“Fuck’s sake,” I muttered to myself, running a hand over my face. My lips were swollen and puffy from Leon’s rough kisses, and my thighs sticky as I shifted in my seat. I wasn’t ready to go straight back to the house and launch into their pissing match just yet, and certainly not on an empty stomach. So I detoured into Shadow Grove’s center and browsed for any eateries that might still be open at this time of night.
Much to my disappointment, Nadia’s Cakes was already closed, but there was a drive-thru burger place open a few blocks away. Probably a better idea, given how I was dressed. Or undressed. The twinkling Christmas decorations through the streets of Shadow Grove seemed almost mocking after the scene I’d just left.
I ordered my food, then took my time driving back to the mansion safe house while eating my burger. By the time I drove through the gate and headed up toward the house, my stomach was full and my head was clearer. Yes, this was going to be a shit show. But it had been coming for a while, and at least I’d done the worst of it by telling Leon over the phone, where he had no choice but to listen and process in a controlled environment.
Of the two of them, Leon was absolutely the one I’d been more worried about reacting badly. And by badly, I definitely meant violently. I could imagine if the tables were turned and he’d walked into a sex club to find me and Kai doing the same thing, he would have thrown an axe, not a punch.
I let out a long breath when I spotted two vehicles parked in front of the house. One gunmetal gray Aston Martin and one Ducati motorcycle.
“I guess they’re both alive, then,” I muttered, grabbing my drink and the last of my fries as I climbed out of the Stingray. “And must be conscious if they could drive themselves.”
So… progress, right? Maybe they could sort their shit out without me. That’d be nice.
I keyed in the access code and pushed into the foyer, glancing around for any sign of damage. But there was no broken furniture or blood splattered on the walls. It was… unnerving.
“Kai?” I called out cautiously. “Leon? Are you guys… here?” And breathing?
“Down here!” Leon called back, and I followed the sound of his voice along the corridor to the security hub where he had a small palm-size laptop plugged into the central unit. His cheekbone was grazed and looked like a bruise was forming, but otherwise he seemed totally unscathed.
I sucked on my drink straw, watching him type on the little keyboard, and he shot me an amused look.
“Of course you’d be messing with the house security,” I commented, licking my lips. “Where’s Kai?”
Leon shrugged. “Weighted his body with bricks and dropped him into the middle of Dogwood Lake.”
I cocked a hip and narrowed my eyes. “Funny guy.”
His answering smile did stupid fluttery shit to my chest. “Try the kitchen,” he suggested. “The big baby was crying over a little scratch on his pretty face.”
I took another sip of my drink, rocking on my heels. “You think he’s pretty. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Leon’s glare was unamused. “His words, not mine.”
Laughing, I left him to whatever he was doing to the security system and went in search of Kai. Part of me braced for some kind of macabre scene as I headed through to the kitchen, the demented little bit of my brain conjuring up images of Kai all sliced up into little pieces on the dining table or something. Because I got the distinct impression that Leon’s idea of a little scratch was probably more serious than it sounded.
“Fuck!” Kai snarled, his voice carrying back to me despite the fact I couldn’t see him, and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He was still alive.
Buoyed by that knowledge, I hurried the rest of the way into the massive kitchen and found him sitting on the floor with his back against the cabinets. One of his hands held a folded, blood-soaked dish towel to his face, and his other held an ice pack to his ribs.
“Big Man,” I murmured, letting out a low whistle. “You look a mess.”
His eyes narrowed into a glare as he stared up at me. “Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I can guarantee it feels worse than it looks.”
My brows shot up at the aggressive tone he was taking, but I was in no mood for that level of bullshit. So I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
“I seem to remember you starting that fight, Malachi Arden. Don’t throw punches if you can’t take them when your opponent is more skilled.” I dropped my half-empty soda and bag of fries onto the counter. “I’m going to shower and change. In the meantime, I seriously suggest you mend your attitude along with your wounds, or you can kindly fuck right off. I don’t have the time or patience for temper tantrums.”
Spinning on my heels, I stalked back out of the kitchen.
“Fuck,” Kai growled from behind me. “Siren, wait. I didn’t mean—”
I didn’t listen to the rest of his protests, taking the stairs two at a time to get up to the master suite as quickly as possible. I needed to change out of this outfit and put some panties on, because I couldn’t possibly hold a calm conversation with either of them like this.
My skin was prickling with irritation at Kai’s surly bullshit, so I flicked the lock on the bedroom door, then grabbed some clothes and locked myself into the bathroom too. Not that it would stop either one of the guys if they were determined, but hopefully it’d send the message not to disturb me.
I needed to get clean and come up with a game plan. Hopefully, we could somehow come to an agreement—no matter how flimsy or short-lived—that would save me needing to make any drastic choices just yet. At least until my life could go back to normal with my name cleared with the Guild.
A little voice in my mind mocked me, though. Because how could I possibly go back to my old life after finally experiencing how it felt to live.
34
The bathroom door clicked open as I finished putting my bra on, and I met Kai’s sheepish eyes in the mirror. Not saying anything, I picked up the tight black T-shirt I’d bought on my shopping trip and tugged it over my head. I was already wearing a pair of snakeskin-printed yoga pants in a blue-gray color, but I wasn’t engaging him until I was fully dressed.
Because I didn’t trust myself.
“I’m sorry about snapping at you,” he rumbled, running a hand over the back of his neck.
I cocked one eyebrow, still looking at him through the mirror. “The doors were locked for a reason, Malachi.”
His expression tightened at my use of his full name. “I know,” he replied, “but I don’t want you to lock me out.”
I drew a deep breath, spinning around to face him and leaning my butt against the vanity. “You don’t always get to call the shots, Big Man. It’s not always about what you want.”
He had the good sense to look properly chastised by that, and my anger diluted as I took in his appearance. He really did look rough. Leon had handed him his ass, but it could have been a lot worse.
Sighing, I stepped forward and touched my hand to his cheek, tipping his face to the light so I could see the sloppily patched cut through his eyebrow. “I thought you’d have been better at first aid than this.”
He winced as I touched my thumb to a puffy bruise on his cheek, and his dark eyes pleaded with me for forgiveness.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered. “You’re impossible.”
“Does that mean you’ll take pity and kiss my ouchie better?” His lips twitched with a smile, and I gave an eye roll in response.
I brushed a light kiss over his lips, then pushed him out of the bathroom. “Come on. You need that eyebrow stitched, and we all need to have a conversation.”
Kai grimaced but didn’t argue as he followed me back downstairs. Leon was on a ladder in the middle of the living room, messing with something electrical embedded into the light fixture, but his gaze locked on mine the moment I stepped into the room.
“DeLuna, you look fresh,” he observed, then his eyes flicked to Kai behind me and turned venomous. “You don’t.”
Kai gave an angry sound, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. But they’d had their chance to swing fists at each other, so I wasn’t putting up with another brawl. Not when I would be liable for the damages. I placed a restraining hand on Kai’s wrist to let him know I’d seen how tightly strung he was.
“Marx, be nice,” I warned Leon with a hard look as I led Kai through to the kitchen once more.
The medical kit was still out on the counter, so I pushed Kai to sit down on one of the dining table seats—near the kitchen, thanks to the open plan layout. Bypassing the first aid supplies on the counter, I headed for the freezer. I’d picked up groceries and essentials when I’d gone shopping a few days ago, so there were a few bottles of vodka waiting in the freezer. I pulled one out, then twisted the cap off before taking a shot straight out of the bottle.
“I thought that was for me,” Kai commented, propping his elbow on the wooden table top with a wince.
Licking my lips, I crossed back over to him and held out the bottle. “I guess I can share.”