Page 6 of Faithless
“Fuck, smells amazing,” he mumbled, dropping into the chair next to me.
“Make yourself at home, why don’tcha?” Daren dropped a plate of eggs and breakfast sausage in front of his best friend, then playfully smacked his shoulder. “I told you, Lil. We should be charging both of these losers rent.”
“Hey man, you’re lucky I left my chonies on. I’d be buck-ass naked if I was at home. Can’t sleep with clothes on.” Torr grabbed my coffee and slurped it loudly.
“Excuse you!” I swiped it back from him mid-slurp.
“I was actually thinking we should swap out the loveseat for a futon,” Lily signed to Daren, a smile pulling at her lips. “So it could be folded down and overnight guests would be more comfortable.”
“Nooo, don’t encourage them,” he pretended to whine as he pulled her into a hug, laughing as he cradled her head in the center of his chest.
“Love you too, bro,” I muttered into my coffee mug.
“Look at these two. It’s too early in the morning for so much damn cuteness.” Torr made a gagging sound as Lily hugged around Daren’s waist. She looked up at my brother, and their smiles of love and adoration matched perfectly before they kissed.
“Absolutely disgusting,” I said, playing along with Torr.
“Hey, you want to keep sleeping on the loveseat or not?” Daren shot back.
“I’m perfectly good with the couch. Mr. Sleeps Naked over here just needs to find his naked ass in some damsel’s bed more often. Or I dunno, his own.”
Torr turned to me, stretching up so the full length of his abs and torso were on display. “And deprive you of this stunning view? I could never be so cruel, Rori.”
“I dunno, you’re looking a little squishy here.” I reached out and pinched some skin on his stomach. Of course, there wasn’t much to grab because he was wrought with muscle, and I was full of shit. “Been slacking in the gym?”
He shrugged, completely unaffected by my teasing. “Just doing somenewworkouts,” he said with a salacious grin. “Lots of hip thrusts, if you get my drift.”
“Ew. You’re grosser than them.” I angled my gaze back toward Daren and Lily, though something bright caught my eye in the kitchen window. The sight nearly had me dropping my coffee cup. “Mother-fuck!”
The white dove was right there, perched on the windowsill and staring at me.
You cannot ignore me out of existence, Aurora.The voice raked over my brain and skin, taunting me.
Oh shit. Shit. Shit. This was bad. I wasn’t drunk anymore. Why was I still hallucinating?
“Hey, Ror? You okay?” The voice sounded far away, like it was coming from the opposite end of a tunnel.
My chest felt tight, and it was hard to get a breath. The rapid pace of my own heartbeat seemed like it was trying to choke me. What the fuck was happening to me?
“Rori, hey!”
The weight of a hand fell to my shoulder, fingers gently squeezing to bring my attention back. It worked, a little. Torr was leaning in close to me, the scent of him calming. It was his hand on my shoulder; his warm, dark eyes searching mine with concern.
“You’re shaking like a leaf,” he said, his brows pinching together. “What’s wrong?”
“You need to lie down, sis?” Daren asked me, his expression also concerned. “You went really pale all of a sudden.”
“No, no. I, uh…” I brought my hands to my face, rubbing my eyes like that would make the hallucination go away. When I looked again, the dove was still there, preening its feathers. Mocking me.
“I need to go home.” I stood abruptly, nearly making my chair fall backwards but Torr caught it. “I just…yeah, not feeling great. Want to lie down in my own bed, you know?”
“Are you sure you’re okay to ride your motorcycle?” Lily’s hands moved swiftly as she asked the question, chewing her lip in concern.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m good.” I was so frazzled that I forgot to sign, so I repeated the words with my hands. “I’m sober, just maybe a little more hungover than I thought.” I forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Steel Demon blood isn’t invincible.”
Torr’s hand went around my forearm in a gentle but commanding hold. “Let me take you home.”
“No.” I pulled my arm loose. “I’m fine, Torr. Really.” He was the last person I wanted in close proximity while…whatever this was was happening. Was this a psychotic break? Would I need to be committed to a mental hospital? As if it would hide my frantic thoughts, I walked away from everyone’s stares to find my shoes.
