23. Aeri

T he sun is on about a million this morning as it streams in my window right on my face. Usually, my curtains are closed, but of course, the crack is just enough to wake me because why wouldn't it be?

I know I should get up; this is probably some kind of sign from the universe, God's alarm clock, but what can I say? I like sleep. So instead of getting up, I roll over and curl up in my blanket, successfully blocking out the sun in all its very bright glory, and slip back into a blissful sleep.

Or I try to.

Instead, I lay on my bed, trying and failing to fall back to sleep.

With a groan of annoyance, I reach blindly for my phone where it should be plugged in on the nightstand. I might not be able to fall asleep, but that doesn't mean I have to get out of bed yet. No, that would mean starting my day, and I'm not ready for that just yet.

It takes me longer than it should to find my phone without being able to see, but I do, eventually. Pulling the charger out, I let it drop before bringing my phone under the blanket with me and damn near blinding myself.

Terrible idea. What kind of maniac puts their brightness all the way up like that?

Oh, right, that would be me.

Ugh. It's only eight a.m. How in the world am I awake right now?

No, I should definitely still be asleep, or I'm going to be dragging ass tonight at work. I should have known it was too early when the sun was in my eyes. But despite how early it is, sleep evades me.

"Damn it!" I hiss, finally throwing back the covers and giving up after forty minutes of trying and failing to go back to sleep.

Blinking hard against the sunlight, I can't help but stop.

How did I get here?

I mean, this is my room in the apartment I share with the guys, but I cannot recall coming home last night or even working my shift for the life of me.

What the hell?

I sit, trying to give myself a second to wake up, but even after a few minutes, nothing.

Trying to keep my panic in check, I grab my phone and quickly text Lea.

Was I at work last night?

I tug on my braid and chew on my lip as I watch the screen, waiting for it to show read, and then the three little dots that tell me she's responding. After what feels like an eternity, my phone vibrates as her message comes through.

Yeah lol is this a trick question? How are you feeling?

I'm not sure what I'd hoped for with her answer, but it doesn't really make me feel any better. I'd been at work, but I have zero memory of it; that's not normal. It's not as if I was out drinking last night, not after last time. But even then, I got trashed and remembered most of the night and definitely remembered going out.

It's as if last night didn't even happen. But even without any memories, it's as if something is tickling my brain, and it's kind of driving me nuts.

The more I think about it, the harder my head pounds, and eventually, I get annoyed and give up for now.

Maybe if I have a nice warm shower and eat some food, something will come back to me. I don't really have much else I can do, so why not. Getting out of bed, I grab an outfit and head out into the hall. For the most part, I've found the guys, like myself, tend to keep to themselves. For the first few weeks here, I'd tried really hard to avoid them, but other than my run-in with Kai, where I literally ran into him, and the first time I met Talian, they are either really busy or they don't care to interact with me either.

Which totally works for me.

Strangely enough, Bast somehow became the one I see the most. He still doesn't last very long in the same room as me, but we can say more than two words before he runs away, and most of the time, he even looks at me. On the other hand, I'm lucky to see Asta once or twice a week now that I no longer work at the coffee shop. I'm not sure what he does for work, but he's gone before I wake up, and I assume in bed long before I'm even home each night. Talian and Kai, I sometimes see in passing, but I can usually duck back into my room or the bathroom fast enough to avoid them.

All of that to say, the last thing I expected when I got up to take a shower this morning was to find all four of them sitting at the breakfast bar. I stumble over my own feet, feeling like I'm in some kind of alternate reality. Four sets of eyes turn toward me just as I manage to right myself, and I have no idea what is happening right now.

I couldn't tell you how long we stayed like that, me standing in the hall looking at them as they stared back at me. It felt like an eternity but might have only been a couple of seconds.

"Good morning, Aeri," Bast says, finally breaking the silence. I happily turn my eyes to him to find him looking right at me, even though his cheeks are slightly pink. "We made breakfast. Are you hungry?"

I know Bast cooks. He's made lunch and even dinner a few times and offered some to me when he had leftovers, but something about this feels different.

"Oh, um," I struggle to figure out what to say because I am hungry, but I'm not sure I'll be able to eat with them all looking at me. I almost tripped over my own feet with all of them just in one room. "I was going to go grab a shower first," I tell him, holding up my pile of clothes as if that somehow explains it.

Of course, my bra is on full display like that because why wouldn't it be? I quickly drop my hand and force a smile as if it's not a big deal, even though I can feel how fucking hot my face is now.

"I can grab some after or make something for myself. You don't have to worry about me." I beeline for the bathroom before he can reply, hoping to keep from embarrassing myself further. Only once I'm inside the bathroom with the door closed do I take a second to breathe.

Nope. I can't do more weird today. I'm going to take a nice long, relaxing hot shower and maybe remember some of last night. And I definitely won't be thinking about the four very attractive men just down the hall.

Crap.

I hit my head on the door, groaning as I do exactly what I just said I wasn't going to do.

Sharing an apartment is a lot harder than I thought it would be, for reasons I never would have thought would be an issue. If you had asked me last month if I thought it was possible for me to develop a crush on a bunch of guys I hardly know, I would have laughed…not so fucking funny now, though.

Good one universe.

Flipping on the rainfall overhead, I adjust the temperature to my liking and stand under the water.

Ugh, I swear a nice hot shower can help with so many things.

The thought gives me an idea, and I turn under the water to face the wall that houses the nobs for the shower. There are about eight of them, and only the temperature one is labeled. I'd gotten lucky with the overhead one because it just so happened to be the top one, but I'd never tried the rest of them.

Eyeing the wand mounted to the wall, I wonder if maybe now would be a good time to figure it out.

I've never done this before with anything but normal tools, but I've heard people do it. In movies and books they make it seem easy enough, worst case scenario it doesn't work so easily I can always go back to my trusty little bullet in my bedside drawer.

The first knob I turn has water coming from the wall near the knobs, spraying me right in the face. Sputtering, I blindly reach for the knobs to try to shut it off, but even blinded, I know I don't get the right one when the shower head above me changes from rainlike to a tidalwave.

What the hell!

Shutting that one off, I manage to find the one that's blinding me and shut that off, too. I'm tempted to give up. There's still four more knobs, and I'm honestly not sure I want to know what they do at this point.

With a sigh, I try the next one, and instead of water, a warm light shines down on me from the ceiling—a heat lamp. Now that's cool. It's not what I was looking for, but it's still cool.

The next knob finally does what I need, and I let out a whoop of excitement. It only took me trying six of the eight knobs.

I stand in the water, just holding the shower head for a minute, trying to decide if this is really a good idea. Every single one of them was just down the hall in the kitchen when I came in here. But honestly, they're never not close. Even in my room I could be overheard, and it's not like I'm never going to masturbate again.

No, I'll just make sure I'm quiet.

The first time I'd been in this bathroom, I was in awe—sometimes, I still am. But one thing that never really made sense to me was the bench that ran the length of the shower, inside the shower. Who needs to sit in the shower? Wasn't that kind of the point of the bath? And it's not like they didn't have an amazing tub. I brushed it off as a design thing, but now, well, I think I might see the appeal.

By some stroke of luck, the shower head reaches to the bench where I take a seat, getting right to it before I can talk myself out of it. The shower head has more pressure than the rainfall style overhead one, and propping my leg up on the bench, it only takes a second of the water hitting my clit for me to understand why someone would do this.

It's fantastic, and I'm willing to bet super fucking effective.

"Shit," I curse, sinking my lips into my lower lip as the water hits with just enough pressure to have me panting, but it's still just less than enough.

Closing my eyes, I let my head drop back against the wall and let my mind wander while I trail my hand up my thigh and slowly press two fingers inside of my throbbing aching pussy.

Damn, I need to get laid.

Without any prompting, my mind pictures Bast and his adorable smile before jumping to Ruin and that stupid nickname he loves to call me. I'd never admit it, but that fucking nickname does things to me, and here in the shower alone with the shower head, well, my body is happy to show me exactly how much I like it. I let out a hushed whimper and almost don't give a shit when it bounces off the walls around me.

Almost, but not quiet. I might not give a shit right now, but I know better than to think I'd be able to face them after if I thought they heard me.

No, I need to finish this up and get out of here before I go too over the top and have to live in the bathroom.

I change the showerhead position, getting closer as I hook my fingers inside of me and stroke that sweet spot, thinking of the way Oliver's piercing was able to hit that spot every damn time.

I shatter with a choked whisper of Oliver's name on my lips and the thought of Ruin and Bast. I'm panting and hot and glad I decided to do this before I washed myself, but it was definitely an experience, one I can't say I'm opposed to. Just maybe next time, I'll wait until everyone's asleep or gone, so I don't have to worry about biting a hole in my lip.

I give myself a second to recover before pushing up on shaking legs to actually shower now.

The shower doesn't do a damn thing for my forgotten night, but I do feel better. I hadn't realized how much I needed some release. I mean, it wasn't as good as Oliver's mouth, or cock, but I'm not sure I could ever achieve that on my own, even with some toys. That man…well, he knew damn well how to use his tongue and where to use it.

If the bathroom wasn't already all steamed out from my shower, I'd be embarrassed someone might know I just got up to something less than clean. But the shower is a great cover and gives me a perfectly valid reason to look flushed.

Not that I expect to run into anyone. I'd made sure to take my time, giving them plenty of time to finish eating and go about their day.

Or at least I thought I had. Apparently I was wrong though, because all four of them are still in the kitchen. I turn the corner and almost run right into Kai, thankfully he must have had like a sixth sense or something, though, because he sidesteps at the last second, and I avoid slamming into him and spilling what looks like a very hot cup of coffee on both of us.

I open my mouth to apologize before quickly snapping it closed again. I know better than to try with him. Any second now he's going to tell me off before he leaves…

Except he doesn't.

Instead, he makes his way around the island to drop back onto one of the stools with his mug of steaming hot coffee, as if we hadn't almost just collided. It doesn't sound like anything special, but that's a big deal with Kai. Last time I ran into him, I swear my tailbone was bruised for a month.

"So, were you hungry?" This time instead of Bast, it's Talian who asks me. I'd been so focused on Kai that I hadn't even realized he was over here standing at the oven, flipping pancakes? Why does that feel like it should be illegal?

A vision of him dancing up in the cages at the club hits me like a ton of bricks, and I almost choke on my tongue. Where had that come from?

Why does someone who looks so good have to be so sleazy?

"It looks like she would rather eat her own arm than anything you offered her," Kai says with a smirk that makes me want to disagree, but I can't because he's right. Clearly, my face said everything without me needing to open my mouth.

"How are you feeling?" Asta's question catches me off guard, and I turn away from Talian to look at him. Other than not remembering last night and the strange feeling I get being surrounded by a bunch of attractive rich guys, I'm fine.

"Fine, why?" I ask, unsure what would make him think I wasn't.

Do I look sick?

"Last night, you kind of passed out," Bast answers before Asta can, and I turn to him. His brow is scrunched, and he looks uncomfortable again, staring down at the countertop instead of at me. "Some guys were giving you a hard time at the club, and Talian got them to leave you alone, but you seemed pretty shaken up. He ended up bringing you home early, and you shut yourself in your room."

I hear what he's saying, but I can't make them make sense, can't find a way to relate them to me.

I don't remember any of that, yet somehow I feel as though the panic is there, just below the surface.

"Aeri?" The concern in Talian's voice almost shocks me. It's not at all what I would expect from him, but if what Bast just said is true, maybe there's more to him than I realized.

"Sorry, I um…" I trail off, unsure what to say or if I should say anything at first, but they already probably think I'm nuts, so why hide it? "I don't remember any of that, or anything from yesterday at all," I tell him with a frown that he quickly matches.

"Thank you, though. I don't need to remember it happening to know you didn't have to do that. With the guys and bringing me back here. I really appreciate you looking out for me like that." And I mean it. I really do appreciate it. I've never had someone who looked out for me like that.

Talian stands there, spatula in the air, pancakes in the pan, with the most dumbfounded look on his face, and I can't help but chuckle. It's such a strange picture, seeing a man who at the club is a walking sex symbol, so domesticated and normal. I'm not sure what it is, but it's adorable.

"I think you broke him."

A smile pulls at my lips at Asta's words, and as if to add insult to injury, the pancakes start to smoke, which seems to be what Talian needed to snap him out of it. I can't help the laugh that bubbles out of me as he scrambles to try and save them.

He flips them onto a plate that already has about twenty perfectly done pancakes, and yeah, there's no saving them; they're black.

"Damn." Talian curses with a frown as I try to get control of myself.

"I told you it wasn't that easy," Bast teases from the counter, looking very happy with himself. I get the feeling Talian isn't usually the one who does the cooking. "So, are you hungry, Aeri?"

"Yeah, I could eat." I decide, and I swear Talian smiles so wide it looks almost painful. "Just how about not the ones that just came off alright?" I joke, unable to help myself from poking fun at him.

"Of course not. Those can be for Kai. They match his black heart," Talian says back without missing a beat, and I swear my jaw hits the floor.

He did not just say that.

However, judging by Kai's middle finger, I'm going to guess he did.

Eating with the guys was a bit strange, even more so because I'm pretty sure they had all already eaten while I was in the shower. Which meant I was the only one eating, thankfully Kai and Asta were drinking coffee, so they weren't just watching me the whole time, but still, it's not like we have anything to talk about. I hardly know them, and they me, and I need to keep it that way.

Awkward or not, the food was delicious. Bast grabbed a tray of fruit from the fridge while I fixed up my plate, and between that and the pancakes, I was stuffed. It was the best meal I'd eaten in a while, and it was the first time I really ate something homecooked for, well, a long time.

After breakfast, I excuse myself to go chill in my room for a few before I have to get ready for work. Nobody else seems to have anything to do today, which seems strange but also kind of nice, I guess. They seem as though they're all friends, or maybe they've just lived together a long time. Either way, I feel like I'm intruding, and while they might not seem to have an issue with it, I also don't mind having some time to myself.

Lea brought me a book the other day that I'd been dying to dive into. The last few times I tried after work, I passed out.

I get cozy in my bed and about three chapters into my book before my phone vibrates and reminds me I'm not a fae princess who's got five sexy fated mates and a sister who's trying to kill her…damn.

A girl can dream.

Hey Sunshine, bad news still no transmission ??

I groan and toss my bookmark in the page I'm at so I don't lose my spot. I love having a book to hold and put on a shelf, but man, do I miss my e-reader.

?? I'm beginning to think you didn't even order it… Are you even really a mechanic?

Hitting send, I can't help but chuckle, imagining his reaction. Ruin is nothing if not very lively, he has so much personality.

??You doubt me? When have I ever steered you wrong?

And of course I'm a real mechanic. I'm your FAVORITE mechanic, remember!?

His messages come in back to back so fast I don't even have a chance to respond, and I can't help but roll my eyes at his comment. He's never going to let that go.

But despite his poking fun at me, he's right; so far, he's yet to steer me wrong. I got both my job and found this apartment from the job board he sent me pictures of. Plus, there's still the whole he didn't murder me when we went to pick up my car.

That doesn't mean I don't enjoy messing with him.

Wait… who is this again?

The gif of a shocked cat he sends back has me laughing so hard I'm damn near gasping for air and wiping tears from my eyes.

??I thought we had a real friendship here, sunshine. You cut me real deep.

So dramatic.

Oh, you know, I'm just kidding. I could never forget my favorite mechanic.

I say back, deciding I've had enough fun on his behalf for the day.

And no rush on the car. Honestly, I'd probably have to park it for now anyway.

Purgatory is great for money, much better than the coffee shop would have ever been, but it's still probably going to take me a little while before I have enough of a cushion to leave. It might have cost me more than I wanted for my car repair, but I can't deny that now is a great time to save as much as I can. Who knows when I'll get this kind of chance again. Honestly, I can't deny the thought of staying here has been heavy on my mind lately.

I have friends here, something I've never really had before. I have a good job and a super nice place to stay. Neither of which I'm sure to find wherever I end up.

I want to stay, fuck I want to stay so bad, but every time I decide I will, he ruins it. I close my eyes, and I see him; he finds me, finds me with them, and…I can't do that to them.

My phone vibrates with another new message from Ruin, and I quickly open it, happy for the distraction.

You still working at that little coffee shop? I'm going to have to come up there, and you can buy me a cinnamon roll as a sorry for being so mean.

Yeah, Ruin is a wonderful distraction and friend.

I'm not actually. I got a new job a few weeks ago with a friend. It's a club called Purgatory, ever heard of it?

A knock at my door damn near scares the shit out of me, and I have to take a second to get my breathing under control.

I scramble out of bed, half confused and half concerned about who could be at my door. Nobody ever comes to my door, but I guess that was before today because, pulling open my door, I find Talian.

He stands in the hall, looking almost uncomfortable, and I can't say I don't relate. The last time he was over here with me was the first time I met him, and he was very naked.

"Um, can I help you?" I ask after a beat too long of silence. He shakes his head as if shaking himself from his thoughts, and I can't help but wonder if he's remembering that first day as well.

Not that either of us should be thinking about that. No, that was more of him than I needed to see upon first meeting him…but I'm not sure I'd be so opposed to it now.

Fuck, what is wrong with me? A guy shows a little bit of kindness, and I'm what, ready to hop in bed with him? Yes, he handled some creeps at the club and helped me home when I passed out, but both of those things are like basic human decency.

Get it together, Aeri.

"I just wanted to let you know the boss gave you the night off."

I'm not sure what I expected him to say, but it wasn't that.

Is this because the boss doesn't like me? He wanted me out the minute he met me. Is this his way of getting me out?

"What, no! I'm fine. I can work." I insist a little too loudly, and my voice bounces down the hall, making me cringe. "Sorry, but really, I'm fine. Tell him I'm fine."

I expected that to be the end of it, but clearly Talian's not done because, as I go to push the door closed, he catches it, keeping it open.

"Aeri." He leans in, making closing the door even more impossible, and putting his chest right about level with my face. A chest that I know all too well because, again, I've seen him naked, but also because I've been watching him strip in the damn cage for weeks now.

Crap, his face, Aeri, look at his face.

Pulling my gaze from his chest, I take a step back and meet his eyes. I can't be sure, but I'm almost positive he knows I was just checking him out. He doesn't say anything, thankfully, but there's this almost twinkle in his eye that makes me feel like he knows.

"Last night you kind of scared the shit out of us just…" he trails off, and all I can do is stand here staring at him, trying to remind myself to breathe.

He said I scared the shit out of ‘us' as in not just him. Does he mean him and the boss? Or him and the guys? I can't bring myself to ask him for fear of sounding stupid, and while both seem crazy to me, he said ‘us,' I heard him. So I guess it doesn't really matter who the other person or persons are, what matters here is someone cares…multiple someones.

"Just take the night off and make sure you're okay, please?" His voice is low, almost a whisper, but it's impossible to miss his almost pleading tone.

Oh my god. Is Talian adorable?

No way, am I losing it?

It takes longer than it should, but eventually, I focus enough to nod and squeak out an okay.

His face lights up with the most genuine smile I've ever seen, and for a second, I swear he looks like he's about to hug me before he takes a step back and shoves his hands in his pockets.

"Get some rest, Darling." He turns and disappears into the room across from mine without giving me time to respond.

What?

How was I unaware that Talian's room was that one? I knew the one at the end of the hall to my right was Kai's. I'd seen him going in there about a million times when he was trying to get away from me but Talian.

Shit, I need to learn to pay better attention.

With a sigh, I close my door again before flipping the lock and climbing back into bed, only to find a few missed messages.

Shit, I forgot I was in the middle of a conversation with Ruin. I'm so shit about having friends; Lea makes fun of me all the time because I constantly forget to respond to her. Or worse, I'll think I respond and never hit send.

Of course I've heard of it, I don't live under a rock.

Rude.

My phone vibrates with yet another message from him; clearly, I took too long to respond.

When do you work next? You can just pay me back with a drink from there. I've yet to go tho, the lines are always too long, but now I've got a connection.

I snort at the thought of someone using me as a way in. Look at me being the cool kid. I send him my schedule for the next few days and tell him he can pop in whenever. It's not until I press send that I realize how much that felt like setting up a date—something I had no experience with until recently, either.

Clicking back to my messages, I hesitate for a moment before clicking Oliver's name. I didn't even realize I'd gotten his number until he messaged me a few days ago asking when he could see me again, but I'd been too much of a chicken shit to respond.

I guess if I'll be leaving in a few weeks or months, I might as well enjoy some company now, right?