Page 8 of The Blood Widow

I had counted twelve weapons among the three men. Their tactical gear and postures told me all of them had some training, so if a fight broke out, I’d teleport away. I was good, but I didn’t survive this long by being stupid. There were always stronger people out there, and if they were anything like Cole, it’d be one hell of a fight.

After a few seconds, Cole turned back around to face his friends. He sighed like all the anger had been forcefully drained from him and pointed his thumb at me.

“This is my ex, Novem?—”

Mister Brutey cut him off before he could continue. “This is the woman that chewed you up and spat you out like garbage? I thought she looked different…” His voice trailed off.

I winced. Great. I didn’t think things were going to be civil between us.

Did Cole have a picture of me? No. Bell’s protection magic on me wouldn’t allow it. My face would have been blurred out. He must have described me or something. This form wasn’t as intimidating.

Cole shrugged. “Yep. But regardless of what happened with us, she’s trustworthy for things like this. The woman has saved more lives than all of us put together.” Then, he stomped away.

I hoped he didn’t start slamming doors or cabinets. The children needed to rest. They might be on the run for a while until Bell could get them settled into something permanent.

When the silence got even more awkward, I turned mumbling to myself. “Let’s go see what there is to eat around here.”

This was going to be as fun as pulling teeth.

Chapter

Four

After checking that there was cereal and milk, I sat my tired ass down on one of the four chairs in the dining room, fully expecting to relax and shut everyone out. The children needed sleep more than they needed food right now. I’d give them a couple of hours of rest.

Dominic had other ideas for me. His cheerful steps tapped their way over to me. I stiffened as he stood close enough that our thighs touched. His dashing smile made my tongue dry.

"Want to make breakfast for dinner with me?” he asked. His voice was like velvet against the skin.

My eyes met his red ones. I had every intention of telling him to fuck off, but the vulnerability in his eyes had the truth spilling from my lips instead. “I, uh, I don’t know how to cook…"

He stared down at me like I had three heads. “What do you mean, you don’t know how to cook?” He grabbed my hand to help me stand up. “Cole, you never taught her? I know you aren’t the best cook, but even you know how to make breakfast foods,” Dominic chastised as his large hand gripped mine and hauled me into the kitchen.

Cole grumbled before speaking. “She never let me stick around long enough to do things like that. She just wanted mydick and told me to leave.” His body was rigid as his eyes shot lasers at me. His tone was bitter, and I couldn’t entirely blame him. We were friends with benefits, but when my feelings grew, it was harder to spend time with him outside of sex. I definitely missed our time together, though.

I still scoffed at his harsh words. “I told you from the beginning what we were. You’re the one that had to ruin a good thing.” My glare was real because he’d ruined the small happiness I had in my life. He couldn’t just have been like most of the guys in the city and not catch feelings.

Dominic laughed hard enough that he bent over holding the kitchen counter. It gave me time to study the man. His black hair was styled like he ran his fingers through it often, but in a sexy way. His almond-shaped red eyes held humor in them like he laughed a lot, it complemented his sculpted face. He was the kind of guy that women swooned over.

My stomach fluttered when those eyes locked on me, making my palms damp. His face tilted as he ran a hand over his indented chin giving me a once over.

“A woman that knows what she wants. I like it,” Dominic said with a teasing smile. Cole grunted and walked away.

The men were like fire and ice, and my body responded with little tingles in my core. Even though, I could tell Dominic was just deescalating the situation, he was partly serious, and that was what my demon locked onto.

Don’t go there,I chanted in my head. Getting involved with anyone never ended well. One-night stands or sex workers were how I got off. I had too many enemies.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Dominic said. His elbow tapped mine as if we were old friends sharing a secret. The gesture was oddly comforting.

He set up a station for each of us to cook while his demon kept scenting me. Demons didn’t hold their selves back or denytheir primal urges, so each sniff had his forehead crinkling. He knew I wanted him, or my demon side did. She was a hussy, and the power rolling off of him called to her.

I focused on what was in front of me instead of him. A pan, a big bowl, a mixer thing, and all the ingredients. He gave me measuring cups and told me how much to use. The task was mind numbing stuff, but I appreciated the distraction.

After everything was in the bowl, I glanced up at him to make sure I was mixing everything right. I paused with my mouth slightly opened at his expression. The despair written in the lines of his face took away my breath. He was greener like he was going to be sick.

“Are you okay?” I asked, making sure my voice was a whisper so no one else would hear me.

He shook his head, slowly his color filled him again, and his smile was back on his face. “I’m good, just getting a call.” He tapped his temple. “You know.”

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