41. Xeraphine

41

Xeraphine

A fter devastating me the way he did, he carried me into the shower, got me cleaned up, and brought me back to bed.

He must have stripped the bed while I was asleep because when I wake, the sheets aren't black, but a deep plum. The light filtering through the window makes me groan; I want to protest being awake. I feel like I could sleep for days, and being woken by the sun the next morning is going to put me into a sour mood.

I'm surprised Kairhyse isn't possessively grabbing me as he normally would in the morning when we fall asleep together.

I don't linger in bed; instead, I groggily go to the bathroom to piss and brush my teeth. Him having a toothbrush for me makes me smile, and it's black with gray bristles, which makes me roll my eyes. Only a stalker would do his damnedest to make sure nothing of mine is white.

After using his brush and slipping one of his shirts on, I feel presentable enough to head downstairs.

I'm not at all surprised to see Sydni sitting on the couch, her laptop resting in her lap, tapping away. I suck in a deep breath, knowing she is going to want a hug. There is no part of me that doesn't want to hug her but I just need to prepare for it.

As I take the last step, I say, "Syd?" and, in an instant, the laptop hits the floor. She almost loses her footing while swiftly maneuvering around the couch to reach me.

Her arms around me are tight, and the soft bouts of sobs she's emitting make me chuckle, "So dramatic, jeez, Syd." I place my hand onto the back of her head, my other arm coming around her shoulders.

"Phiny—" she croaks, "I was so scared. I'm so thankful you're okay! Oh my Gods, no more living in the slums!" As if that were the reason for my abduction.

Brrrowww.

I suck a sharp breath in. The heat behind my eyes is foreign to me, and I know tears are pooling in them. "Mister…?" Sydni isn't releasing me, but she turns us so I can see that black cat sitting on the back of the couch, his tail wagging back and forth. The top of his head is bald, and I can see that there are a few other patches of missing fur, but other than that, he looks fine.

"Stupid cat…" I choke, "You should have just ran…" Remembering how upset he was, as if knowing there was something wrong, makes me so mad because the last place he should have been was in that apartment with me. We were both lucky the bomb hadn't gone off when we were inside.

"How are you feeling?" Sydni is wiping her face against my chest, squeezing me tighter.

"Great," I sigh, "though I could have slept for a bit longer."

As she leans back and looks up at me, concern is licked across her expression. I pull my brows together in question. "Phiny, you've been asleep for six days."

My eyes widen, "What?!"

"Yeah, we tried a few days ago, but you were so gone we just decided to let you be until you naturally woke up." She finally releases me and drags me by my arm over to Mister. I hold no hesitation to pet him; I truly am glad he is alright.

Now that I really assess it, my body does feel stiff, even though internally I feel wonderful. That would explain the changed bedding and Kairhyse's absence from the bed with me.

"Where is—"

"I'm here," his deep voice filters in from the kitchen. "Just enjoying the adorableness that is my little demon hugging her cotton candy princess."

Weirdo… I glance over my shoulder at him; he's leaned against the wall, a smirk across his face.

"When I heard you shuffling upstairs," he pushes himself off the wall and strolls toward me, "I started breakfast. You'll eat and we will catch you up on what has been happening."

I cock an eyebrow, "I'll eat huh? So demanding."

He only stops when there is barely an inch between us, "I am; your stomach has been growling in your sleep."

"Your obsession with feeding me is strange." I take a deep breath and lift my hand to his chest. Sydni is giggling beside me, and I immediately groan and drop my hand. I can't do this.

The moment I am about to walk around him, he grabs the back of my neck and pulls me to him. "Good morning, little demon." He places a kiss on my forehead and then releases me. "Butterfly, your plate is ready too. I'll get Mister his food."

His cooking is getting significantly better, and while I make fun of it, I appreciate his effort. I truly hate cooking; I'd rather eat my own flesh than have to spend more than ten minutes in the kitchen.

After Sydni and I devour our plate of eggs and pancakes, she dives into the news that came out of my little massacre.

"They are calling it a dispute between the Hauses', which is incredible. Apparently, and I'll let Rhysie-poo tell you more about it, you weren't the lead that the Ansford's had. Kit Morrison had been apparently stalking you since your first date with him." I give Kairhyse a long, dry, irritated glance. If he hadn't interrupted my date with him, odds are I would have killed him that night.

"His obsession with you and what happened with Clay, who was like his brother, pretty much collided. When he saw you at the party, he followed you out with the twins."

"How do you know all of this?" I interject, and while I'm surprised, I shouldn't be. This is my Sydni that is talking. She's equally as much a prowler as the rest of them, and I'm so proud of her.

Her mischievous grin makes me smile. "The laptop we found, he sent an email to whoever owned the house. He had connections with The Clektic somehow and knew of their means." She hesitates, but I urge her to continue.

I look up at Kairhyse, who is quietly cleaning up our plates and waiting for his turn to speak. When he catches my gaze, he gives me a wink.

"I'm still trying to get into the encrypted files on the computer. They did an incredible job protecting them, not their web programs. They have a lot of correspondences, but none I recognize. A lot is written in code too, which I've started trying to decipher but it will take some time.

"That being said, as far as them taking you, it was a terrible coincidence that Kit had connections to The Clektic."

"It wasn't," I step in, "two more are dead. Doesn't matter how it happened."

His groan is low, and I see at the corner of my eye his shoulders tense. He doesn't say anything, just keeps putting the dishes into the dishwasher. I won't further the comments, I don't want to upset him.

"All that is left is Lars. I have this feeling he will be the most difficult to get to…"

She nods in my direction, and then looks at Kairhyse. "Do you want to tell her about Achille?" When he turns and uses his foot to close the dishwasher, he gives her a nod .

"Clay's body was found, but by Ansford. Achille wasn't happy about that but he can eat a fat shit for all I care. I can only assume that is where they got your scent. I'm just shocked, truthfully, that they didn't give up your name."

"I'm not." My tone tinged with irritation. "If they would have given me up to Ansford, it would have been more trouble for them to enact this grand plan to bury me again. Which… I just don't understand!" I have to stand up and take a deep breath, or else I know my anger will get the better of me. The last thing I want is to explode on them.

"Sorry, continue." I gesture for us to walk into the living room.

"No need to apologize." He's behind me, his hand gentle against my waist. "The official story, the one that is told publicly, is that he killed himself." I shoot my head up, surprise etched on my face. "It had to be public. His marriage to Desiray was a hot ticket item, so with the wedding being called off, they had to explain why."

As we go to sit, he waits to see where I do first, then takes the seat next to me. His arm drapes across the back of the couch. "Kor De Linos is furious. The unofficial story is that there is someone slowly picking off Ansford. Apparently, Mathas was very close to Desiray, some would say… too close. It was why he transferred to Achille—allegedly.

"With no answers, everyone is up in arms. Of course Hause Sidence is calling for answers only because Ansford is up their ass. I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm going to ask anyway…" I already know what he is going to say, and I sigh. "Please, lay low for some time. We can stay here, or we can go somewhere else. I have a house in Aurelia Peaks—"

"Of course you do." I roll my eyes and cross one leg over the other. Watching him from the corner of my eye, I can see that he is agitated.

"I'm serious, Xera, for fuck's sake, just once can you agree without a fuss?"

I shift to face him, my arms crossed under my chest .

A moment of silence settles between us, and it's insane how well I can read him now that my Amoro is interlocked with him. He is waiting for me to disobey. Contemplating if Sydni would go running when he bends me over on this couch and spanks me before ravaging my pussy, or would she try to stop him.

It doesn't matter because I just smile and give him what he wants. "Okay."

I think he is slightly disappointed I'm not going to argue even a little. His arm slips from the couch onto my shoulder and with force pulls me to him. "Good little demon."

Sydni squeals, and I can hear the buzz of her phone going off, dragging her attention away from us.

His crimson eyes stare down into mine with such intensity, I am prepared for him to just take me at any second. "Thank you," He offers and holds no hesitation to kiss me without restraint.

I know it's not smart to go right back out there and look for Lars. He likely knows that is what's coming. If I give it time, allow it to look like I've run because I'm scared, maybe I can get the drop on him.

Could that be the end to all of this? His head in my hands?

I'm not sure why, but I don't think so. Something is telling me that Lars isn't the end of that journey, as much as I want it to be.