Page 61 of Newly Undead in Dark River

Tex couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, and soon, all four of them were giggling like Japanese schoolgirls at my expense. I flipped them the bird and strode around them, out of my self-imposed corner and into the bathroom.

I slammed the door and turned on the shower. Then, because I couldn’t help myself, I lifted my armpit and sniffed.

Super Sniffer, one.

Raine, zero.

I steppedout of the bathroom, dressed in clothes someone so helpfully left outside the door. Obviously, they didn’t want to risk me crawling back into my hole for another four days. I strolled into the kitchen of Walker’s house. His kitchen table was spread with breakfast. It looked like they’d ordered everything from the diner’s breakfast menu. Pancakes sat in huge stacks, butter and maple syrup dripping down like it was the star of a syrup commercial. My mouth watered.

“How do I get her to look at me like that?” Walker asked as he put down a tray that held fluffy omelets.

“Bathe in maple syrup?” Brody suggested.

Tex snatched bacon from the passing tray with such accuracy, I would never have guessed he was sight-impaired. “What face is she making?” he asked around a mouth full of pork product.

Judge handed him another piece of bacon. “Her eyes are really wide, and her lips are parted in a way that just makes you want to kiss her. Then her little pink tongue pokes out and runs along her lip like she’s tasting the sweetness in the air,” Judge described easily. Then he did exactly what he said, leaning over to kiss me, sucking the aforementioned lip between his. “She tastes sweet too. Not sure she needs these pancakes,” he murmured, moving toward my pancakes.

I looked at Walker. “It’s like he wants to lose a hand or something?” Walker laughed like I was joking.

Everyone appeared to be here, except for one blond giant. “Where’s X?”

Judge wisely moved away from my pancakes. “He went back home two days ago.”

I nodded. “So an Enforcer, hey? That’s a pretty big secret,” I said casually, slicing my pancake stack. Someone had poured syrup between the layers. I looked up, and Walker winked. A man who knew how I liked my pancakes? Bestill my heart. Someone was getting laid real soon.

“They bind us when we leave. It’s one of the conditions,” he looked almost apologetic. Luckily, my forced vow of silence made me appreciate his position just a little more than I would have a week ago.

I spent a minute in silence, just enjoying the fluffiness of my pastry breakfast, appreciating the view of all four of my guys at one table, sharing breakfast, wondering if this could be our future. That might be too much to hope for. They were four testosterone-laden males. If I thought they were going to play house nicely for all eternity, I was kidding myself. “What are we doing today? Is the town, I mean, are they mad?” I stumbled over my words as I forced them out. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but I needed to know. Needed to be prepared before I left the relative safety of Walker’s house.

Walker sighed. “It’s been tough. It always is, but no one blames you, Raine. You were a victim in every way. Angeline has closed The Immortal Cupcake and disappeared, but I’m fairly sure she’s at home in the woods grieving. Cresta and Ella are keeping an eye on her. But we’ll all move on, learn and grow from this situation. The biggest problem has been the blood supply. Alice hadn’t set up any supply network because she was creating her own source.” That was a very technical way to refer to the abduction and harvesting of humans. “Anyway, enough of that. We have a surprise for you after you’re done making love to those pancakes.” He quirked an eyebrow at where I was running my finger through the syrup on my plate. I guess it did look a little seductive.

I raised my finger and rubbed it over my lip. Brody groaned. I leaned over and kissed Tex because I didn’t want him to miss out. He licked my lip with the tip of his tongue and made a happy humming noise.

“Is Lover Boy going to get all the kisses because he’s blind? Because, that just ain’t playing fair,” Brody said, pouting. I frowned at him, hoping my expression screamedyou can’t say that!

Then Tex went and ruined it. “Suck it up, visually-able person. I’m going to milk the blind card for eternity. Get used to it.”

Sighing, I sat back in my chair. “You said something about a surprise?”

They all stood as one, and I just knew it was going to be good, judging by the stupid smiles on their faces. “I think we should blindfold her,” Brody said.

Judge punched him in the arm. “Still with the blind jokes?”

They tussled a bit more, although Tex came over and put his arm around me before Walker clapped his hands. “No blindfold, but you should close your eyes. It makes things more fun.” He swept me into his arms, and I dutifully closed my eyes.

We weren’t flashing, so it mustn’t be far away. Maybe they got me a puppy?

I wanted to open my eyes, just a little, but then I thought of their stupid grinning faces and kept them closed.

After about forty seconds, they halted. Walker slid me down his delicious body, and part of me wondered if my surprise was an orgy. Not gonna lie. That might be even better than a puppy.

Judge squeezed my hand. “Okay, Rainy Day. Open your eyes.”

I peeled one eye open, then the other. Then I gasped. I stood in front of the world’s cutest cottage. Seriously, if Walker’s looked like a Norman Rockwell painting, then mine looked like it came off the front of a cookie jar. Except it was black. Even the picket fence was black. The trim was all white, and the door was bright red. I loved it.

“It’s so cute. Did you guys lease this for me?”

Brody shrugged a single shoulder. “Kinda.” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “We bought it. It’s yours now. We painted it while you wallowed.”

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