Page 34 of Mending Mayhem
But it couldn’t.
Mayhem rolled off me, taking his warmth and compassion with him. His face fell, a curtain slamming down on the vulnerability he’d shown. “I agree. This was a mistake.”
“I didn’t say it was a mistake.” I pushed to sitting, holding the sheet against my chest.
“I did.” He slid out of bed and stood, and my stomach tightened even more as I took in the glorious view. My throat thickened, and a tiny voice from somewhere deep inside screamed at me to fix this. To tell him I didn’t mean it and that I wanted him in my bed and my life for the rest of my existence.
Down, girl. Don’t get attached.
“I spent time inside your mind, and now my mark on your arm is fabricating false emotions. There is no such thing as soulmates, and I was a fool for entertaining the idea. Where can I find clothing? We have work to do.”
“Ash’s dresser. Bottom right drawer.”
He turned on his heel and strode out of my room, leaving me in bed with my mouth hanging open. I don’t know what I expected him to do when I said it couldn’t happen again, but I definitely did not anticipate he’d plunge a metaphorical knife into my chest.
“Ouch,” I whispered, rubbing the phantom pain.
No, not phantom. That pain was real and raw, and I did not enjoy it in the slightest.
I sat still, listening for his voice, but the house stood silent. Sliding out of bed, I padded to my dresser and gathered a set of clothes before heading to the shower for the second time today. His dark, masculine scent lingered on my skin, and I could almost feel his talons against my back as he’d lost control. I had to wash it all away.
After the shower, I scrubbed my teeth and tongue, trying to vanquish the taste of his lips, but it was no use. My mind had grabbed hold of his essence, not just committing it to memory, but etching it in stone.
“Good goddess, Ember. What have you done?” I asked my reflection before I quietly padded into the living room.
Mayhem sat in my favorite chair, his spine straight, his face stoic. Ash flashed me a curious look, and I gave my head a tiny shake, telling her not to ask. I could see the question in her expression: Are you okay?
I’ll let you know when I figure that out myself.
She nodded. “The guys scried, and they’re on their way.”
“They’re bringing sandwiches,” Chaos said, and my stomach growled on cue.
“Do they know where it is?” I sank into the chair opposite Mayhem and tried to make eye contact. He wouldn’t look at me.
“You know Shade.” Ash folded one leg beneath her. “If they do, he’s going to make damn sure we don’t go after it without him.”
“That tracks.” I drummed my fingers on my knees. “The good news is it sounds like the fae aren’t planning to take over our realm. If we want to buy what Adrian was selling.”
My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, and I retrieved it, pressing it to my ear. “Another one?”
Higgins huffed. “Washed up at Cat Cove. No liver.”
“What about the heart?” I asked as a knock sounded on our door. I opened it and stepped aside for Shade and Miles to come inside.
“You never told me about an issue with hearts.” The crunching of potato chips sounded through the phone. “Is there anything else you’ve failed to mention?”
My teeth clicked. “I pass on information as I receive it. We only found out about the hearts yesterday.”
“Hmm. I’ll check with the ME. What else do I need to know?”
“If the heart was missing, the victim was a witch. Liver only means they were human.”
“Get this shit under control.” The line went dead before I could muster a snappy comeback, which was just as well. My brain was processing way too much information to maintain my sharp tongue.
By the time I finished the call, Miles had set us up with wrapped hoagies and full glasses of water at the table. I sat at one end, and Mayhem took the other…as far from me as possible…while the others filled in the rest of the space.
After firing off a text to Patrice, asking her to wrangle a team to check out Cat Cove, I unwrapped a cranberry chicken salad sandwich and leveled my gaze on Shade. “Well?”