Page 31 of Haunted Hearts

We both turn when we hear the door behind us open—Cade walks in from the garage, wearing his usual unreadable expression.

That… can’t be good. Cade looks at me then to Jack. I notice his jaw twitch. Fuck… he’s mad.

“Gen, we’re leaving. Get ready to go,” Cade says sternly, without any context.

“Oh… Okay? Why?” Gen turns toward him.

“We need to get shit.” He pulls one of the drawers out and grabs a notepad and pen.

“I’m going to need some context, Cade,” Gen says, leaning against the counter.

“You need clothes, and there’s hardly any food.” He clicks the pen and begins writing.

“Pasta, sauce, ground beef, and parmesan cheese. What else?”

“Those are just ingredients for spaghetti,” I say, quirking a brow.

“Yes,” he responds flatly.

“Okay, I’m ready when you are.” Gen slaps her leg and moves toward the door. “Don’t have too much fun without us.”

“Aww, but the party was just getting started,” Jack says with a pout.

Cade’s eyes darken as he grimaces at Jack as he leaves. “I’m gonna grab my keys.”

“A party? Count me in,” Kai says, coming down the steps and wrapping his arms around me, only to take my drink and down it.

I look up into his unfamiliar golden-brown eyes, and I lean back. I almost miss his true form, looking at where his horns should be. It’s odd seeing him look so human. His hand brushes gently over mine and I smile, relieved he is here to break the tension of the moment.

“Another round, bartender,” Kai says, setting the glass on the counter near Jack.

I see them share a look, and I shrink into Kai.

Obliging, Jack grabs yet another glass from the cupboard, filling all of them, one of his blond curls falling over his face as he leans down.

His blue eyes meet mine, and for a moment my stomach drops. The corner of his mouth upturns as he hands Kai his drink. Jack winks at him as he looks back to me, raising his glass in a cheers.

I look over to Gen standing near the front door for some kind of reassurance, attempting to run from whatever this feeling is. She side-eyes me—raising a brow as she smirks. That is not helping.

I fidget, looking down, and I feel Kai’s arms over mine. He is tangling his fingers into mine when Cade rushes back in.

“C’mon,” Cade says, opening the door for Gen.

“Thank you, sir.” She precedes him outside.

They leave, and I hear Cade’s truck roar to life. When the sound fades, some of the tension eases… until I realize I’m alone with Kai and Jack.

I sigh and down my drink. Suddenly I feel hot, like all the air has been sucked from the room.

“Take it easy there, killer, plenty enough to go around,” Jack says, smiling. He walks over to the Bluetooth speaker in the corner and connects his phone to it. “Fill the Void” by The Weeknd surrounds us. Since Jack knows how much I love this music, maybe he could tell I felt awkward.

I feel Kai squeeze my waist and kiss the back of my head before he grabs the bottle and moves to the couch.

“Your music taste is terrible,” Kai tells Jack.

“Hey! No one shits on this song,” I say, and Jack’s eyes lock onto mine; he looks me up and down, and I look away as if I didn’t notice.

“Clearly you don’t know your girl very well. This is one of her favorites.”