Page 49 of Daman
“I won’t be alone.” I patted Gray’s blond hair. “I’m married now, remember?”
“Yeah. But still. Promise you’ll call me if you start missing me?”
“I promise.”
A thump came from inside the pantry before Raiden walked out holding a box of cheese crackers. “Can I have these?”
“Looks like you’ve already gotten into them,” I said, noting the crumbs at the edge of his mouth.
He grinned and shoved his hand into the box, eating a handful. Even after pigging out at breakfast, he still had room for more food.
“Damn, this place is nice,” Castor called from the living room. He’d gone exploring not long after we’d finished eating.
“Don’t steal anything,” Kyo mumbled, followed by a light smack.
Alastair leaned against the counter, silently sipping his tea. Armen asked if he wanted more, and he shook his head. “We should hit the road soon. It’s a long flight back home.” He rinsed out his cup at the sink before turning to me. “I’ll keep you updated on the demon situation.”
“Is this something you need our help with?” Warrin asked.
“Not at the moment,” Alastair answered. “But if that changes, I’ll let you know.” He looked at Armen. “Thank you for the tea. It was lovely.”
Armen beamed with a smile.
An ache burrowed in my chest as, one by one, my brothers said goodbye.
The last time I’d been separated from them was during the Roman Empire. Galen had lived with the human gladiator he’d fallen for. Gray had shacked up with some handsome senator. Alastair and Raiden had gone their separate ways too. But even then, I’d still had Bellamy. He and I had lived together, partying hard every night and drowning ourselves in booze and sex.
This was the first time since meeting them as children that I would be so far away from all of them at the same time.
“Don’t have too much fun without me, D.” Bellamy tipped my chin up, flashing his signature smirk. I saw what lay beneath it though. He would miss me too. “If you need me, call. I don’t care what fucking time it is.”
“Do you really have to leave?”I asked him telepathically, knowing I’d sound too pitiful if I said it out loud.
His expression softened.“I told Al I wanted to stay, but he said I’d distract you from getting to know your new husband. As if I was a bad influence or some shit. The only thing I’d do is try to talk you guys into having a threesome.”
“In your dreams,” I said, jabbing his shoulder. Realizing I said that out loud and that Warrin was watching me, a curious expression on his face, I cleared my throat and returned my gaze to my annoying, lustful brother. “Try not to break too many hearts while I’m away.”
“I break beds, not hearts.” Bellamy winked. “Just ask the hot twins I banged last night. Man. I’m gonna miss them.”
“We have two guest bedrooms, if any of you’d like to stay,” Warrin offered.
“A kind offer, but we don’t want to overstay our welcome.” Alastair’s eyes shifted to me, a slightly pained look in them. “We’ll see you again soon.”
My brothers gave me a lot of shit for being emotionally disconnected from most things. But Alastair was the true master of deception. He kept a tight lock on his thoughts and hid behind a wall of ice. So much so that sometimes I didn’t know what he truly felt.
Alastair turned toward the entryway, and the others followed him. Cold air rushed in as they opened the door. Gray burrowed into his oversized coat and pulled his hood up. Simon and Galen were like two protective dads as they walked behind him. Which was funny because out of everyone, Simon was the one who the cold affected the most.
Bellamy came over to me. “I know you’re like a damn cat and don’t like to be touched, but shut your mouth and let me hug you.” He hugged me tight and whispered in my ear, “Take care of yourself, brother.”
“I will.”
The backs of my eyes stung as he pulled away and joined the others outside. Although it was dumb, I couldn’t help but feel like they were abandoning me. Like I’d just sacrificed my damn freedom by marrying a stranger, and now they were returning to their normal lives, leaving me behind to deal with everything on my own.
Quit being so fucking needy, I told myself.
But shit. I’d miss them—even if I refused to admit it to their face.
“We can visit Echo Bay soon,” Warrin said, drawing my attention. That shyness surfaced again before he looked away. “I don’t expect you to give up everything to be with me. We can travel back and forth together between our two homes. Stay in Russia for a while, then stay there.”
