Page 14 of Sinful

Knowing she wanted to kill the one who hurt her should have upset me. It should have made me want to protect her from it all and do it for her, but if she were serious about it, I’d hold that prick down and let her gut him until she felt her vindication and got her satisfaction.

She deserved that.

* * *

I awokein bed with just Church, our arms wrapped around each other like we’d been hugging in our sleep.

I blinked rapidly and looked at my watch. It was well into the afternoon. I tried to untangle myself from him, but he grunted and tugged me closer.

“Dante, man, stop,” I said, trying and failing again. “Sirena. She’s gone.”

His green eyes snapped open, confusion in them for just a moment, before he shoved me roughly, sending me toppling over the edge of the bed.

I hit the floor with a thud, cursing his name.

“Motherfucker, my tailbone,” I groaned, trying to right myself.

“Where’s Sirena?” He jumped out of bed and rushed around the room and into his bathroom before coming out.

I managed to get to my feet and dash to the door before he could. With him on my heels, we rushed downstairs.

I skidded to a halt when I saw Sirena lying on the couch, her head on Ashes’s lap, while cartoons played on the TV.

Ashes looked up at us and stopped raking his fingers through her hair for all of a moment.

“She came downstairs on her own,” he said. “You two must be hard to sleep with.”

Regret slammed into me. I’d fallen asleep beside her. Based on the way Church and I had woken, we were probably jostling her too much.

I took in her face. She was sleeping soundly.

Church moved past me and sat at her feet. He put them gently in his lap and covered them with a throw blanket.

Sighing, I shuffled into the kitchen and opened the fridge. My stomach gave a rumble, and I winced. I’d barely been eating again. Life had become far too stressful lately, but I was feeling it now.

“We’re out of nearly everything,” I said, closing the door. We didn’t even have milk to make cereal. Hell, we didn’t even have cereal.

“Snow is coming too,” Ashes called out. “Just saw it on the news. It’s supposed to hit late tomorrow. We’re usually stocked up by now for the winter months. We’re all going to be eating the things Church kills.”

“I doubt you’d want to eatallthe things,” Church said.

I grunted. He was damn right about that.

“Well, we need to get some food brought in.” I went back to the living room and settled on the couch, taking in Sirena’s head on Ashes’s lap. My stomach growled again, and I crinkled my nose. I had to eat. Quickly, I pulled out my phone and put in an order for a couple of pizzas and breadsticks.

“Pizza?” Church called out.

I got to my feet. “Yeah. I’ll go meet them at the gates. By the time I get there, they should be near arrival.”

“Want me to go?” Ashes asked, his voice strained. I knew he was trying to be kind by offering, but didn’t really want to leave angel.

“Nah, man. I got it. I’ll be back soon.” I ran upstairs and dressed before coming back down and grabbing my jacket. I slid my feet into my boots, and headed out the front door.

The cold air bit at me as I put my head down and started the long walk to the gates. Snow was flurrying, and my breath came out in big white puffs.

I fucking hated the cold. I had no idea why I continued to live in it. I was of age. Leaving was an option after I finished my time at Chapel Crest. I’d spent my entire life thinking this was as good as it was ever going to get, but now that we had Sirena, I dreamed of more.

And more was someplace warmer than fucking Northern Michigan with the snow up to my fucking asshole.