Page 56 of Mayhem

I link arms with her and turn to walk away from Odin. He doesn’t need to know my business unless I want to tell him. I take a step before Odin grabs my arm. His grip is tight and almost painful. I scowl at him and rip my arm from his grip.

He doesn’t say anything. Odin stares at me, looking almost jealous. That fills me with a weird sense of joy and pain. I don’t want to hurt them, but they have never clarified what is happening between us.

I shake my head at him and start walking toward Evie’s locker. She grabs her stuff for class, and we walk to it. Odin is already there when we enter, texting on his phone. He still looks pissed off. His eyes dart up and look at me. I expect to see anger directed at me, but it’s the opposite. I see desire and want.

The rest of the morning goes by quickly. I avoid the cafeteria at lunch, opting to sit in the library instead and catch up on some schoolwork. I find a seat in the back, far away from anyone. I still feel uneasy that someone might be watching, but I try to tell myself it’s nerves and paranoia.

I still think about the warning Melanie gave me. I don’t know what she meant by that. Maybe the people that Valerie knows are the ones who sent me those pictures. It’s the only thing that slightly makes sense to me. Or maybe Zane. He has been creepy with me since the first time I met him.

I contemplate this all day, barely paying attention in the rest of my classes. Whenever I think I have an answer, I find a way to talk myself out of it. There are many people that it could be, but none make enough sense to me.

The final bell rings. I slowly grab my books to leave the class. I'm too caught in my thoughts to hear Valerie storm up behind me. She pushes into me, causing me to trip and almost fall. I turn around, ready to fight back. It’s so tempting to punch her in the face. Midas barks at her to leave me alone before he storms out of class. Valerie tosses her newly dyed fake blonde hair over her shoulder, smirking down at me, and chases after him.

Odin and Zeus look torn about who to go to. They look at me, then Midas, but eventually follow after him. I dust myself off and walk out of the class. Keeping my head held high. I won’t let them see how much that hurt. I don’t owe them anything anymore.

I wave goodbye to Evie before driving home.

I have the whole house to myself tonight. Mom texted earlier, saying she was spending the night in the city. As much as I wanted to beg her to come home, not feeling entirely safe by myself in the house, I told her to have fun.

I check all the doors and windows, double-checking they are locked, before plopping on the couch and turning on my favorite movie. I guess I will order a pizza tonight and have a night to myself. I grab a fuzzy blanket to wrap myself in and start my movie marathon.

A couple of movies later and half a pizza, I decide it’s time for bed. I clean up the mess I made, turn the lights off, and walk to my room. I switch the light on and scream. Lying on my bed is a red rose surrounded by more rose petals. I crumble to the floor, shaking, tears streaming down my face.

I need to get out of the house.

I don’t think. I just run. I bang on Midas’s door, praying he is home. I don’t stop banging until the door is ripped open, Midas standing there looking so confused. I fall into his arms, still crying. He cradles me against his chest, holding me until the tears slow down.

“Angel, what’s going on?” He sounds so worried. His eyes scan my body, looking for any injuries.

“Can I stay here tonight?” My words are shaky.

He doesn’t say anything as he ushers me inside and down to his room. He closes the door behind us and carefully walks me to his bed. I sit down, my body still shaking. How did someone get into my house without me knowing? It doesn’t make sense. I made sure everything was locked. There wasn’t anything on my bed when I got home. My window and curtains were closed. How is it possible?

Midas pulls back the blankets on his bed. He picks me up and lays me down on his bed. He strips down to his boxers, my eyes never leaving him. I need him right now. That’s not something I thought I would ever say, but I do. I need his strength and protection. He crawls into bed beside me and holds me close to him. I lay my head on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

My eyes start to feel heavier the more I relax in his arms. My breathing starts to even out, and right before I fall asleep, I feel Midas kiss the top of my head and whisper in my ear. “Mine."

I wake up so warm and cozy. My bed smells different, and I feel way too hot. I try to move, but something is holding me down. I scream, thinking of the roses on my bed.He has me.I start thrashing, trying to get away from his hold.

“Enough, angel. Relax.” I stop, recognizing his voice. Midas.

I completely forgot that I came to him last night. He shushes me, trying to calm down my racing heart. His warmth soothed my body. His strong hands held me close to him. I feel his erection against my ass and arch it back into it. He groans in my ear, and I can feel myself getting wet from that single noise.

Valerie.

It’s like ice water thrown on my libido when I remember he is with her. I pull myself away from him and scramble out of his bed. I look down at the nearly naked god in front of me. His extremely impressive erection is straining against his boxers. I see the crowned skull tattoo over his heart, the MC symbol. I want to reach out and touch it, but I refrain. My shoulder tattoo suddenly burning, like it’s calling me to him.

I thank him for last night before exiting his room and rushing out of his house. I think I saw Zane in the kitchen. I didn’t stay long enough to know. I reluctantly make my way back home and into my room. The rose and petals are still where they were last night. I shudder just looking at it, feeling violated once again.

I jump when I hear the knocking at my door. I walk back to the front of the house and open the door to Midas, Odin, and Zeus. They each look like they are ready to murder someone. I walk away, leaving the door open for them to come in. I don’t want to deal with my room yet, so I make a pot of coffee. I lean against the counter, impatiently waiting for it to brew. All three are standing before me, waiting to see what I say.

I’m guessing they want an explanation about last night. I don’t know what to tell them.Hey, I have this super creepy stalker who has broken into my house, left weird pictures in my locker, and has called and texted me multiple times.Yeah, that sounds believable. I suddenly wish I cleaned up the bed before letting them in. For all I know, one of them is the creeper. That still doesn’t feel right, though.

The coffee maker beeps. I turn around and make myself a cup of coffee before I sit down at the kitchen table. Zeus makes coffee for himself and the others before they all join me at the table. My hands are shaking as I take my first sip. Each of them notices, and I try to play it off.

“Do you want to tell us what happened last night?” Midas barks out, making me jump in my seat.

Odin places his hand on my arm, trying to reassure me. I give him a small smile. I take another sip before putting my mug on the table. I debate what to say. I could lie and make up some bullshit reason why I ran over there crying, but nothing I can think of is believable enough. So, I tell the truth or at least part of it.

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