Chapter Eighteen

Cyrus

Everything that could have gone wrong did. The game was not supposed to be like that, though from what I could tell, Kouvr didn’t know that.

I wasn’t excited about my brother’s shitty ass behavior. He was like a two-year-old having a tantrum if he didn’t get his way, and currently, he was ruining my game.

My eyes landed on Zelos, who watched Kouvr on the security screen. She was in the bath and had been for a bit. It gave Kyree and Theon enough time to order a neighborhood in the Pits food. A hot meal for a neighborhood we used to live in. Because of her, we thought it was best to do that.

My arms crossed over my chest.

“She kissed me…” Zelos muttered.

“Good,” I muttered. Out of all of us, Zelos deserved her affection the most. After all, he’d loved her almost all his life.

“Why is America’s favorite upset?” Kyree asked just as he and Theon returned from passing out food in the Pits. Most people in the comments were swooning over him.

“He thinks…” I started, but I didn’t know what he was thinking. “What are you thinking, Zelos?”

Zelos sighed. “I don’t know… D’s jealousy might be getting to me.”

Theon shook his head. “I don’t give a fuck, and I’ve been inside of her. She knows we shared.”

“You told her?” I asked, brows furrowing.

“She said she slept with you. I said let me watch next time. After sex, she asked, and I told her the truth. If I had said nothing, she probably wouldn’t have kissed Zelos or even me.” Theon leaned against the wall. “The idea of us sharing her turns her on. She’s not turned off.”

Kouvr sighed on the screen, sinking further into the water. She deserved us being there, rubbing her down. We didn’t even need sex; I wanted to rub my hands all over her body, relaxing her.

“You guys aren’t… jealous?” Zelos asked.

I shook my head. “D is. Us no.”

He laughed, smiling like an idiot. That was better than sex for him, just to kiss her while zombies devoured them. A horror fanatics wet dream.

In the video, Kouvr jumped, splashing water. A knocking could be heard through the whole house. She sat up, and didn’t move, her brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Kyree muttered, looking through the cameras.

“The knock wasn’t at the front door,” Zelos stated.

Kyree clicked a button to change cameras. A shadow figure could be seen in the office.

“Is that… D? Is he in the house?” I snapped, pulling out my phone. I sent him a text.

In the camera, he lifted his phone and looked at my warning message. Ignoring it, he pushed over a lamp on the desk.

Crash!

In the bathroom, Kouvr raced and locked the bathroom door. She picked up her phone, probably dialing 911.

I ran my hand through my hair, but my phone started ringing. Kouvr’s name popped up. I took a deep breath and picked up. “Hey, Kouvr.”

“I… Cyrus… I think someone is in my fucking house, and if it’s you, fine, but please don’t-”

“What?! I’m not. Are you okay? I’m coming right now,” I quickly said.

“Are you far?” she whispered, pressing herself against the door.

“No. Stay on the phone with me.” I pointed at Theon to come with me and then Kyree to watch the cameras. “Are you okay?”

“No. I… I’m scared. Why do people keep doing this to me? I just posted my first vlog today in almost a year!”

Rushing, I jumped into my car in the garage and Theon followed. I started up the car so quickly and pulled out. “I know baby.”

Sniffling filled my ear through the phone.

Fucker was making my girl cry. I wanted to punch him in the throat then slit it.

“Stay strong and stay silent. You can cry in my arms when I get there.”

“Okay. Please hurry.”

I got to her house in five minutes, and that was exactly why we moved our Eden closer to her. It was to protect her, but I didn’t think it’d be D in the house, making her scared.

Another thing banged in the house, and she yelped on the phone.

“I’m here. I’m coming in.” I rushed inside her apartment building, moving up to her floor. “Is the door locked?”

“Yes,” she said.

But when I turned the knob, it was open.

D moved from the office and right past me, winking at me. My jaw locked, and I refrained from punching him.

“It was open,” I muttered, and she sobbed.

“Be careful, Cyrus,” she sobbed.

“Theon, check the house. Where are you, Kouvr?”

A door knob jiggled, and I moved to her bathroom as if I didn’t know where she was. She was there in a towel, now and trembling.

I scooped her up, wrapping my arms around her. “You are safe with me. I think they are gone.”

“Yeah, they are. A few things are broken in your office, but no sign of anyone,” Theon said, coming from checking the house.

She shook her head, still shaking.

“They are gone, Kouvr.”

“I can’t stay here, Cyrus,” she said, finally looking up at me. Then I realized, and I think she did too, that we were real, standing in front of each other right now. “You… guys are ten times handsomer in real life.”

I chuckled and pushed her blond, wet curls from her face. “You are always so gorgeous.”

Her eyes dropped to my lips, and instantly, hers were on mine.

I sighed at her real taste, though she didn’t taste different.

She pulled back. “I… Where am I going to go?”

“You’ll stay with us.”

She nodded, looking at Theon.

He nodded in agreement.

“Let me grab a bag. I can’t afford another move or even a hotel, but I will stay the night with you guys.”

“You can stay as long as you need,” I said, leaning against the door frame of her room. She moved to grab her stuff—underwear, bra, clothes.

“And what about the vlog? My simulation machine…”

“Is outdated compared to ours. And we have extra.”

She bit her lip. “And my equipment.”

“We will grab them. Get ready.”

“Well,” she looked down at her towel, “I have to get dressed. Are you going to watch?”

I nodded, making her giggle. But I moved from the room, taking Theon with me. We shared a look, and then a smirk curled on his lips.

Was this D’s intention?

It got us closer to her.

I moved from the door, not wanting to seem like a creep too much, though Theon would stay there like a guard for her safety. I moved into her living room. Her house was tidy. My eyes spotted the small camera we had set up when we found out she was moving here.

We found out the moment she texted her mom the news—a text we also received due to tapping her phone.

Every stalker. Every problem. Every sexual intercourse with a low-lift bum who didn’t even deserve to sniff her. We saw every moment of it.

I picked up a picture on her mantal, seeing her wide smile in the photo. She was hugging her brother and mom and though we didn’t formally know them, I knew of them and everything about them.

Her brother looked slightly different than Kouvr, and Kyree found out it was because he was her half-sibling. Different fathers. Her mom was a single mother and has been for most of their lives.

I picked up a candle, sniffing it. It smelt like strawberry cake.

“Enjoying my decor?” Kouvr’s voice came from the hall.

I looked back to see Theon towering behind her, blocking the doorway. His eyes were on her butt, unable to hide his dark eyes.

In real life, Kouvr was breathtaking. She was only in black leggings and a hoodie that was large on her. Her semi-wet curls were up in a bun. My lips parted, completely forgetting what she had asked me.

“Thank you both for coming so quickly. I know that this was probably silly-” she started.

“Silly? Someone was in here, Kouvr, before we got here. You were scared and shit, I was too.” I admitted though it was almost a lie.

Her brown eyes searched my face.

I knew I should lie and be more “manly” like D, but I was genuinely scared. Not that she would be hurt because I would slit D’s throat before that happened, and he would never hurt her. I was scared the stupid fuck was going to scare her away and spoil our plans.

“Can I have a hug?” she asked, lips frowning like she wanted to cry.

I set the candle down, not realizing I was still holding it.

She moved forward, meeting her halfway.

My heart pounded in my ears, deafening any noise around me. Her head pushed into my chest, arms wrapping around my torso. My arms wrapped around her warm shoulders. My eyes closed and my hand held her head close to my chest.

Kouvr

I felt safe.

For once, since being a famous vlogger and countless stalking issues, I was safe.

Cyrus’s body was warm, curling around me in a protective way. His heart beat hard against my head, yet it calmed me. After a few moments, he waited until I pulled back.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He nodded, looking down at me. “Anytime.”

Our bodies were still close to each other, and his bright blue eyes dropped towards my lips. He wanted to kiss me, but part of me wondered about Theon.

But Cyrus didn’t seem to think the same way, pushing my chin upwards with a finger. Bending his lips captured mine again and a sigh instantly escaped me. He tasted how he did in the game, but he felt ten times better. Realer.

I pulled back, licking my lips. Looking back, I looked at Theon. He was leaning on the doorframe of my hall, right before my bathroom and bedroom hall. His hair was down, hanging down his chest. He was just in a distressed band tee and black jeans.

“Can I…” I started. I wanted the same treatment from Theon also, but would that be wrong? Would Cyrus approve?

Theon stood up straight, and I took a deep breath.

“You can do whatever you want to him,” Cyrus said in a heavy voice.

I shuddered, moving to Theon. He reached his large hand out, and the moment I took it, he pulled me against his chest and stole a kiss.

My lips curled into a smile against his. He tasted sweet, kind of like alcohol or wine. My finger buried into his hair, holding him close to me.

He pulled back, chest heaving a bit. His eyes were a bit darkened as he straightened. “Can I have a hug too?”

I nodded. My hands ran up his spine, pulling him close to me. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, making me realize his arms were a bit longer than Cyrus’s. I sighed, pressing my face into his chest. “Thank you both.”

“Of course,” Theon muttered into my hair.

I pulled back. “But I am so ready to get out of here. Let me get my equipment.”

“Take your time,” Cyrus said.

I moved into my office, seeing the smashed lamp on the floor. I swallowed. I felt silly, but Cyrus’s words entered my head. He was scared, too, scared that I would be hurt. My fear felt normal, and I was grateful I didn’t have to stay here tonight.

I grabbed what I needed for the vlog and packed it into a bag. Then, I moved back out into the living room. Cyrus’s eyes were exploring the house, taking in the tiny details that I decorated.

Theon was sitting on the couch with my bag next to him. When he saw me, he stood, and Cyrus held out his hand.

I slid my hand into his.

But his other reached for the bag. Is that what he really wanted? “Ready?”

I nodded, noting how he didn’t pull his hand away.

With that, we left the apartment building. The guys threw my bags into their car, and Cyrus opened the passenger door for me. Theon got into the back while Cyrus got into the driver’s seat.

In a flash, the car started up, flying away from my apartment building. I looked down at the vast, multiple apartment buildings stacked on top of each other. After a bit, the city lights were hard to see, and then we were flying over water.

We all stayed silent, though I didn’t know exactly what to say to them right now.

Looking at Cyrus, the car lights illuminated his face, and his eyes were focused on the sky ahead of us. My eyes took in the soft curve of his lips and his sharp jaws.

I was going to stay with him for the night. If you had asked me a week ago where I thought I’d be, it wouldn’t be this.