Page 69 of Marked By Night

Disappointment flutters through me. I was hoping to figure out more about my magic, but I shove that down. He said they were attacked.

“Is everyone okay?”

He shakes his head. “We’re not certain. The Weaver who called us was extremely upset, and then the line was disconnected before we could get any answers. They’re trained for this type of situation, so I wouldn’t worry too much.”

“Does this sort of thing happen often?” I ask.

“Not with the compounds. Most of the time they try to pick us off while we’re alone and vulnerable. Elian’s ward should keep us safe though. It hasn’t failed us yet.”

His assurances do nothing to help settle my concern. My gut says the attack wasn’t random and I don’t trust Elian enough to have faith in his wards.

“We’ll see,” I say.

29

Sadie

After my talk with Dante, I went back to my room and fell fast asleep. The bed they gave me literally feels like a freaking marshmallow, and I was out like a light within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.

When I finally wake up, it’s because Goldie licks my face, leaving a trail of slobber. He grumbles something about needing food. I groan, pushing my messy morning hair out of my face, wincing when the soft light streaming through the open curtains hits me right in my sensitive eyes.

“What time is it?” I croak, falling back onto the bed and slamming my pillow over my eyes.

“Breakfast time,” Goldie says, nudging his nose under the pillow to lick my cheek until I finally drag my ass out of bed.

Sometime while I was eating with Vin last night, Dante left satin pajamas on the end of my bed with a note saying to join them for breakfast. The silky top is a little skimpy and more Ash’s style than mine, but beggars can’t be choosers. I shrug on my Converse and some rumpled jeans from my bag, leaving the burgundy top on for shits and giggles to see how Dante and Kaos react.

Deciding to stop by Ash’s room on my way down, I open up her door to find her passed out across the fancy bed, dead asleep. I whisper her name, but she doesn’t stir so I gently close the door and back away. She needs to sleep. We’ve both had it rough lately.

Delicious scents waft toward my nostrils the closer we get to the kitchen. I walk through the doorway, startling Vinson as he furiously works over the gas stovetop. There are pots galore, one on each burner and then some. His messy brown hair is thrown into another man-bun today, keeping it from falling into his face while he cooks.

“Good morning, Sadie. Can I help you with anything?” He looks up between stirs, and his eyes widen when he takes in my appearance, then he hastily averts his gaze.

“We’re looking for breakfast,” I say.

“Ah, yes. It’ll be ready soon. The Kings should be down any moment if you want to join them in the dining room. It’s down the hallway to the left. Same side as the kitchen.” He still won’t meet my eyes.

Goldie snorts, watching our exchange with interest and I mutter a vague thanks as I leave.

Elian’s demanding presence washes over me before I even walk into the room. He looks up from the laptop in front of him as I round the corner and his sharp green eyes meet mine. “Mutts aren’t allowed in the dining room,” he says.

We ignore him. Goldie follows me as I spot the coffee machine and waltz over to pour myself a cup. Conveniently, there’s a large stack of mugs next to it, saving me from having to ask for one. His eyes narrow as he watches me and I can sense the gears turning in his head, judging me as I dump an enormous amount of sugar into the cup before sitting down in the chair furthest from him with Goldie at my feet. I’ll take all the space I can get.

The table is gorgeous though. It’s one of those fancy banquet style tables that only rich people have. I feel like it’s better suited for parties than everyday use, but what the hell do I know? I grew up poor.

Kaos comes striding into the room like a breath of fresh air moments later.

“We’ve been over this, bro. He’s not a mutt. He’s her familiar.” He also pours a cup of coffee sans sugar and cream before plonking down in the chair next to mine, squeezing my knee under the table. Thoughts of yesterday pop into my mind as his hand travels up my thigh and I try not to shift.

Elian looks between us, his eyes hard, before returning to whatever he’s working on. Like I’m not worth wasting another moment of thought on.

Dante glides in next, totally fucking shirtless. All coherent thought leaves me for a few moments as I try not to drool over his lithe body. His abs contract with laughter as he catches me looking, but I don’t shy away. Not at all. I eat up his appearance because damn, he’s gorgeous. He has one of those delicious V’s that lead down to the gold, and I want to lick it.

Kaos produces a shirt out of thin air and tosses it at him. It hits him square in the face, catching him totally off guard. Unlike how Tyler would react, Dante merely chuckles, giving Kaos a good-natured head nod as he tugs it over his head, hiding his abs from my greedy view. I sigh.

It was quite the view while it lasted.

“Good morning, Angel. Did you sleep well?”

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