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, looking uncomfortable. “Uh, hi. What are you doing here?”
Marcus pushed Graham aside. “You two know each other?”
“Uh, not really. I just saw Commander Graham at work the other day.” Addie flicked those bright blue eyes toward me before directing her attention on Marcus.
Marcus smiled. “I wanted to say thank you for everything you did for me last night. And so I brought you a thank-you present.”
Addison’s face softened as she spoke to Marcus. “That wasn’t necessary. We were happy to help.”
A young boy peered around her side. “Present?”
Marcus laughed. “Just some food and drinks. I thought I’d bring dinner, seeing as how I ate all of yours last night.”
Graham could tell that Addison wasn’t sure about inviting them in. But she glanced back at the boy, and then at the tall, blonde girl who now stood at the boy’s shoulder, hopeful looks on both of their faces. With a sigh, she stepped aside. “Please come in.”
Chapter 14
Addie
I was happy to see Marcus again and glad to know he had a place in Sterling Peak. But I wasn’t sure what to make of Graham Michael being in my kitchen. Well, my kitchen, which was also my bedroom and my living room.
I mean, Graham was a large guy, but this close up, he seemed even larger. And my place seemed even smaller. In fact, if his home was anything like the Uriels, my entire apartment probably fit in their front foyer.
Internally, I chastised myself for my thoughts. I had nothing to be embarrassed about. We lived honestly. And we took care of each other. And that was all that mattered. I took the bag from Marcus, noting the weight with some surprise. “How are you feeling?”
He patted my hand. “Much, much better. I’m afraid I didn’t eat or drink enough in the last few days before I set off on my long walk. And then, add in the demon fighting, and well, it was all a little too much for me.”
“But you’re all right now?” Micah asked.
“I’m fine. Mary, that’s Graham here’s cook, has been feeding me all day. In fact …” He opened up the bag I’d placed on the table. “She loaded us up with dinner for about eighteen.” He started pulling box after box and bottle after bottle out of his pack.
Graham put his pack down as well and started pulling more boxes out.
I shook my head. “This is too much. We only gave you a little bit, and—”
“Miss Baker, I really appreciate what you did for my friend. Please let us do this.” Graham’s dark eyes stared into mine.
Butterflies took off in my stomach as I tore my gaze away. No good came from feeling like that. He’s not an option, I reminded myself. But my imagination was not listening to me as I stared at the bulging veins in his forearms as he placed pomegranate juice on the table.
A knock sounded at the door. Glad for the distraction but also confused, I glanced over at Torr, who sat in the room's corner perched on my bed. He didn’t look at all alarmed, so I knew at least whoever was at the door wasn’t a danger.
“That’s my friend Donovan,” Graham said.
Noel crossed the room. “I got it.”
She pulled open the door, and what I can only describe as a Viking stepped into our living room. Donovan was the same size as Graham, and with two of them in the room, it seemed like they had halved the available space.
Noel stared at him with her jaw practically on the ground. I hid my smile at her befuddled look. I couldn’t blame her. Donovan was gorgeous. He had jet-black hair long enough to tuck back behind his ears. Light-brown eyes stared from his chiseled face, and his shoulders were almost as wide as the doorway. He had to turn slightly sideways to make it through the door. “Well, it looks like the party has started.”
Marcus introduced me to Donovan, who took my hand and kissed the back of it. “Ah, the heroine.”
I pulled my hand back, rolling my eyes as I turned to Noel and Micah and introduced them. Donovan gave them an easy smile and shook Micah’s hand before kissing the back of Noel’s. Her cheeks flamed, and for the first time ever, she seemed at a loss for words.
But Micah wasn’t. “Are you part of the Seraph Force?”
“I sure am. And we’re always looking for new recruits. Are you applying?”
Micah tilted his head, considering the offer. “No. Noel and Addie need me. But I can fight. Noel too. Addie taught us.”
“Then you must be very good,” Graham said, his eyes focused on me.
I told myself to look away. And yet my gaze stayed locked with his.
“We are,” Micah said, puffing out his chest.
I finally wrenched my gaze away, my heart rate racing more than during a demon attack. Oh, Graham Michael was dangerous to my world.
Donovan laughed, but not at Micah. “Now that’s what I like to hear. Confidence.”
Donovan and Marcus kept up a constant conversation with Noel and Micah. I could see why women threw themselves at Donovan. He was beautiful, but it was more than that. There was something about him that just pulled people in, adult and child alike.
Graham, however, was carefully laying out food, pulling out plates and silverware from God knows where, some other pockets in that giant sack that he’d carried, maybe. It looked like Donovan was the social one, but Graham was the one who got things done. An interesting dynamic.
Despite the incredible beauty of both men, I kept finding my gaze going back to Graham. Donovan was gorgeous, but there was something about Graham that pulled at me in a way that Donovan didn’t.
Once all the food was laid out, there was an awkward moment when we realized there weren’t enough chairs for everyone. But Marcus just grabbed a plate, loaded it up, and then sat on the couch. Everyone followed suit.
I noticed Graham and Donovan took very little, no doubt wanting to leave as much for the rest of us as possible. I felt a second twinge of embarrassment. But the kids were happy, and honestly that was all that mattered. They loaded up their plates. I had to stop Micah from loading his plate so high that food would topple off. “You can always come back for more.”
He looked at me in shock, as if the
idea of getting second helpings was something completely foreign to him. And I realized it was. I couldn’t remember the last time we did second helpings of anything. I’m not sure we ever had.
He smiled at me, a smile so filled with happiness that it made my throat catch. I wanted to see that look more often. I wanted to know that his belly was full and that his heart was light if even for a moment.
I caught Graham’s gaze on me yet again. We shared a look of understanding. He knew what this meant to Micah, and he was just glad to be able to make a young boy happy.
I smiled back at him. The feeling of warmth that spread through me worried me as much as the butterflies. Butterflies were a sign of lust, desire. That was okay. I could deal with that.
But warmth. Warmth was a sign of something deeper.
I turned away, making myself a small plate. I started to pull one of the kitchen chairs into the living room.
“Let me get that,” Graham said, taking the chair from me.
Our fingers touched. Electricity raced through my arm, and I even felt light-headed. “Uh, thanks,” I mumbled.
He set the chair down at the edge of the couch, and after I took a seat, placed another next to it. He took a seat in that one. No one was paying us any attention. Marcus and Donovan were telling the kids a story about some fishing trip in Spain that took a turn when sharks started to circle the boat.
The kids were leaning forward, listening eagerly.
“And so I stood on the bow of the boat, vowing to save my friends,” Donovan said, his hand to his chest.
“That’s not how it happened,” Graham murmured to me.
“So how did it happen?” I whispered.
“Donovan got raging drunk and dropped our dinner overboard. The sharks came running. Donovan then passed out after dropping the oars overboard. Marcus and I slowly made our way back to shore, a little hungry but no worse for wear.”
Donovan was acting out the lashing rain and howling wind.
“And the hurricane?”
“A little drizzle.”
I laughed out loud. A grin spread across Graham’s face. If I thought he was hot before, it was nothing compared to that face smiling down at me. And everything else seemed to slip away. I vaguely heard the others talking but wasn’t really paying attention.
Until Donovan finished his story and Marcus asked the kids a question.
“So, how did you all meet?”
My attention immediately zeroed in on Marcus. Noel didn’t even look at me as she answered, her tone breezy. “Oh, we’ve been together for years. Addie often says she can’t even remember a time before we were together.”
I took a bite of potatoes to hide my smile. God, I loved her.
Micah immediately piped up. “Have you ever been to Egypt?”
“I haven’t,” Donovan said, “but Marcus has.”
“Really? What’s it like?” Noel asked.
And this time I knew she wasn’t pretending. History fascinated her, and Egypt was one of her favorite places to read about.
Marcus leaned back, his hand on his stomach. “Oh, it’s amazing.” He launched into a description of the pyramids. An hour passed, and the conversation flowed without a single break. There were lots of laughs. Torr even crept a little closer while staying well out of anyone’s way. And I caught more than a few smiles on his face as he listened in.
Donovan eventually looked at his watch and nodded to Graham.
Graham stood up. “I’m sorry to break this up, but I’m afraid we need to get back.”
The feeling of disappointment that flowed over me surprised me. I’d forgotten for a minute that these three men weren’t our friends. I’d forgotten we barely knew them. I’d forgotten about demons, Blue Forks, Sterling Peak, and everything else that existed outside this room. It was like a contentment bubble had dropped over the room, insulating us from all the worries of the world.
But Graham’s words popped that bubble, and reality crashed back in. These guys weren’t our friends. Graham and Donovan were Sterling Peak elites.
“Of course,” I said, getting to my feet, my voice stiff. “I’m sorry we kept you.”
Donovan stretched his arms above his head, turning his back to work out a kink. “Are you kidding? This has been great.” He stood up and nodded at Micah. “And I’ll be back to challenge this one to chess, being he thinks he’s so good.”
Micah and Donovan had traded quips about their chess ability.
His awe of the man long gone, Micah grinned. “Anytime, big man.”
Donovan laughed out loud at the statement.
Marcus took Noel’s hand. “And I’ll bring by those books I told you about. I think you’ll really enjoy them.”
Noel’s eyes shone. If there was one thing that Noel loved in this world, it was reading. “Thank you. That would be wonderful.”
The men brought their plates back into the kitchen without being told. Grudgingly, I had to admit someone had raised them right.
Before I knew it, they were heading for the door.
Graham stopped next to me. It surprised me how far back I had to crane my neck to look up at him. “Could I speak with you privately for a moment, Miss Baker?”
“Addie. Everybody calls me Addie.”
“Addie,” he said softly.
And God help me, but I loved the way my name sounded on his tongue.
“I’ll be outside for a bit,” I told the kids with a quick glance at Torr, who gave me a nod.
We walked out into the hallway. Donovan and Marcus went down the stairs ahead of us. We stepped out into the night, and I stopped. “What is it?”
“Marcus said that you helped him in an alleyway and that you saved him from a demon.”
I kept my voice even. “No. I found him after the demon attack. By the time I got there, it was only Marcus lying on the ground. He was out cold, so I brought him back here, and by the time I got him here, he woke up. It was raining, so I let him stay the night. That’s all.”
Graham looked down at me, as if trying to gauge if I was telling him the truth.
Struggling to keep my expression neutral and not look away from his gaze, I gave a slight laugh. “Although it would be really cool if I could take down a demon. The kids would love it.”
Graham gave me another smile. “That’s what I thought. Marcus must have been mistaken. I mean, demons are incredibly powerful, and it takes two, maybe three grown men to take one down. And no offense, but you’re not all that big.”
For the first time in my life, I was kind of insulted at being told I wasn’t that big, or at least I think it was the first time in my life I was insulted by it. I took a step back, trying to rein in my annoyance. “Right, well, thank you for the food. I really appreciate it.”
Graham frowned. “I think I’ve insulted you somehow.”
I took a breath, annoyed that I was annoyed. This is what I wanted, though, for him to not connect me with the attack. “No, not at all. I just don’t like leaving the demons alone at night. I mean, the kids. Be careful heading back to Sterling Peak.”
I turned and fled back into the house, feeling my cheeks heat. What the heck was that? I’d never got so tongue-tied around anyone in my life.
It was over. It didn’t matter. Graham would forget about us soon enough. Which was for the best. I didn’t need to be a notch on someone’s belt.
I opened the apartment door. Noel and Micah looked up from their spots on the couch. It looked like they’d started to clean up and then got waylaid by a second helping of dessert.
“There’s more dessert,” Micah said around a mouthful of chocolate.
Noel grinned at me. “So good.”
I smiled at their happiness but also knew that it was my job to bring us back to reality. “Well, enjoy it, because this isn’t going to be a regular thing. So we need to save as much as we can for later. When you’re done, we’ll see what we can freeze for some other nights and then kind of make our plan for the rest of the w
eek, okay?”
They both nodded, their mouths too full to answer. Once Micah swallowed, he asked, “Do you think Donovan will really come back and play chess with me?”
My heart broke at the hopefulness in his voice. And I realized that Marcus, Graham, and Donovan were the first guests we’d ever had to the apartment. I probably needed to warn him not to his hopes up. “I don’t know. He seems pretty busy, but it seemed like he wanted to. I’m sure he’ll be back, eventually.”
Chicken.
Micah gave me another giant smile. He picked up his plate, licking the last of the crumbs off it. “I’ll start going through the food.”
Noel came over and stood next to me. She linked her arm through mine, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I wouldn’t have been able to tell him the truth either. Don’t feel bad.”
I let out a sigh and leaned my head into hers. Who knew? Maybe Donovan and Marcus would keep their word. And for the kids’ sake, I really hoped they did.
Chapter 15
I felt unsettled after Graham, Donovan, and Marcus left. And even the kids seemed a little more subdued, coming down from their sugar and company high. The night had been enjoyable. There’d been a lightness to it we hadn’t had in a long time.
Maybe not ever.
With a start, I realized that it was because we had felt safe. I don’t think it was just because Graham and Donovan looked like warriors of old. It was because we felt like we weren’t on our own. That we had other people, if only for a moment, we could call upon.
But that wasn’t true. They had come. They had said thank you. And they had left. We couldn’t expect any more of them than that. Heck, most of the residents of Sterling Peak wouldn’t have even done that much.
But part of me wondered if maybe it wouldn’t have been better if they had never come by at all. They’d given the kids and me a glimpse of what life could be. And it would be hard to shut away the memory of that peek.
Torr had moved to the chair next to my bed. He appeared lost in thought. Apparently the visit had affected all of us. A knock at the door caused all of us to turn.