Page 37 of Evil Hearts

The pixie who’d packed her stuff had thoughtfully included her slippers. Digging them out, she shuffled to the bedroom door without bothering to turn on any lights.

Unlatching the door, she prepared to tiptoe downstairs; the last thing she wanted to do was upset anyone’s sleep. They said they shared the room across the hall, but did Silas sleep there too? Didn’t vampires sleep in coffins, or was that a myth? He certainly didn’t seem like the monster of legend, so the coffin thing was probably fake. If anything, he reminded her of—

“Akk!” she screamed when she turned the knob only to have the door swing violently inwards. Jumping out of the way, shewatched with wide eyes as Idris fell back into the room, Reed half on top of him.

“Woah,” Idris said, looking up at the same time he gathered Reed in his arms and rolled back into a sitting position. “I didn’t expect that. I guess you didn’t either.”

“What happened?” Reed asked, looking around blearily.

“You fell asleep in my lap, pup,” Idris explained. “I was leaning against the door, and when Cassi opened it, we both fell in.”

“Oh,” he mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Cassi looked past the two on the floor to find Silas sitting in a chair in the middle of the hall. What were they doing lurking outside her bedroom? They must’ve been there for a while if Reed managed to fall asleep.

“Is anything wrong Cassi?” Silas asked, standing up and tucking his phone into his pants pocket. They’d all changed clothes, but Reed and Idris were wearing boxer briefs and t-shirts, and Silas was in another suit.

Now the question wasn’t if he slept in a coffin but if he slept in a suit.

“Couldn’t sleep,” she explained.

“What can we do to help?” Idris asked. “Is the room too cold? I know Reed likes to turn the thermostat way down because he’s always running hot, but we could turn it up for you. Silas and I aren’t affected by temperature.”

“Is the bed too hard?” Reed asked at the same time. “There’s another guest room with a softer bed, we could switch out the mattresses. I thought you’d like this room because it has a full bath, but I didn’t think about the bed until now. I’m sorry!”

She blinked at their rapid words all spoken together. Before she could decipher what they were saying, they started talking in unison again with more suggestions of what might make her more comfortable.

“Perhaps we should give her a chance to answer,” Silas said, cutting them both off. The men stopped talking and everyone stared up at her, patiently waiting for her to talk.

“I was going to-to-to make a vanilla st-st-steamer,” she explained. Silas and Idris looked confused, but Reed jumped up with an excited expression.

“I can make it for you! We’ve got a super fancy espresso maker so I can even steam the milk properly,” he said, holding out his hand to Idris.

“Coffee seems like a bad idea if you’re having trouble sleeping,” the gargoyle said as he let Reed help him up. Reed’s muscles flexed, showing clear outlines through his tight shirt. Then she realized the gargoyle’s shirt was just as tight. Both men were built, and she fisted her hands to keep from reaching out to touch them.

“A vanilla steamer is steamed milk with vanilla syrup,” Reed explained. “No caffeine involved.”

“Oh, that does sound good,” Idris rumbled. “I think I’d like one too.”

“Great!” Reed said, then jumped at Idris. Idris didn’t hesitate to catch Reed and throw the wolf shifter over his shoulder.

“Pretty!” Reed exclaimed and reached down to grab Idris’s ass. “This is one of my favorite views!”

His antics made her chuckle, then laugh loudly when he slapped Idris’s butt yelling, “To the kitchen!”

“Behave, pup,” Idris said with a shake of his head and headed down the hall. Silas stepped up and offered her his arm. It was old fashioned, but she found it charming. After she accepted the invitation and wrapped her arm around his, they followed Idris and Reed.

“Before you ask, yes, they’re always like this,” Silas said. “Reed only has two speeds, bouncing off the walls and asleep.”

“W-w-why were you all in the hall?” she asked.

“Waiting for you to wake up,” Silas said.

“Wh-wh-what! Why?”

“I don’t sleep at night, so I told them I’d sit in the hallway in case you needed something or woke up confused,” he explained. “Idris wanted to be there too, and Reed wasn’t going to be left behind.”

That was…insane? Sweet? Considerate? A lot of adjectives flooded her mind, but the one that floated to the top wascaring. None of these men were the scary beasts she’d thought they’d be.

By the time they got to the kitchen, Idris was sitting at the table, and Reed was fussing with the espresso machine.

---