Page 43 of Hades

Her eyes widened almost comically. “Tell me everything!” She leaned closer. “I told Vandal I was picking up on some vibes between you two and he told me I was crazy.”

“First of all, what vibes?” I shook my head. “Second, does he think Hades is too good for me?”

Macy gasped. “Are you kidding? He’s worried that Falcon won’t take it well, that’s all. He’s blind but my eyes are wide open, and I saw the sparks between you two.”

I’d been secretly crushing on him for a while, but I thought it was way on the down low. I guess I wasn’t as subtle as I thought. “Shit. Was it super, embarrassingly obvious?”

“Not super obvious, but there were definite sparks and when you add that to being closed up together for weeks at a time, well the romance story practically writes itself.” She laughed at my shocked expression. “So, tell me what happened?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it a few times. “I need a shower and then we’ll talk.”

“Right.” Macy waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “Of course. I’m just so fucking glad you’re here and I can see you safe with my own eyes.” She hugged me again. “But yeah, you are kind of ripe. Ten minutes.”

I laughed and made my way to my room on legs that grew heavier with each step. Despite being home and safe, everything still felt heavy. Or maybe it was just the guilt and anxiety piling up on top of my chest.

***

Inside the hot shower all I could think about was how everyone in the club was now in danger because of me. I know they had chosen to remain, but it didn’t stop the guilt and anxiety welling up in my chest. Hades and Falcon and the entire MC coming up with a plan knowing that some of them could die because of me.

It was too much and I rushed through the hottest shower I could stand before stepping out and drying off. I stopped abruptly at the sight of Macy sitting on my bed with an expectant smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t wait. And it’s been ten minutes.”

“Damn, you really did miss me,” I joked.

She folded her arms and stared at me.

“Fine. I couldn’t sleep at first because of the nightmares. They’d come and instead of letting them get too bad, I’d get up and walk around the house, which he noticed almost immediately. He stayed up with me and we talked. We got to know each other.” And we fell in love was on the tip of my tongue, but it felt too soon to share that. “He’s the first man I’ve been with since Viktor and it was way better than I thought it could be.”

Macy’s face lit up. “Aw, he brought your libido back to life.”

I nodded. “In a way, he brought me back to life. Sex was never like that for me, not ever. With him I want it bad. And often.”

“I feel ya,” she agreed. “So are you together or what?”

“No idea,” I answered honestly. “He said he wouldn’t mess around with his best friend’s sister if it didn’t mean something, but what does that even mean?”

“No!” Her eyes were so wide it looked like they might pop right out of her head. “He said that?”

“Yeah, he did. And it gave me goosebumps.” I was reluctant to admit that part, but I was working on being a better friend to my friends.

“You’ve been around here a lot longer than I have, so I’m pretty sure you know exactly what it means.”

I blinked, coming up empty.

She rolled her eyes. “These guys are serious when they choose a woman. They are grumpy and possessive. And insatiable.” She reached out and grabbed my hand. “What did you say when he told you that?”

“What could I say?” I threw my hands up. “I like him, Mace. I really like him, way more than I should.” I groaned out loud and rolled my eyes. “I’ve said enough.”

Macy laughed. “You are totally in love with him. I know that terrified, ready to run for the hills look anywhere.”

I kept my mouth shut for once in my life because I had no answer, at least not one that made any kind of sense. “It’s a lot to digest,” I admitted. “With everything going on with the Russians and running from my life. It’s just… a lot.”

“No matter what, you can lean on him. Do that and also? Talk to him.”

My shoulders fell. “Ugh, do I have to?”

“Nope. You can just guess what he’s feeling and looking at things in the worst possible light and then overreact to what your imagination throws up. That always works out really well.”

“Asshole,” I laughed. “Sarcastic asshole.”