Too quickly.
But the last thing I want him to know is that I was thinking of Thea’s goddamn moans.
What the fuck is happening to me?
Is it because she’s attractive? There’s no denying she’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on before, but it’s more than that. It’s…her. Her smile. Her laughter. Her joyful innocence.
Am I crushing on a woman I only just met? I want to say no—the mere idea is preposterous—but my body calls me out on the blatant lie.
Something about Thea consumes me.
“So we get a hold of Aphrodite,” Everett reiterates, frowning. “Then what?”
“Then we ask her what she knows about me,” Thea interjects. “If what you guys are saying is true, then what’s happening to me isn’t normal.”
“It’s not.” Zaid shakes his head. “I did some more research at the motel when you were changing. There’s never been any case like you described.”
“So I’m the only reaper in existence trapped in a prison?” Thea absently reaches for a fry on Rafael’s plate.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t stop her. He actually pushes his plate closer so she doesn’t have to strain herself.
That alone is fucking strange. Rafael once stabbed me in the shoulder when I tried to steal a bite of his pizza.
“What happens if I return to my prison before we can figure out why that is?” Thea queries.
A pang lights along my sternum, and sick panic wells up in me.
She mentioned it before in passing, but now that I’m actually thinking about it…
“That won’t happen,” I tell her resolutely.
She arches an eyebrow. “How can you be so certain?”
“Because we won’t allow it to,” Zaid adds.
Rafael simply nods.
“And even if it does, we’ll find a way to bring you back.” That declaration, surprisingly, comes from Everett, who’s focused intently on his empty plate, as if embarrassed to meet Thea’s prodding gaze. “You protected my teammate. Now we’ll protect you. You have my word.”
Then Thea does the worst thing she could possibly do around four hardened warriors.
She begins to bawl.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THEA
“Why the fuck are you crying?” Krystian sounds horrified.
“I just…” I sniffle, the tears coming faster and faster. “I just never had anyone care about me before. You four are the best friends a girl could ever have.”
Overcome by the enormity of my emotions, I reach for Krystian—who’s closest—and hug him tightly.
He awkwardly begins to pat my back. “There. There.”
“People are looking,” Everett hisses, sounding slightly frantic.
When I move to pull away from Krystian, he simply tightens his grip on me, his arms like iron bands.
