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I closed my eyes tightly as my head fell forward. I clutched my phone tightly in my hand, trying to figure out what in the heck I was supposed to do in this situation.
I sighed before quickly texting back.
Ariel: Sorry, Marcus. Things have been super crazy around here and I haven't checked my phone in a while. When is this dinner? And is it at your place or the motel?
I hated sending him that text because one, I didn't want him to worry, and two, it sounded a lot like I planned on attending this dinner farce when I wanted anything but.
When no reply immediately came, I opened up the other unread texts I had. It was from an unknown number I had never seen before.
Unknown: Hello, Ariel. Dinner will be a formal affair and at the motel we've purchased for our stay here. It's a celebratory dinner to welcome Marcus into the Council. I'm sure you're already aware he's decided to join us.
Unknown: Please, I'd like for you to bring your coven and your new bodyguards with you. We are waiting patiently to see how you all work out together.
I frowned down at the lit up screen in my hand. Adrian had my number and was now text messaging me. How ridiculous and slightly terrifying. I had no idea how he'd gotten ahold of my phone number, but it was obvious he had it now. I wasn't surprised to see he was the opposite of both Rain and Marcus and, given that there were zero missed calls from him, he preferred texting to phoning.
Not only was there that, which I was actually thankful for this time, but the A-hole hadn't bothered to tell me when this dinner was supposed to be happening. It's like he left it out on purpose in order to force me to engage with him.
I would do no such thing. Instead, I'd wait until I talked to Marcus later and I'd ask him, essentially going around Adrian and leaving him out of the whole thing.
Part of me was irrationally angry with the bald man for not texting me before showing up at the store and giving me a heads-up. Why couldn't he have texted me then, huh?
I tossed my phone back onto the shelf where I'd found it and slipped my feet into a pair of obnoxiously pink fuzzy socks.
On the same shelf as my choker and phone was a decorative silver bowl filled with a bunch of pretty colored studs. I dug around in there until I found some that were as obnoxiously pink as my socks. I removed the ones I had in my ears and stuck the pink ones in, dropping the ones I'd taken out into the bowl with the others. I thought it was sweet that they'd gone to so much trouble to make me feel happy and at home here.
I shuffled out of the closet, making sure to close the door quietly behind me. Dash was still in the middle of the bed, his mouth slightly parted, and soft snores were coming out of him. It wasn't an attractive look, probably wasn't for anyone, but still, I thought he was adorable.
I pulled the sheet up around his shoulders, covering all but his neck and head. I tucked the sheet into his sides and he was so out of it that he didn't even twitch.
Binx was tucked up against his hip. His eyes were slanted, his tail twitching angrily. The little beast was not happy with me at the moment. He didn't hiss at me the way he would have one of the guys, but that didn't stop him from giving me his kitty version of a hostile glare. I made no attempts to pet him for fear of my life.
I took one last glance at the redhead in bed with his black cat before slipping out of the door and closing it quietly behind me.
I headed in the direction of the stairs but came up short when a light underneath a door caught my attention. I pressed my palm against the door, listening for any sound or movement on the other side.
Rustling.
Quiet humming.
He was awake in there when the rest of the house was entirely silent.
Figured.
I lowered my palm from the door and headed back down the hallway that would take me to the stairs. The hallways in this house were so confusing sometimes, a person could get lost in here.
The downstairs was deserted and I was thankful for it. I had looked in the mirror for a long time after getting out of the shower, studying my features. I thought that after what had happened between Dash and myself that I would look different in some way, that it would show on my face that I was no longer a virgin.
Yet nothing had changed, and it was the face I'd always seen in the mirror staring back at me. My green eyes were the same as always, wide and filled with pain. Even though I had been happy when looking in the mirror, my eyes still held hints of my past in them and, in all likelihood, probably always would.
That there'd been no sign of a change had really surprised me, because what went down between Dash and I had felt life altering at the time. And I looked the same, but I didn't want to run into anyone. Just because I couldn't see the change didn't mean someone else wouldn't be able to see it. These guys were intuitive.
What if I ran into Rain and he took one look at me and knew I'd lost my virginity? Good god, that thought was unbearable and not something I thought I'd ever live down.
I made two sandwiches in the kitchen, attempting to be as quiet as possible so as not to draw attention, and I somehow managed to pull it off.
I carried the plate with sandwiches on it back upstairs.
I knocked softly on the door that had the light shining underneath, the plate of sandwiches held aloft in the air between me and the door.
