Page 37 of Wings of Strife
I knock again, and then a third time when I catch sight of Theo coming up the stairs and Mr. Grumps descending them. I have to get over my shit with him, but fucking hell, he doesn’t make it easy. Scowling all the time, like everyone in the world has disappointed him. Get in fucking line, dude. You aren’t the only one.
“She hasn’t answered?” Theo asks, rapping his knuckles on the door three times.
“No. She’s probably out cold. Poor thing is exhausted.”
“She sleeps like the dead,” Zeke says, stepping between us and pulling out a key. He unlocks the door, then opens it, gesturing for us to go inside.
I want to ask him how the fuck he knows what she’s like when she sleeps, but I keep my mouth shut. There’s a history betweenthem. Theo and I haven’t missed it, but until she’s ready to tell us, I have to respect her silence. Even if it kills me.
We sneak inside, and Zeke shuts the door softly behind him, bathing us in darkness. The curtains to the balcony are drawn shut, the bathroom door partly closed, and Hayliel is tangled up in the sheets. One of her feet sticks out from the mess of blankets as she sleeps on her side, arms curled up around her neck. Fucking adorable. I want to crawl into bed beside her and never leave.
Theo and I approach her form on the bed, but Ezekiel stays back. I don’t buy his act though. Something tells me he’d die to slip into bed next to her.
“Wake up, baby,” I whisper, smoothing the hair from her face. She burrows into my hand, mumbling my name on a sigh.
She whispers Theo’s name next, causing a grin to spread across his face. “I’m here, firefly.” He rests his hand on her thigh, and I watch in utter desperation as she lets out a small whine, licking her lips like she wants far more than a platonic wake up call.
You and me both, sunshine.
Letting my urges win, I lean in and press a gentle kiss to her lips, but when I pull back, it’s not my name on her tongue.
“Zeke.” She says his name like a plea, one the asshole house leader doesn’t miss. Theo only smirks, tossing a glance Zeke’s way that screams, ‘do you believe me now, fucker?’
Instead of seeming pleased, he looks stunned, like he has no sweet clue what he should be doing.
Huh.
Maybe he’s not as confident—or arrogant—as I once thought.
He snaps out of it, moving robotically toward the balcony and throwing open the curtains. Not that it does any good, seeing as the sun isn’t up yet. Poor guy just needs something to do.
While Theo whispers words to our girl, my mind wanders to just how much has changed with Ezekiel since our little chat in his room. Or, at least ithaduntil he flipped the switch and went back to his bullshit hot and cold behavior. Theo says the guy is going through more than we realize and I should cut him some slack, but that’s far easier said than done.
“Oh,” Hayliel says, panic rising in her voice as she shoots up in bed.
“Shh, it’s alright. We’re only here to kidnap you,” I tease, gripping her hand. She looks between me and the guys before her gaze settles on the clock beside her bed. The groan that escapes her throat is almost erotic, and I have to force my dick into submission because a sleepy Hayliel is fucking hot. Every version of her is.
“No one should be awake at this hour,” she mumbles, tossing the blankets off of her like it physically pains her to do so.
“Oh, quit your complaining,” I tell her, helping her out of bed and chuckling when she shoots me a tired, angry glare. She’s fucking cute as hell.
She grabs a few items of clothing before disappearing into the bathroom, keeping the lights off.
While she’s gone, I sit on the edge of her still warm bed. Hung on the wall are new picture frames. The photos inside are from our day at the photo parlor. There’s one of just her, looking like a badass warrior, but the rest are with all three of us.
Seeing our faces mixed in among her family has joy bubbling up in my chest.
Hayliel finally emerges from the bathroom dressed in a pair of loose pants and a tank top. Zeke helps her into her wing jacket. She puts it on without asking where we’re going, and none of us offer the information either.
A yawn forces itself free, which she barely covers with her hand.
Theo taps his bag. “I have a thermos full of coffee. You can have some once we get to where we’re going.”
“Do I have to share? At this hour, I might need the entire thermos to myself.”
Theo only laughs. “We’ll see, firefly.”
We leave from her balcony and fly through the darkened sky, over the beach and ocean. Hayliel follows along in silence, a questioning look on her face, but she doesn’t say anything.
