11. Warrick

A ntsy as I wait for a text back from Frank, I pace the floor. It took all I had to stay in the loft and wait for my brother to return.

Drevi, on the other hand, was defeated when he made his way through the door, not stopping until he hit the bar in the living room.

"Guys, I blew it. Alice dumped boiling hot soup on Hayden. I fucking lost it. If it wasn't for Hayden grounding me, I would have killed Alice. Over fucking soup. Hayden pulled me back from the brink. It's hard to explain, but I know if she hadn't, Alice wouldn't have been the only casualty," he says while pouring a drink. "I've risked everything we built."

He replaces the lid on the decanter and takes his glass to the couch, slumping down as he nurses his scotch.

Pyro scoots closer to comfort him as I leave my perch at the window.

"Drevi, we all fuck up sometimes. There is something about this Hayden, I can't put my finger on it yet. She is unique. I feel a pull to her and not just to fuck her. Am I the only one?"

Drevi and Pyro mumble in agreement. I am unsure if I should be jealous or curious about this.

"Since meeting her today, no other woman has caught my eye. I have pissed a few off, though, since I refused their room keys. What the fuck is wrong with me?" Pyro muses, but he doesn't look upset at that fact. Instead, he looks almost hopeful.

"Focus on me, Pyro, not your dick. I used my powers in front of her. That is not something we can just explain away. Where do we go from here?" Drevi asks as he downs the rest in one gulp. He hiccups and yawns.

"Well, first thing, we need to get your ass in bed. Maybe a shower first," Pyro suggests, wrinkling his nose.

Pyro and Drevi stand and head toward their rooms. I, on the other hand, will my phone to buzz with news from Frank.

After clicking on the screen a thousand times, I decide that hitting the hay is the best option. Staring at my phone is getting me nowhere. My feet clap on the tile floor as I make my way to my red door. Along the way, I stop at Drevi's pale green one and poke my head in.

I note that he is sprawled out on the covers, still wearing his suit. Shaking my head, I take the extra steps and cover him with the mint colored blanket that was folded near the bottom at the bed.

"Rest brother," I whisper. "Tomorrow is a new day."

I gently pull the door closed behind me. Heading to my red door, I open up to my minimalist room. Red walls with black furniture, simply a bed, dresser and nightstand. I climb into my bed, checking my phone once more with no success. I try to drift off but her face haunts me as I close my eyes. Since first laying eyes on Hayden, I haven't been able to get her off my mind. This will not be a restful night.

After staring into the darkness, my phone lights up, illuminating the right side of my room.. Snatching it up, I jerk it off the cord, anticipation filling me as I read the tiny text, from my brother Frank.

War, Hayden is fine. She knows that Drevi is more than a human. When I arrived at her room, her ex had let himself in. I handled it, and I'm staying, in case he decides to pop back in.

A grimace crosses my lips at the mention of her ex.

Well, let's trade spots. I have tomorrow off and can't sleep. So, you might as well rest up.

Dude, that would be amazing. After the shift at the bar and all the drama, I'm beat.

Heading down there now.

Clicking my screen to black, I walk out of my room. The loft is dark and filled with my brothers' snores. I don't bother changing out of my tank and shorts since Hayden will be asleep. I'm going to guard her, not seduce her.

As I pull the loft door closed gently, the lights of the white hall glare and almost blind me.

Damn Pyro and his love of the color. I blame the mortals that started associating each of us with a color. Now my brothers feel the need to comply and keep those colors as their favorites.

Impatiently, my finger reaches out and repeatedly pushes the down arrow. It takes what seems like an eternity for the ping, and then the silver doors open.

Cursing myself for not sliding on some shoes, my bare feet shuffle into the elevator and I hit the number six, lighting it up. Focused on getting to Hayden's room, I don't notice that Brittany joins me. Has she just been waiting here to surprise me?

"Hello, Warrick," she purrs.

For as long as I can remember, she's been trying to get into my pants, even when she was with my brother.

I'd rather walk past her and ignore whatever antics she's trying to use, I nod in greeting.

"It is good to see you again. How's Drevi?"

"He's well and you?" I ask, not turning to her. When will she finally take a hint?

"Married now. My husband insisted we stay here. It wasn't my first choice, but running into you and Frank has made the stay worth it."

"How is that?" I mutter.

"Well, where two of you are, the other two aren't far behind."

Brittany gets saved by the bell when the doors open to Hayden's floor. So, I exit instead of giving her a piece of my mind.

As I walk toward the correct room number, Frank slips out into the hall to greet me.

"I was just about to text you." He must have sensed me coming.

"Well, the elevator must have gone to hell and back. Took its sweet ass time getting to the level of the loft. Then it let that bitch Brittany in. Talk about an awkward conversation."

Frank snorts. "That's almost as bad as it was here. Hayden told me her ex was in her room. It didn't prepare me for the sight that was on her bed. There he was," Frank laughs, shaking his head, "naked, surrounded by flowers in the middle of her bed. All ready and waiting on Hayden to jump him the moment she walked in. She was pissed, and so was I. Hayden had to talk me down. I was molding all the flowers in the room. I am a fuck up just like Drevi. Weird thing is, clothes appeared on the ex out of thin air. He was pissed that I was there, but even more so that Hayden made him leave."

"What is different about this girl? Without trying, she somehow pulls our powers to the front, and they get mixed with our emotions. We have never encountered a mortal capable of this before. Another reason to stay close. Now go rest, if you can. Both Drevi and Pyro were snoring when I left. I'll keep an eye out for something stranger from her."

"Maybe I should just stay here with you," Frank jokes but it's cut off with a yawn.

I push him toward the elevator, with a mumbled ‘go,' and once he heads down the hall I let myself into Hayden's room.

Tiptoeing in, I gently push the door and it clicks into the lock. Then I extend my arms in front of me, searching for the couch in the dark. Just because I'm unable to sleep doesn't mean I should wake Hayden.

I inch forward slowly. That is, until my hand hits flesh and fabric.