by J. J. Dean
"Noah, what do I have to do to make you cook pizza all the time from now on? Because those were amazing," Luna compliments, leaning against Eli now that she's done with her food. I might have gone overboard with the amount I shoveled onto her plate, but I'll be damned again if she hasn't eaten every scrap.
I hide my smirk, polishing off my dinner instead as I listen to Luna finally come back to life. The last two weeks have been hell. I warned everyone to keep their distance, thinking she might need it to come to terms with her new reality. One where I Fell and had my wings stripped, where Hellspawn attacks are suddenly a common experience, and one where her best friend is missing without a trace. Only, I'm starting to think that's had the opposite effect. Instead of coming to terms with anything, it only allowed her to build on her grief, letting it expand and consume her until she was almost choking on it. She's barely said a word to any of us since she found out Ms. Frenchie went missing. She wouldn’t even tell us when she was going out to look for her. We had to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn’t sneak away without one of us. I'm sure she didn't realize she was doing it. She'd been simply going through the motions, living on autopilot while not living at all. It had been killing me, and I decided enough was enough. If giving her space isn't going to work, then we're going to be so far up in her business she'll go mad.
I prefer a mad Luna to an empty one.
Noah blushes at her compliment. "I'll cook them whenever you want."
Rolling my eyes, I start to pick up empty plates, taking them all to the kitchen to rinse before loading the dishwasher. I can hear them whispering, Luna laughs, and then the whispering continues.
I smile to myself while I listen, content to know that they're taking Luna's mind off Ms. Frenchie, if only for a little while. I know it's been hard for her, losing her best friend. We're doing everything we can to find anything that will lead us to the old lady, but we're constantly coming up empty. It's as if she's vanished off the face of the earth.
Arms are suddenly wrapping around my waist, a head so gently resting on my back that I'd know it was Luna before the feel of her slender arms wrapped around me. Not only that, the guys know I'd knock them the fuck out if they even thought about making a move like that.
Wiping my hands on the tea towel, I turn around in Luna's arms, and she lays her head against my chest. I rest my chin against her silver hair, hugging her tightly to me. Softly, I hear her whisper, "Thank you."
I kiss her head and tell her, "No need to thank me, Peaches. Just glad you're back with us."
Her head nods against my red shirt, and her arms tighten around my waist. Call me fucking sappy, but I've missed this. I've missed touching her, being near her, feeling her close. It’s been my own form of personal torture not being able to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and hide her away from the world.
“How’s your back doing?” she asks before I feel the tentative touches of her fingertips gliding up my spine. I feel the moment she finds my scars, still sensitive after having my wings torn from my back.
Her fingers smooth over the jagged scars while she moves her head back to look at me. I drop a kiss on her nose, something I wouldn’t have ever done before I forced my way into her life, and tell her honestly, “It aches every now and then but nothing I can’t deal with. My scars are just a little sensitive at the moment.”
“That’s good. I’m glad they’re not hurting anymore,” she mutters quietly, her thumb brushing against the lower part of my scars.
We settle into a comfortable silence, my arms wrapped around her back while she rests her head on my chest, her breathing even and steady.
After a few moments, she whispers, "I'm sorry for the last few weeks."
I move my hands to her face, cupping her jaw gently and tilting her head until her eyes meet mine. Then I tell her, "Don't be sorry. We all understand. I'm partly to blame too. I thought you might have wanted the space from us all. I know it's been overwhelming, so I wanted to ease the stress a little. Should have known you'd be a pain in my ass and want more attention than before."
Her surprised laugh makes my lips twitch, and she shoves me with her closed fist. My arms wrap around her before she can move too far, and she shakes her head. Her hands rest against my chest as she says, "To be honest, I don't know what I wanted. Seems like I've been pretty out of it for all of fourteen days. I guess it was an adjustment period or something. It won't happen anymore, I promise. I've kinda... missed you assholes."
That has my mouth twitching more until I almost smile. She points at my lips and says, "I'm counting that as a win. It's a smile, even if you don't think it is."
I roll my eyes. "We missed you too, Peaches. No more distances, okay? We'll do this shit together."
She nods and smiles, a little dimmer than before, but a smile nonetheless. We've gone two weeks without even that much, so I'll take it. I drop a kiss onto her mouth, my hands still framing her face, before pulling away. "Alright, good. Now go take a shower. You fucking stink. The others are too nice to tell you."
Her mouth drops open in shock, but I sidestep her before she can kick me in the balls. I don't need that pain in my life. I've already suffered and just about healed from my Fall. My bollocks deserve to be left alone.
I hear her splutter behind me, and my smile finally breaks through. That is until I hear the quiet humming the little shit has started up. I freeze on the spot and slowly turn to face her. Her eyes are narrowed, glowing slightly, and are trained firmly on my stupid ass. Her humming gets louder, sounding as beautiful as she always does, but I can't very well focus on that since I'm the subject of the power that comes with it.
"Don't you fucking dare," I demand, pointing at her like that'll do a damn lick of good.
The silver-haired menace grins at me, a look so lethal you'd think she was threatening me with a knife, not a song.
"Stop what? I'm not doing anything," she tells me. The innocent act she's putting on falls flat since she's looking at me like a cat would look at a wounded bird. Me. I'm the wounded fucking bird.
I narrow my eyes at her and jab my finger in her direction. "You damn well know what you're doing. Knock it off."
She crosses her arms, her humming getting louder. "No idea what you mean."
It's then I realize I haven't felt her power yet. I don't feel like I'm seconds away from blowing my load right here and now; I don't even feel unnaturally aroused. I mean, I just had Luna's body pressed up against mine, so that's riled me a little, but I know Luna's power. Speaking from experience, I know I'd be hot and flustered by now.
The evil little demon is messing with me.
I glare at her, and she responds with a smirk. "Paranoid, baby?"
If I didn't want to throttle her, I'd enjoy the nickname. As it is, all I can manage is a frustrated glower which seems ineffective against her. She's lucky I'm grateful she's acting more herself than before, or I'd wish she was still in the zombie state she's been living in.
Before I can answer, she winks and strides out of the room, heading upstairs to her room. As soon as she's locked away. I release a breath, and my shoulders slump the moment I hear the shower turn on in her ensuite.
With Luna in the shower, I make my way back to the new dinner table she seemed to like. Took us ages to find this one since Eli insisted it match the rest of her apartment. Noah found this one, mentioning that the patterns in the table would match the ones in the shelves of Luna's bookcases. I guess it looks better than the cheap plastic one I found.
The others are still sitting at the table, talking quietly about our next plan to search for Luna's best friend. I sit down and listen, leaning back in my chair with my arms crossed.
"We've searched the cemetery. We even went back to the one where Luna was abducted. There is literally no sign of her," Devon comments, creating a small blade made of silver with an emerald gem placed in the handle. He starts sharpening the small knife with a frown. He's as frustrated as we all are. How can a single old l
ady vanish from the face of the earth? The only thing we have to go on is the bloodstained cardigan she left behind.
Eli stands, running his hand through his red hair in agitation. "She has to be somewhere. Grannies don't just up and disappear. And neither does that giant dog of hers. I mean, it’s a huge effing dog."
He's right, even though it's his damn fault the dog got out to begin with. When Luna was discharged from the hospital, Eli and Noah went to check Ms. Frenchie's apartment, forgetting about the horse-sized dog the old woman has. Brutus surprised them both, bolting out of the door as soon as it opened. We haven't been able to find him or Ms. Frenchie since. Luna doesn't know that, though.
"You lost the fucking dog? Have you called every pound or shelter?" Devon asks, looking up from the now lethal looking blade. He twirls it around before sliding it into a sheath I hadn't noticed before, shaking his head like they’re both idiots.
Eli turns his glare on him. "Obviously I've called them. It's the first thing I fucking did when the mammoth barged past me and disappeared by the time I got my ass off the floor." He turns to Noah and throws his arms up. "And where the hell were you when I was being trampled by Gigantor? You were next to me one second and gone the next. The fuck, bro?"
Noah winces and mutters, "Sorry. I went to check the store while you went to the apartment."
His cheeks grow red, and he avoids eye contact. He's lying.
"You afraid of dogs or something?" I ask.
Noah's head snaps up, and his cheeks grow darker. I'm an asshole, so I grin. He looks around the table. Devon's paused his sharpening of a new blade, and Eli stares at Heaven's angel with an amused eyebrow raise. Noah sinks into his chair and mumbles, "Only ones that look like they'd eat me alive."
Everyone around the table laughs, and the atmosphere lightens a fraction.
Until we hear the singing.
That's coming from the fucking stairs.
Ooooh shit.
Luna stands in her doorway, head tilted and hands splayed open next to her hips. She's only wearing underwear and cropped hoodie. Her silver hair hangs over her chest in wet waves. But her eyes? They're glowing a stronger silver than before.
Her song grows louder, and from the very corner of my eye, I can see a faint misty substance that’s trailing from her hands, down the stairs, and closer to us morons who are sitting around the table. How could we have not been paying attention to the sound of the shower turning off?
Just as I stand to diffuse the woman, the mist reaches me. My entire body grows warm, a familiar hot flush overtaking me. My clothes suddenly feel too tight, especially around the fucking groin area. Shit, shit, shit.
"Luna," I growl through clenched teeth. It's like talking to a brick wall, especially when that evil little grin appears. "Don't. Don't you dare. I'm warning you."
I don't know why I bother. She didn't listen the last time, so I have no doubt she won't listen this time. All she does is grin wider, looking like the devil himself sent her.
She walks down the stairs, her stunning voice the current bane of my existence as she sings her own rendition of “Secrets And Lies” by an artist called Ruelle. How do I know that? I've gone through all of her CDs. I also might have listened to a few of the tracks, and this one is extremely familiar seeing as it's my favorite song of that very artist. And now she's using it against me because even in a zombie-like state, it seems she's still sometimes observant.
Great. Just great. We're fucked - or not, depending on how far she goes - and she's not listening to a damn word I say.
That can only mean one thing.
She is so pissed.
Chapter 4
Luna
I'm trying to convince myself that I didn't hear them properly. That my own ears are deceiving me. Sadly, my convincing is piss poor, and I did actually hear them say they lost my best friend's dog. She is going to be so pissed when we find her, and he's not where he should be.
Me, however? I'm pissed that they lost Brutus two weeks ago and didn't bother telling me.
It takes Asher a little while to spot me standing in the doorway to my room, listening in on their merry little conversation. The satisfaction it gives me to see his eyes widen in horror as soon as he hears me singing is something I'll never grow tired of. And what's better is using the song he didn't know I was all too aware of him liking.
Just call me Karma.
I ignore Asher's warning, grinning him like an evil bitch because earlier I was kidding. Now, I'm not. I make my way down the stairs, singing and watching him carefully. I see the moment it registers that I'm not going to stop. I see the moment when his body sags in defeat, and he makes peace with the punishment I'm about to drop on their heads like a heavy weight.
Noah makes a choked sound when my power finally reaches him. Asher grits his teeth against the pull of my power, glaring at me like I'm in the wrong. My smile falls, and I show him just how pissed I am.
My nostrils flare, and I can feel my eyes growing brighter. Eli looks back and forth between us, eyes widening when he likely realizes what's going on. He tries to move backward, away from the table, like that'll save him. He's the dick that lost the dog. He's so not safe.
Just before he gets too far, I force more power out, and it reaches him like a bullet flying through the air. He whispers a rasped, "Oh shit," and bends at the waist, covering his shaft that grew hard so fast that it must ache now. I'm currently lacking the sympathy to stop, though.
Asher’s teeth grind together so hard I can hear the scraping of them clenching together. Devon looks around, confusion evident on his face. He drops the pretty looking knife he's been sharpening and stands. "The hell is wrong with you three? And why can I hear Luna singing-"
He turns, his eyes meeting mine and widening. Devon’s features form into a look of confusion, his gaze darting back to the three angels who fucked up, narrowing those mint green eyes on them as they begin to sweat and struggle against the potent lust I'm throwing at them.
I watch him as I push more power into my song, adding to the hunger I've already built inside them. The moment he realizes what's going on would make me smile if I wasn't so angry. A smug smile blooms across his lips, and his eyes light up like he's watching the funniest thing he's ever seen.
It is kind of funny. Well, only if you're not on the receiving end as punishment, it is.
Noah, bless him, blushes a deeper red than before now that he can see me. His hand covers his groin, tugging at his pants while his other unzips the sweater he's wearing. Eli is muttering things he'd consider gross under his breath, likely hoping that will work to stave off the desire I'm evoking. "Old man balls. Rotten eggs. Cat's assholes. Bird dicks! Why am I getting hornier?! This is fucked up!"
I stop walking until I'm five feet away from the table. Devon, deciding that he's on my side for the first time ever, strolls up next to me, crosses his arms, and smirks. He stands closer than he normally does, but right now, I don't give a shit. Instead, I pour my focus into singing, adding more and more power until I know all three of the secret-keeping shit heads are on the very edge of embarrassing themselves. The air grows thicker, more suffocating with the added lust, and just before I can sense them reaching their climax... I cut it all off abruptly.
Faster than I've ever done before, I retract my power, seeing the very fine mist seep back into my hands so fast that it's all gone in a blink. My eyes go back to their silvery gray color, and I drop my hands to my sides.
Eli groans and drops to the floor, his hands cupping his dick. "Blue balls are the fucking worst."
Asher is leaning against the table, head hanging low while he breathes deeply through his nose. "Yeah, no shit."
I do feel a little bad when Noah has to lean against the wall, dropping his head against its cool surface just to cool down a little. He winces when he moves, so he unzips his jeans just to allow better movement without the pain.
Moving my right hand behind me, I hum under my breath, only loud enough f
or my power to build. While Eli and Asher are trying to recover, I send my power toward Noah, soothing him and easing the pain. He sighs and drops his head back, relief evident on his face.
Devon moves his head to look at me, our eyes meeting. His smirk deepens, but he doesn't call me out. I think he's rather enjoying the two angels of Hell's suffering. I can't say I'm not currently enjoying it a little.
As soon as I see Noah standing normally, I pull my power away, sucking it back into my palm just as quickly as I did before. Best not to let Eli and Asher see that I've helped the angel who has the ability to make me feel bad even when he's in the wrong. They'll expect the same treatment, and I'm not one to encourage bad behavior. Well, at least not all the time.
"Well, the cat's out of the bag," Eli wheezes from his fetal position on the floor.
"More like dog. And it's out of the apartment, not a bag," Noah replies sheepishly, turning to face me with an apology written all over his face.
"It was a figure of speech, Noah," Asher grumbles, adjusting his junk and cursing when he can't find a place to put it that doesn't cause him discomfort. I'll be damned again if I don't grin at him. It's a big 'fuck-you' kind of smile, too, and it doesn't go unnoticed. Asher's eyes narrow dangerously on me. It's the same look he gave me before he chased me out of Frenchie's when I first used my power on him. I take a subconscious step back, finding myself moving a fraction behind Devon. Yeah, great idea, Luna. Devon the Dick isn't going to save you.
Surprisingly, the angel actually shuffles his body until he shields me better. Deciding not to waste the opportunity, I smile bigger and throw my middle finger up at Asher the Angry Angel. All behind the safety of the angel whose sole mission is to normally piss me off, of course. Today is a weird day.
"You're going to pay for that," Asher growls, pointing that finger at me again. He will realize sooner or later that it doesn't work, but whatever.