“I haven’t said this, but thank you all for helping me.” I glanced around at all of them, including Oliver’s entire family, because hadn’t they moved across the country to kill-slash-put-to-sleep the monster? Overwhelmed, I dropped my gaze to the floor. “I don’t know what I’d do without your help.”
The room was silent, and I cringed from the awkwardness. So I did what I always did when I felt awkward. I made things worse. “I’d probably be barefoot and pregnant with a monster baby, am I right?”
Ray winced, and a smile crossed his face. “I hate to tell you, but you’d probably be just that. He’d breed you until it killed you. Maybe two, three demons before it was too much, and then you’d be dead. You might not even realize they weren’t human, because he’d keep you in a constant state of delusion. Then dead.”
“Ray.” Jacinda closed her eyes. “Not helping.”
I really wished I hadn’t made the joke. “I feel like I need to give you all your privacy. I am literally living in your space. I don’t have a house anymore. I have nowhere to go.”
Kelly walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Don’t leave until it’s safe.”
“You can live with me,” Thorn supplied. “With Colton and me. I have a place now. You’re not going to be on the street. I promise you that.”
Jacinda wrapped me up on the other side. “We’re glad to have you. So glad. You’re safe here. It’s been a long day. I’m going to cook everyone dinner. Aaron might rouse and want some.”
Ray waited until she walked out of the room before he turned to us. “We’ll be lucky if he rouses for dinner tomorrow night. This is going to knock him out cold for a long while. You’re welcome here, Lacey.”
Oliver hadn’t come back out, and with nothing else to do, I went looking for him. It didn’t take long to find him. He was on his bed, the one I’d slept in, out cold. His hair spread out on the pillow behind him, his mouth moving like he talked in his sleep.
I’d ousted him from his room twice now. I was going to have to do something about that. Maybe I could sleep with Kelly. I turned on quiet feet to leave.
“Lacey,” Oliver’s voice was low, his eyes open. He put out his hand. “Come. Lie down with me a minute.”
I didn’t know why I walked toward him without giving it any more thought, but I crawled in next to him. He rolled onto his side and wrapped me against him, his arm over my waist.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me. I’m glad Aaron knows more than he lets on about what to do. I think I’m going to quit my job until this is resolved, be around more.”
One more person throwing his life away for me.
“Do you think it’s possible to take the compulsion to stay here off me, and I could just vanish? Then you could all go on with your lives?”
He didn’t answer me, and when it was way past the time I should have said something, I turned slightly. He was out cold. Had he really been awake? When I would have pulled away, he tightened his grip. “No, stay with me, Lacey. Let me hold you for a long while.”
His breathing immediately went back to the deep, rhythmic sleeping. I closed my eyes. Maybe a nap was in order.
I awoke later when Oliver shifted behind me. His arm tightened around my waist, drawing me a little bit closer before he froze. I guessed he’d forgotten I was in here with him.
“Hey.” I turned over to face him. I thought he’d move his arm, adjust, or pull away, but he didn’t. He tucked me so my head was under his chin.
“Sleep okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. What time is it?”
“Breathe in,” he said, instead of answering. I did and immediately smelled onions and peppers.
“Dinner!” My stomach grumbled, and Oliver chuckled.
“Let’s feed you.”
I went to roll away, but his hand suddenly tightened on my hip. Leaning back enough so I could see his face, I found him studying me. His dark gaze went from my eyes to my mouth, and then back again before he leaned down. What—?
My mind shut off when his lips touched mine. Oliver kissed like he could teach a master class in making out. He cupped my cheek, thumb grazing a spot next to the corner of my mouth.
Moving slowly, he gave me time to get used to him. He took my hand, lifted it to his chest, and held it there. It kept a distance between us, one I thought was probably purposeful.
He skimmed his hand from my face down to my shoulder and then across toward my back. I moaned quietly when he kneaded a spot right between my shoulder blades. The sound did something to him, and he deepened the kiss.
Tongue teasing my lips, he waited for me to open my mouth to him. When I did, he dove inside without hesitation. Hands. Tongues. Breath. Those were the only things I was aware of.
Except for that hand, keeping our bodies a few inches apart. Eventually, he drew back and pressed one last kiss to my lips.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you shoveling out a horse stall.”
I jerked back. “You did?” Oliver was hot and cold. There were times when he seemed to like me, but they were followed quickly by times when he was annoyed and exasperated by me.
He narrowed his dark eyes. “Wasn’t it obvious?”
“No!” I replied. “It absolutely was not obvious.” Out of the two brothers—Aaron made his interest… Oh my god. Aaron.
I sat up, pushing away from him. “What have I done?” I got out of bed and dug my fingers into my hair. “What am I doing?”
“Lacey.” Oliver’s voice was deep and calm. “Don’t freak out. You’ve handled everything so well. You were just joking about monster babies. Kissing four guys shouldn’t throw you for a loop.”
I froze. Four. He said four guys. Which meant… He lounged on the bed, head propped on his hand. I took a moment to appreciate the way it made the muscles in his arm pop and flex before I got back on track.
“I kissed Aaron.”
“I know,” he replied. “He told me. He tells me pretty much everything. I tell him everything, too.”
That seemed significant. “I see.”
“So here is the deal, because I can see the worry all over your face. Might as well get it out there. Aaron and I both like you, but we recognize we can only be temporary in your life.” My chest tightened as he said that. It didn’t make any sense that I’d have such a strong reaction, but there it was. “That’s just how it always is for us. Trust me, it sucks. This life we live? It makes us transient. We’re always up and moving. Kelly will probably remember this town in five years as that one time mom let her go to school. We’re just… we’re temporary visitors in other people’s lives.”
He smoothed my hair off my face, his voice low. “We won’t fight over you. It’s okay to like both of us. As for your guys, Thorn and Colton? Well, they’ve worked out their own deal, and I don’t know what it is exactly. I only know them a little bit. They won’t give you a hard time over me or Aaron. I don’t think. Because they recognize the truth. We’re very useful people to you who can help them keep you safe, but we’re short term. When this is over, we’ll say goodbye, and unless something very weird happens, you’ll never see us again.”
It really was hard for me to breathe. It was like the panic I’d had when I encountered the monster during the exorcism. Only different. This time I could keep silent, I could pretend it wasn’t happening. How and why had I gotten so attached to Aaron and Oliver? The idea that they’d go was like… was like someone had sucked the air out of my lungs.
He kissed my cheek. “So we can go get you some of my mother’s really, really good spaghetti Bolognese, or I can kiss you for a little while longer since I don’t hear the clinking of glasses, which means Kelly hasn’t set the table yet and they’re not quite ready.” He kissed my other cheek. “Or did I scare you off?”
I brushed his hair off his forehead like he had done with mine. “I guess I hadn’t thought about you leaving.”
Oliver looked down. “It’s not a normal life.
Moving every few months. Hell, sometimes weeks. And you’ll have to take my word for it, but we don’t go around kissing beautiful girls. We’ve never liked the same one before.”
His hair was so soft, and we were cuddled up close. I might never get the chance again so I stroked my fingers through it. “Aaron said you had a girlfriend once.”
“India. Not quite my girlfriend, but I liked her, yes. She liked me. Her family is like ours. And because of that, because she lived the life and we saw each other more than we saw other people, due in part to the fact that our fathers are both the best in the business, we did form as much of an attachment as we can with anyone.” He pressed our foreheads together for a second. “She died. Killed by a… by something Christians would call a demon. That happens more than Mom and Dad would want you to know. You’d think it was all happy travels and vanquishing evil, with the kids along for a jolly ride. It’s not.”
He smirked. It was a look that made me want to alternately kiss and smack him. He was about to say something shitty. I’d already figured that out about him. I kissed him, hard. It seemed like the best way to stop him before he ruined this moment.
He surprised me, sliding his tongue into my mouth while holding my cheek, but he pulled away too fast. “We don’t have to do anything. I can pretend none of this happened.”
Maybe he could pretend. From the way he watched me, eyes roaming my face, I could tell he was really trying. He liked me. His brother liked me. But he didn’t want to leave me under any illusion of the after.
But what did “pretend” mean? Was he going to chuck me on the shoulder, like “Hey, bro!” Was I going to be one of the guys? Just a friend? I didn’t like that either.
“I don’t pretend,” I replied, because that wasn’t me. I wasn’t good at it. I glared. I acted up. I ignored. But I didn’t pretend. “And also…” I took a deep breath, because I could feel myself getting worked up again, just like I had when he’d told me we were going to turn around because I couldn’t handle pushing the limits of my compulsions. I got off the bed because I liked Oliver. A lot. And I didn’t want to be a bitch. What was wrong with me? “Never mind.”
“Lacey.” He reached for my hand, but I pulled it out of the way before he could touch me. He was too smooth, even when he was being genuine and heartfelt. His kisses made my head spin and forget about everything. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t forget because if I did, I might end up with demon babies. “What did I do?”
“It’s not…” I tugged my hair over my shoulder, wrapping it around my finger. “It’s not that you did anything. I appreciate your honesty, so I’m going to be honest, too, okay?”
He sat up, and his silky hair fell around his shoulders. Tucking it behind his ears with both hands, he nodded. “Okay.”
“I like you, Oliver. Even when you’re telling me things I don’t want to hear. But I’m someone who’s always been on the outs. You say you and your family move, and you can’t get attached. Well, I’ve learned never to become attached because when I do, it’s rarely something other people feel.”
He frowned, dropping his gaze to the comforter. “I get that. But I do feel something.”
“So—it’d sort of be one thing if you said, ‘Me and Aaron are cool with both kissing you. And we’re leaving, so I don’t know what will happen after.’ But you’re giving me a hard and firm boundary that I can’t cross. You both like me. But you’re both leaving, and I’ll never see you again.”
There was a knock on the door and a sleepy-eyed Aaron walked in. I went right to him, wrapping my arm around his waist to help him stumble toward the bed. Letting go of me, he flopped next to his brother. “I had a feeling Oliver was with you,” he mumbled. “I’m sleeping here, too.”
“You shouldn’t be awake,” I said. He grabbed my arm and pulled me down onto the bed. Oliver watched us, got up, and came around the end so I was in the middle.
Aaron’s arm snaked around my waist. “You’re too tense.” How could he see that when his eyes were closed already? “We’ll figure this out. Everything. But now, you have to sleep with me until the spaghetti is ready. That’s a rule. And no decisions after battle. That’s a rule, too. I just made it up. The end.”
Oliver grinned at Aaron and then patted him on the leg. His brother’s breathing evened out, and a second later, his eyes were moving under his lids.
I looked up at Oliver, and his eyes were full of mirth. “He’s not waking up for that spaghetti.”
“No.” I swiped my hand through his hair, gently. “He’s totally not.”
“You and me? Maybe it’s a good thing we’re leaving. We are always two seconds from having an argument, Lacey. You’re prickly, and I’ll admit… I really like it. Someone else would be in a corner shaking right now. They tried to exorcise a demon out of you, and it barely held you back. But I’m never going to be easy. I’ve seen too much, done too much. You need someone who doesn’t share your push-back nature.” He shrugged. “I do.”
I lifted my lids. “I think you’re using your unconscious brother as a shield from my so-called prickliness right now.”
He nodded. “I totally am. Also, drawing attention away from the fact that one kiss from you and I’m hard as a rock, and I’ve got to calm down.”
His words made my ears buzz. I couldn’t help myself, I dropped my gaze to look. He was absolutely visibly pressing against his pants. I swallowed. My cheeks had to be a million shades of red.
“I’m not so sure all of it came from the kissing. Some of it just happens when you start trying to have a fight with me.”
I stared at him in the eyes. “I think it’s you trying to have a fight with me.”
He shrugged. “Yep.”
Oliver was infuriating and completely addictive. I gently pushed Aaron’s arm off my waist, and he let go with a long sigh. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. With that, I got out of the bed. “I’m going to go see if your mom needs any help.”
“She doesn’t. She’ll shoo you out of the kitchen. And Thorn is pretty happy on that computer. I can hear him talking to my father. Not sure about Colton. If you want to escape the tension between us, you could go hide wherever he is. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
All right, I’d had enough. I poked Oliver’s shoulder. “You’re leaving. You keep saving my life. You get hard when we argue, and you kiss like a god. I also suspect you’ve been through shit. Yes, we poke at each other and get into fights. I’m trying not to wake your brother, and his being in here negates anything we might have done, too. I think you’re gorgeous, kind, and equally as obnoxious. Want to have a fight? I’m ready.”
He flared his nostrils, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I think you’re beautiful. Inside and out. Obnoxious. In over your head, without the ability to say enough is enough. Strong. Thoughtful. Smart. Incredible. I want to taste you and make you come on my mouth. Anytime you want it, Lacey, I can make you scream out my name in pleasure, or get your angst out with a good old-fashioned screaming match. How’s that?”
His words brought images to mind I was just not able to process. Come on his mouth? Did he—how did— The most I’d done was grinding and heavy petting. Colton and Thorn were my first kisses.
“I got you there, didn’t I?” He crossed his arms and smiled. “Nothing to say in response?”
“No,” I replied, and my voice was hoarse. “I literally don’t know how to reply to that.” His honesty made me want to be honest as well. “I want what you’re talking about, and that scares me.”
His gaze softened, and he strode toward me. His silky hair had fallen from behind his ear and covered one side of his face. “That’s because you’re not ready yet.” He studied me and sighed. “I’d like to be here when you are, but—”
“But you won’t be. You’ll be off hunting the next monster.”
Black eyes narrowing, he stopped meeting my gaze. “Yeah.”
There was a soft knock on the door, and it opened. Jacinda stuck her head inside, eyeb
rows raised. She saw Aaron on the bed and smiled ruefully. “It’s ready.”
I guess that was the end of our conversation.
Eighteen
Jacinda’s cooking was amazing. Everyone around me spoke and ate equally, but not me. Food. Mouth. Food. Mouth. That was the extent of my focus.
After a while, I realized the table had quieted, and I lifted my gaze from my plate to find Colton watching me with one eyebrow lifted. He touched his bottom lip with his thumb, and I quickly lifted my napkin to my face, wiping away the sauce.
“When was the last time you ate?” Kelly asked.
Honestly, I couldn’t remember. It was hard to even remember what had happened today. Events had been blending together, one frightening experience after another.
“What did you find?” Thorn asked Ray, making me wonder if they waited until I’d come up for air before talking about anything of importance.
“We found Lacey’s old house and there’s something there.”
“Did you see it?” I asked, but Ray shook his head.
“No. But there’s something around the area that repelled us. It was difficult to get within a mile of the site before we felt the need to turn around. I’m certain there is something there he’s hiding. Something he doesn’t want us to find.”
“Could you push through it?” Thorn asked.
Ray chuckled. “Maybe in the old days. But now, I have to be careful. You can only push your body so far before it physically gives out on you. This thing was strong, so I recommend, if you’re going to try”—his gaze went to Oliver—“you don’t push it too far either. This is much stronger than what we’ve faced before, Ollie. Even you could be hurt.”
“Thorn and I have been talking,” Colton said next to me. “And we would like to know more about the trappers and whatever this league is you’re a part of. We’d even like you to consider teaching us. Or pointing us in the right direction so we can be taught.”
Ray brightened, sitting straighter. “Yes, I’d love that. I think you two would be perfect for that. You pushed through a compulsion. You clearly have the knack. You’re strong and smart. Yes, I’ll train you.”
Eyes in the Darkness (The Coveted) Page 17