Page 25 of Safe & Sound

Drake was going to wrap his hands around Elijah’s throat and strangle the beautiful life right out of him. Then again, Drake should have known Elijah would run to the others in their group. Besties for life. “And what did he tell you?” Drake looked at Roman. “You can go inside and find something to drink. I’ve already been humiliated today with Mason listening in and then giving his two cents.”

“Normally, I would tell you to piss off because you’re bossing me around, but I really don’t want to hear this.” Roman walked inside the house as Drake turned to Gage.

“I already worked things out with Ajax. I don’t need a third intervention.” He leaned against the hood of his car.

“I wasn’t referring to Ajax, though congrats!” Gage gave him a quick hug before pulling back, and then he looked at the house. “I was referring to Brody.”

Drake frowned. “What about him?”

“Elijah told me you told your cousin to leave, and he won’t. I could make him disappear for you.”

Drake’s jaw dropped. “Since when are you a murderer?”

“I’m not.” Gage rolled his pretty eyes. There were just some lucky bastards in the world who were born with great genes. Drake wasn’t one of them. “I wasn’t talking about killing him, you dork.”

“Kidnapping?” He wasn’t sure if Gage was pulling his chain or if he was serious. Drake had never seen this side of his friend before.

Gage pressed his ass against the car next to Drake. “Elijah told me you know about our world.”

If the guy had slapped Drake, he would have been less shocked. “You’re a shifter?”

“Fairy,” Gage said.

Drake breathed out a sigh of relief. “You’re the best fairy I know.”

Thank goodness Gage was teasing him. For a heart-stopping second, he thought the guy was serious. He couldn’t imagine Gage as a lion or wolf. If he’d been a shifter, he would have made a better bunny or kitty cat.

Then Gage removed his stupid hat, which Drake had always hated. Not that he had a thing against Rasta hats. Some guys looked really good in them. But Gage had beautiful hair, and Drake had always thought it a shame that he’d covered it up.

Now he knew why. His best friend had pointy ears. “You’re dead serious.”

Gage quickly put the hat back on. “Yes, and I could poof Brody halfway around the world if you wanted.”

This day just kept getting more and more bizarre. Drake wasn’t sure he could take anymore revelations. At this point, his neighbor could walk up and say he was an alien and Drake wouldn’t have been fazed.

Not after he’d just learned that shifters and fairies were real. What next, goblins?

“Stop standing there with your mouth hanging open.” Gage tapped Drake’s chin, and Drake closed his mouth. “What do you want to do about Brody? If you don’t want to send him away, I can have a vampire tinker with his brain so he gets off his ass and keeps a job.”

Drake blinked several times like his brain needed a major reboot and his eyelids were the switches needed to accomplish that. “Did you just say vampire?”

Gage covered his mouth with his hand. “You didn’t know that? But Elijah said you knew about our world.”

Fuck. Drake’s knees grew weak as dizziness tried to take over. His head was swimming in an unrealistic sea. Vampires?

“Then I better not mention demons,” Gage said.

Drake gaped at him.

“If I’m going to fry your brain, I might as well tell you everything,” Gage huffed. “Besides, I’m tired of my best friends not knowing.” He tapped his chin. “Tido seems eager to believe. Maybe I’ll talk to him next. Though I think he’ll take the news a lot better than you.”

As much as Brody aggravated the shit out of him, Drake didn’t want anything bad happening to his cousin. “No, don’t do anything to Brody. I’ll handle him.”

“Are you sure?” Gage pushed away from the car and stood in front of Drake. “I promise nothing bad will happen to him.”

As if the guy had been reading Drake’s mind. Could fairies read minds? Drake had a wild urge to run inside and make a tinfoil hat.

“Are you freaking out?” Gage frowned. “I can’t tell if you’re freaking out. Say something.”

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