Page 27 of Her Dark Powers

Istayedundertheshower so long, I thought my priests might worry I’d drowned, but to be honest, I needed to wash the evening away—the blood and sex, and the heavy weight of the costume I’d worn. Although stunningly beautiful, the hair pieces, the collar, and the belt had all been quite heavy and had seemed to increase in weight as the night had gone on. It had been a relief to strip it all away once we’d returned home. It was funny to think of this place as home, but it felt that way. I headed back to my bedroom and stood in my towel, wondering what to put on. None of us had much appetite after the revelations of the evening, but now that we were home, I was getting hungry and decided to go back downstairs and raid the kitchen before bed. I stared at the clothing I seemed to have accumulated. My mind was whirling with thoughts of Hattie and Teddy and the Golden Dawn, and picking an outfit seemed way too hard right now.

A soft knock at the door broke my frozen gaze, and I looked over to see Jack stick his head around the door. “Hey, sweetness, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just trying to find something to wear.” I turned and stared back into the wardrobe again. Jack came into the room and moved past me into the wardrobe.

“I have just the thing. Perfection in an outfit.” He turned and held up a fluffy white robe and matching boot slippers.

I grinned. “Really?”

“Yep, utterly perfect for lounging and Chinese food.” He stepped forward, and I let the towel drop as he wrapped the robe around me.

I slipped my arms in the sleeves and did up the belt, then looked up at him. “Did you just say Chinese food?”

He smiled. “Yeah. We all got hungry, and no one could be bothered to cook, so West popped out for some. He just rang to say he’s on his way back now.”

I smiled and slipped my feet into the fluffy slippers. Austin had spent the hour or so since we’d got back ringing his contacts, trying to dig up any information he could on Hattie. He’d exhausted all his avenues, and now we just had to sit and wait to hear something. I pushed the worry away and looked up at Jack. “Sounds perfect. Lead the way.”

Jack bowed flamboyantly, twirling his hand in front of him and gesturing towards the bedroom door. “After you, my goddess.”

I rolled my eyes at him as I snatched up the towel and wrapped my wet hair in it. “Thank you, servant,” I said as I strode past him, my nose in the air.

We headed downstairs and into the huge sitting room. I loved this room, and I had to admit, Austin had done well. It was decorated in neutral colours, with wooden floors and sheepskin rugs, a large sectional corner that would easily seat all of us, and a giant TV. Overall, it definitely lent itself to evenings of just hanging out. We already had a couple of those evenings so far, and I was looking forward to another, even with it being so late. Jasper and Zayn were already there, cuddled up together on the sofa like a normal couple. Not that our group was in any way normal. All the annoyances and distrust seemed to be healing over, and although I knew things weren’t always going to be smooth sailing and it would take some time, it was starting to feel like we all belonged together, and there was a feeling of peace in my heart that had never been there before. I smiled to see them so comfortable with each other. It didn’t stop me from plonking my ass down in the middle of them though.

“Hey, guys, whatcha chatting about?”

Zayn shifted over to give me a bit more room, and I grabbed his hand, threading my fingers through his while I leaned my head on Jasper’s shoulder. The tip of the towel smacked him in the face, and he jerked backwards. “Oops, sorry!”

Jasper grinned. “No problem.” He dragged the towel off my head and chucked it away.

“Hey!” I protested as my wet hair tumbled down my back. “I needed that!”

Jack appeared next to us, holding my hairbrush. I held my hand out, but he shook his head. “No, tonight we get to pamper you. No lifting a finger.”

Jasper shifted me around so I was sitting sideways on his lap, my legs across Zayn. Jack perched on the edge of the sofa and began the long process of detangling my hair. It was normally something I hated doing, but Jack seemed to have some kind of secret in how he brushed my hair. The tangles appeared to fall away, and each stroke was hypnotic. Jasper held me close, and Zayn began to rub one of my feet. I groaned and leaned back, closing my eyes. No one said anything, no one needed to. After the stress of the evening, it was nice to just unwind and be quiet. Several minutes had passed when I heard a low rumbling noise. I opened my eyes.

“What was that?” I asked.

“What was what?” Jack asked, continuing to brush my hair slowly.

“That rumbling noise just now. It sounded like...”

“A cat?” Jasper queried, grinning wickedly.

“Well, yes, but a big one.”

All three of them laughed, and I glared at them. “What am I not getting?” I demanded.

Jack stopped brushing my hair and tugged it gently so I tipped my head back and looked up at him. “It was you, precious one. You were purring.” He bent down to brush a chaste kiss over my lips.

“What? No.” I blushed. “Really?”

“It’s a good sign,” Zayn added. “It means you’re content.”

“I know what it means, I’ve had cats,” I grumbled, my smile dropping. “Has anyone seen Kitty Cat recently?”

Zayn shook his head. “I saw him this afternoon while you were getting ready for court. He’s probably out hunting.”

“If you want something warm to stroke, I have just the thing,” Jasper offered, grinning darkly at me.

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