Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) (34 page)

She was beautiful as she slept and I couldn’t look away. I leaned forward on the couch and stroked the red locks of her hair, thinking about how Kole mentioned she was in love with me.

She started to wake up and was a little startled to see me on the floor next to her. “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing?”

“Just watching you sleep.”

“Are you done for the night now?”

“Yeah. I can stay with you—if you want.”

“Of course I want that. I’ve missed you.”

I smiled and climbed on the couch with her, keeping her close. “I’ve missed you too but maybe tomorrow will be different.”

“I hope so.”

“Go back to sleep. I need to get some too.”

“Okay.”

Ruby snuggled tightly against me and I enjoyed it. I held her in my arms while my eyes started to close and she was the only thing on my mind. Being gentle not to hurt her lingered as I faded into the night and even my dreams focused around her.

I saw us together the night we first made love and how I felt with her in my arms. I wanted that again but when thoughts came to it, there was blood and Ruby’s mangled body in a pool of it on her bed. Her eyes were empty and still and panic shot through me.

I jumped awake with a heavy intake of air and was back on the couch in Madam Carla’s shack. The sun was just coming in the window and I noticed I was alone. I sat up to look around and heard talking coming from the back room. I heard Ruby’s voice and my heart stopped. I just had to see her. I needed to know she was safe. I walked to the doorway and saw the other four awake inside with her.

“There you are.” Ruby smiled, coming over with her hands ready to touch me.

I pulled her to me even quicker and kissed her with a heavy passion like we haven’t seen each other for days but I was just happy to see her alive and smiling.

“Wow.” She muttered when we parted. “You must have slept great.”

“Better to be awake.”

“Ready for another day?” Zayden asked.

“Why? Has Kole been through here?”

“No but it’s sure to happen eventually.”

“Don’t be so sure.” Jaylyn sighed. “He likes his sleep.”

“He didn’t come in last night, did he?” Adele asked.

I shook my head. “No. He made a nice place outside for himself. You know, like you do except with a real bed.”

“Of course he did.” Adele sighed, stepping towards the door. “Well, let’s see it.” We followed her outside and they saw the shelter Kole made for himself the night before that was bigger than the little shack we stayed in. “It doesn’t surprise me much. Go wake him up so you can see what you’ll be doing today.”

I took a step forward, ready to do it but Jaylyn held out her hand to me with her eyes on the shelter. “Wait. You better let me do it.”

“Why?”

“He’s not alone.”

Ruby laughed. “Really? One night and he had to get himself some company?”

“It’s Kole, isn’t it and he has two guests. I’ll handle it, okay? It’s not my first time.”

I looked at Troy, not knowing if that was really a good idea but he didn’t seem to argue it so I let her pass.

Chapter 54

Jaylyn

It should be me. I knew how to handle him better than anyone and I walked into Kole’s shelter. I turned the corner to see the bed where Kole was laying asleep on the left and two naked women were to his right. I wasn’t surprised but I sighed anyway and went over to him, kneeling down and trying to speak quietly so the others wouldn’t wake. “Kole? Kole. Wake up.”

I tapped him and Kole’s eyes batted open, trying to focus on who it was next to him. “Jay?” He sat right up like he was caught and looked next to him at the other women then sighed. “Oh, yeah. I don’t have to hide this. I fucked them both and it was great.”

I always hated how he chose to word things and rose to my feet with a sigh. “Just get up, would you? You have things to do today and this isn’t one of them.”

I walked away from the bed and let Kole get dressed. “Jealous, Jay?”

“Why would I be?”

“I don’t know. That look on your face. I’ve seen it before.”

“We’re not together. You can do whatever you want.”

“And I have. Thank you.”

I sighed again while Kole walked passed me to get his weapons on but for some reason, I looked at the bed.

“What?” He laughed.

“They’re not prettier than me.” It just came out and I didn’t even know why I cared so much.

“Thought you didn’t care?”

“I don’t.”

I walked towards the exit and Kole followed with another laugh. “You know, you’re really aggravating sometimes.”

“If I am it’s because you’ve made me that way.”

“I didn’t ask you to come in there and be all bitchy. Admit it. You just wanted to make sure they weren’t prettier than you.”

We were outside and everyone just heard what he asked me. Could he have been more embarrassing? “Can you just start your day away from me?” I didn’t know what else to say because maybe he was right but I wouldn’t let myself admit it in front of everyone, especially Troy.

“You can’t even say you didn’t because it’s easy to tell when you’re lying.”

“Away from me.” I repeated.

“All right then. Darius, you ready?”

“Yeah.”

Kole turned from the shelter he made and it slammed back into the ground. The sound of thunder made me spin around with a loud gasp. “Kole!”

“What?”

“You just killed them!”

He looked at the spot where the shelter was and shrugged. “So? I’m done with them.”

“So?! Are you kidding me?!”

“It was inevitable. They saw my wings. How did you think they got here?”

Ruby’s mouth hung open and she spoke in awe. “You let someone see them?”

“I don’t think they’re going to tell anyone.”

“Not now.” I said.

“I’ve never even seen them.” Ruby went on.

“I can show you if you’d like but I’d have to kill you after.”

“Why? I already know about you.”

“So, you’re saying I should just kill you now?”

Ruby’s eyes widened and she took a slow step back. “No. That’s okay.”

Kole laughed and walked to her, taking her arm. “Come on, Red. We’re going to need you today.”

“Not like last time, I hope.”

“No. This will be completely different. I’ll be putting you in life or death situations and we’ll see how well he can act under stress.”

“You know what? I’d really just like for you to kiss me again actually.”

“Don’t worry. Even if he fails, I won’t let you die. Trever would just—hang me if that happened.”

“Doesn’t sound so bad for you.”

“Yeah but it would be a slow death. He gave me that lecture when he started letting me sleep with you in his stead—which I probably shouldn’t have just said out loud.”

Adele’s mouth hung open like this somehow surprised her. It didn’t surprise me. It was Ruby. “You slept with Kole?! When?”

“It was a while ago.” Ruby said. “And who hasn’t slept with Kole?”

The other men all slowly raised a hand.

“We could change that. Kole can be pretty fun.”

Kole immediately took Ruby’s arm even harder than before and started pulling her away from us with an obviously fake laugh. “Yeah. We’re not going to take that road. We’re going to take this one that leads us far away. Darius, you better be following because I’m not even going to look back to check.”

Ruby laughed and did it for him, seeing Darius jog to them to catch up.

“That was weird.” Troy muttered.

Zayden laughed to agree and turned his head towards Adele. “Want to know something else funny?”

“What?”

“I noticed you didn’t put your hand up when Ruby asked who hasn’t slept with Kole.”

I looked at Adele and the face she was giving me just made me want to smile. I already knew about that.

“Maybe because I—I—have—before—once—a couple times. No big deal.”

Zayden laughed. “It’s okay. You don’t have to act so nervous about it. You’ve just never told me that before.”

“It’s no big deal.” Adele replied, still sounding a bit nervous. “Kole’s just always around for that kind of thing. It’s how I know he’s like Darius because I’ve been a victim to it.”

“There are very few women who haven’t.” I muttered.

“It’s okay, Love.”  Zayden smiled while he stepped in closer to her and put his hands on her arms. “I’ve always known that you weren’t that innocent and I’m not angry for it. The story might have been different if we met years ago but that’s not how it is. I’m okay with that.”

“Are you sure?”

“As long as I’m the only one that gets you now then yes, I’m sure.”

Adele lifted herself up on her tip toes and kissed him.

“All right you two. Time to start the day’s training.”

“Okay, Madam Carla.” Adele turned to Zayden and held her hands to his chest while looking up in his eyes. “I guess I’ll just see you later.”

“You can join us today, if you’d like.” Madam Carla said.

“I can?”

“Yes, you just may even help.”

Adele looked back to Zayden and smiled. “Okay.”

“Yes, and that too.” Madam Carla sighed. “I’ll let you kids play that game after lunch.”

“Okay!”

“Troy, more drilling for you.”

He sighed. “All right.”

“But maybe we can do it inside today.” I said.

“Why?”

I smiled and touched my finger tips to his chest. “I don’t know. We can finally be alone.”

“I think she wants to have sex with you.” Zayden whispered rather loudly.

“Zayden!” I couldn’t believe he just said it so openly like that. I didn’t think that’s how he was.

“What? He actually had to ask why. I thought he needed a little help.”

“All right.” Madam Carla said. “You two are granted to go inside and do that but be sure you start drilling right after.”

It sounded perfect. Just what we needed to get Kole’s awful morning off my mind and replace it with something a little more—Troy related.

Chapter 55

Troy

She seemed eager to get me inside and I enjoyed seeing this from her but for some reason, I couldn’t shake why she might have really been doing it. This thing between her and Kole, whatever it’s supposed to be called, it was something. I could see her try to hide from it but there were other times where she truly did care about what he thought.

“Come on. What’s wrong?”

She seemed to notice my mood, at least enough that it wasn’t like hers.

“Nothing. It’s just―I’m sorry if you get upset but why did you really want to get me alone?”

She stared at me and it was kind of worse than I thought.

“Do you think I want to be with you right now to prove something?”

“No, of course not but you did lie. You cared that Kole was with those women.”

She turned away from me and her voice sounded more saddened although she tried to hide that too. “Old habits, I guess. Kole is always with someone else and I’ll always hate it.”

“Why?” I didn’t want to push her. I just wanted to her to admit what she already knows.

“Because I’m sad for him. He won’t let himself love. At least not anyone besides himself and that’s no way to live.”

“But it also sounds like there’s nothing you could do.”

“I know. I used to try―some time ago―when I was a different person but now I have you and I don’t have to try with you. You always made it so easy.”

“Oh, I see.” I joked. “So I’m the easy one?”

She laughed and got closer to me. “That’s not what I meant. You were never afraid to prove how much you wanted to be with me. You make it easy for me to love you and I do. My past with him is gone and I would never want to go back to it.”

It was still hard for me to believe though she seemed so sure. I guess she just didn’t want to fight about it and I didn’t either. I wanted to believe that she didn’t miss being with him in some way, even it was the smallest thing.

She kissed me and just getting to hold her this close to me again made me forget about it all for now. I knew she still felt something but what she felt for me was far stronger than anything else.

“Now, come on.”

She took my hand with that perfect smile and started leading me towards the back room where we sleep.