Page 22 of Boyfriend From Hell
Well, none of that went as planned.
I felt bad about all of it, I could have done away with the creepy entrance and the shadow show, but I selfishly wanted to make a spectacle out of it. I wasn’t entirely sure how to reveal myself to her, ripping off the bandage seemed like the easiest thing at the time.
While she gaped at me, I could see her fear, her confusion, as well as the exhaustion roiling behind her eyes, which made me feel even more guilty. As I watched her, I saw the color drain from her face, quickly… a little too quickly.
Fuck, was she about to—I watched as she collapsed to the bed.
I stood, stunned, at the foot of the bed. I had expected her to freak out, but faint?
I sighed and hung my head. If only I had googled, “how to tell the girl you like that you’re a devil. And have her understand you mean her no harm and actually like her and want her to know that she’s”—
“Do you want us to do something?” A voice chirped.
I glanced over my left shoulder to find Cam and Mal walking through thedoor, and sighed.
They both eyed the heap of girl on the bed and Mal smirked.
“Smooth.” Was all he said.
I groaned.
“Get one of the elixirs, that should wake her up,” I mumbled, trying to shove my embarrassment elsewhere.
The elixir was basically a smelling salt of sorts, actually it was closer to a glucose tablet or whatever those hockey-puck-like things are that people sometimes had to eat up top. Either way, it was made from a mineral down here and was so sickly sweet most dwellers here used it to jump start their day. Or, I supposed in this case, to wakesomeone up.
“Is she alright?” a voice whispered, uncertainty lacing their words.
“Yes, of course she is,” huffed a second voice, though it sounded more like an attempt at reassurance than certainty. A sharp jab in my side forced a groan from me.
“Well, what did you do that for?” The first voice questioned again, wavering between concern and accusation.
“I didn’t do anything! I was just making sure she wasn’tactuallydead. It doesn’t seem like she handled his entrance well,” the second voice exclaimed, defensiveness creeping in.
“You ought to be more careful, Mal! Here, give her the elixir.”
A third voice laughed, seemingly amused by the situation, a stark contrast to the tension between the other two.
There was a scoff, followed by the sound of glass clinking against glass, before something cold pressed against my lips.
My eyes flew open as shock flooded through me.
Had I seriously fainted from fear? Fight, flight, and then there was me—fainting. I flung my arms out, knocking away whatever they were trying to make me drink. The light was bright and blinding, as if someone opened all the curtains. Three blurry shapes hovered in my vision.
The third voice laughed, then there was a shift in weight around me followed by a huff and some incoherent mumbling.
“Morning,” the voice hummed, a mix of amusement and curiosity played on their tongue. “That wasn’t exactly how I wanted to make you black out.”
My eyes finally focused on the people before me. Three men. Well, two men and one horned, whatever the hell—goat man? Monster?
Raios.
“Devil,” Raios said, as if reading my mind. “Though, goat man does have a nice ring to it.”
Okay, maybe hecanread my mind. Great, so my hot neighbor not only turned out to be bat-shit crazy but is also a mind reading goat man devil.
His lips curled up into a kind smile, as I finally met his eyes. Something about it—as unsettling as it all was—was enticing. He leaned back casually onto his elbows, giving me a chance to notice his shirtless state. Of course he would be shirtless, because whywouldhe be wearing a shirt. That would just make too much sense!
Try as I might, I couldn’t stop my gaze from straying to his exposed torso. What kind of woman would I be if I didn’t? It’s right there, demanding my attention—perfectly sculpted muscle and all.
