Page 24 of Beyond the Storm
“Stupid monsters,” I mumbled. “We got rid of the big-bad, but they won’t go away.”
He reached across the seat and grabbed my hand. “Defeating Lucifer saved the world, but bad guys and monsters will always be around. That’s why there are good guys who kick their ass.”
“Do you miss it? Hunting?’
Mason thought for a moment. “Honestly? No. My whole life’s been one violent incident after another. The war with Asa, then the one with Lucifer. Before then too. I was honored to serve my country, but the dark shit in my head because of it still keeps me up at night.”
I knew that from experience. Sometimes he still woke up screaming in the middle of the night and covered in a cold sweat. He wouldn’t register reality at first. One time, he’d thrown himself on top of me while screaming about a bomb. Another time, he’d just sobbed while repeating, “They’re all dead.” I would then cuddle him until he calmed and use my sleeping power on him if he asked me to.
“I don’t miss it either,” I said. “The only action I want now is you and me rollin’ around in bed. Oh, and beating you at games.”
“Don’t get a big head, angel. I let you win today.”
“Whatever.” I glanced down at my clothes. They were the ones I’d been wearing before changing into the gear for the paintball match. “You undressed me while I was sleeping. So naughty.”
“I promise I didn’t grope you inappropriately, not even once. Not even when you wiggled against me and latched onto my arm, begging me to touch you.”
“I did not.”
He arched a brow. “You so did. Whatever you were dreaming about must’ve been nice.”
“Don’t remember.” I scooted across the long seat until I was pressed to his side. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Mason cracked another smile. “The wolf boys said to hit them up the next time we wanna play. I think they just want a rematch against me since I wiped the floor with them.”
The “wolf boys” were River, Knox, Nick, and Cyrus—werewolves from the pack in Echo Bay. Bane was their alpha. They had fought beside us in the battle against Lucifer. I’d known Nick longer though. For reasons.
“How did it feel?” I hugged Mason’s arm and rested my head on his shoulder as he drove. “Kicking Nick’s butt?”
He barked out a laugh. “Amazing.”
“I’m hungry.” I stared longingly at the café we drove past. A Japanese restaurant was up ahead, as well as several fast-food places. People flooded the downtown area, moving along the sidewalks and going in and out of shops. The nice weather was like a breath of fresh air after the frigid winter months. Smells from all the food places swirled around me.
“How does a burger sound?” Mason asked.
“Oh. Yeah. Gimme.”
“You got it.”
He drove to a diner not far from the harbor. It served burgers, fried chicken, and a banging fish and chips. The parking lot was halfway full, and more cars pulled in behind us as we got out of the truck and walked toward the entrance.
“I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow.” I slowly swung our joined hands as we waited to be seated. My stomach grumbled as meat sizzled on the grill in the back. “I’m gonna order one of everything.”
“You and what body?” Mason smirked down at me. “You’ll eat half your burger and then curl up to take another nap.”
“Nuh-uh. I’ll gobble up a milkshake first, andthenI’ll nap.”
He laughed. Ever since the end of the war, he’d done that a lot more. Yeah, shadows still haunted his mind. He still disliked large crowds of people and got anxious in social settings. Loud noises bothered him. But my husband seemed so much happier these days. Lighter.
I felt lighter too. The weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
Mason ordered a bacon cheeseburger bigger than my head and a large basket of salted crinkle fries that I most definitely stole from—hence why he got a large. I ordered a junior-sized cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake. During lunch, a song from one of my favorite anime—Given—rang out.
“Oh! That’s me.” I pulled my phone from my hoodie pocket and accepted the call, pressing it to my ear. “Gray speaking.”
Raiden laughed. “Hey, Smalls. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Nope. You’re not.” I sipped my milkshake and slowly kicked my feet. Mason tried to hide a smile and failed. “What’s up?”
