I’m mid-stumble all of the sudden, once again on those baby deer legs. Barely restraining the cry of frustration, I clutch the dining room table, looking at the closet in the living room.
But before I can make it, Kai is suddenly appearing in front of me, a dark smile twisting his lips as he rakes his eyes over me. “Not exactly the sexiest thing you could be wearing, but clothes are always optional.”
He’s suddenly on me, shoving me against the wall, and becomes the only thing holding me up when his lips find mine. He groans into my mouth as he presses against me, and through his thin boxers, I can feel just how turned on he is.
I kiss him back, my hands sliding up to the back of his neck, as I pull back my knee and shove it up as hard as I can.
With a cry, Kai breaks the kiss and stumbles back, doubling over as he cups his balls and groans.
“Tie me up now, dickhead,” I gloat, then squeal when he lunges at me again.
I feel it when my body shifts this time, turning into my phantom phase, and he passes right through me, crashing against the wall so hard plaster falls off in clumps. Then he turns his narrowed gaze at me.
I flip him off with both fingers, then run like hell before I can get cursed with those useless legs again.
“She’s down here!” he calls out.
I dive into the closet in the billiard room just before I turn whole again, and I wobble on unsteady legs as I hang out with all the pool sticks and stuff, panting heavily.
Running is tiring when you can feel gravity, damn it. My phantom form was just dense enough to keep me from floating away, but I was still effectively weightless. I hate gravity. It’s a total pain in the ass. And I need more practice with my legs before I have to run for my life.
“Where the fuck did she go?” I hear Jude snap, and Kai laughs darkly.
“I don’t know, but she tastes too damn good to be anything less than terrible for us.”
“You fucking idiot, you kissed her?” Jude groans.
“My dick still hurts from how good she felt. And from how painful she felt too. Vicious little thing,” Kai adds.
“Where’d she go?” I hear Gage snap.
Focusing really hard, I try to single out the feeling of transitioning from one form to another, harnessing the emotions that led to each. If I’m not short circuiting, maybe my level-up includes a package where I can be either or.
I’d really like to be untouchable in this moment.
It’s hard to concentrate when they’re tearing the house apart in search of me, but when I feel myself go weightless, I open my eyes and breathe out a sigh of relief, seeing right through my hand.
Concentrating again, I manage to turn back whole, feeling the energy surge through me with the awareness and crisp senses that come with it. It feels good to be a real fucking girl, but it’s also terrifying.
The door swings open, and my gaze darts up as Jude releases a slow, dark grin. Before the worst of them can get his hands on me, I smirk, and he passes right through me the second he lunges.
I strut out in my untouchable form, now feeling as though I have control, and I grin at them as they all barge into the room. I feel the glares before I see all four of them.
“Guess what, boys? I just leveled up.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I force the flesh to return, even as I wobble a little.
The second they move, I turn back, grinning as my untouchable phase offers me a fuck-you shield.
“What the actual hell?” Jude asks, slinging broken pool sticks around as he angrily stalks out of the closet.
I turn to flash a grin at him over my shoulder. “It’s amazing how much survival instincts aide a girl when she needs them most.”
His grin slowly forms when I feel the pressure of gravity again, and I curse, wobbling until I crash into a strong body. Two arms come around me, and warm breath fans against my ear.
“What was that?” Ezekiel asks in a taunting whisper as he rips my shirt open.
It takes a lot of effort, but I manage to shift again, and I pass through his hands, blowing out a relieved breath.
“Fucking savages,” I accuse, pointing at all of them as I start backing out of the room on my good legs instead of those stupid real legs.
“It’s cute the way you act like you don’t want it now that you can have it,” Gage tells me.
Four wicked grins stay fixed to their devilishly tempting faces. “No,” I say loudly. “Not happening. You don’t all get to kiss me stupid so that I forget I sort of hate your ungrateful asses.”
“We’re not going to kill you, Keyla,” Ezekiel says, moving closer. “We just want to make those fantasies of yours come true.”
“Ha! Worst pickup line ever,” I lie, hoping they don’t hear that pathetic little tremor of hesitation in my voice.
After all, I did spend a lot of time thinking of little else. I’m starting to realize there are far more important things in life.
I flicker back to flesh before I manage to strain and concentrate on staying untouchable. It’s getting harder to do now. It’s like my body demands a little time in its new form, and I’m denying it.
“She can’t hold it much longer,” Jude says with a deviant spark in his eye, just ready to pounce.
A very important thought occurs to me, and I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. I’m going to blame it on the fact I finally have adrenaline, and it makes you super durable, but hella stupid.
If I’ve seen a place before, I can zap myself there. Well, maybe not all the way to hell, but definitely to Purgatory and anywhere in range within the states.
A grin curves my lips. And if I’m whole…I might not need their presence to exist. Which means I can go anywhere without them. Seems like the perfect time to test that theory.
“If you really want to touch me, you have to woo me.” I say this with a straight face, but I almost cringe when I hear the words aloud in one fluent sentence.
They all give me an incredulous look.
“Woo you?” Jude finally asks, his eyebrows arched in utter confusion, as though it’s the most preposterous thing he’s ever heard.
“Yes. If I’m going to be sticking around until I know for certain the devil isn’t going to strike you dead, then I might as well be getting some perks before I leave the four of you to continue on in your hellish ways. I’ll get the four of you, and you’ll get my protection. Then we’ll part ways, and I’ll go find my one true love, while the four of you move back on to your harem of women.”
“Harem?” Gage asks, a sardonic curve to his lips.
I flicker between forms again, but manage to hold on a little longer. I need to get this all out.
“Harem is an interesting choice of word, considering you’re the one getting four of us at once, while we only get you,” Ezekiel points out with a devious twist of his lips.
“Yes, you’ll be my harem. Deal with it. I’m the only one who gets access to you for the duration of however short our time left together may be. In return, I get the ultimate experience to start my new life out with a bang.”
I flicker again, sucking in a breath as I strain harder.