Page 45 of Falling for Famine
The three of us high-fived.
“Baking aficionado and smut fan, are you sent from Heaven?” Asha teased.
I shrugged. “Nomi’s just lucky, I guess.”
“And she likesGeorge of the Jungle…Ash, we need to convince her and Ghost Boy to move in with us,” Emily said in all seriousness.
“Okay, but the real question is whether you find Brendan Fraiser hotter as George or as O’Connell fromThe Mummy,” Asha asked, green eyes sweeping over to me, her expression pulled into a very business-serious look. She couldn’t hide the laughter in her gaze, though.
“You’re asking me to choose from the two hottest versions of him? Are you trying to make me cry?” I countered, smirking.
“Yeah, as soon as the guys are done doing their macho, don’t need a woman in the room with alphas talking thing, we’re bribing, threatening, or kidnapping to keep our Nomi,” Asha said with a decided nod.
Emily nodded back, and I laughed out loud.
It’d been so long since I’d had this much fun with people I just met. I hadn’t expected the bonus two, but I was glad I got them in all the chaos.
Chapter Eighteen
Nomi
After I checked the cobbler and decided it only needed about ten more minutes before it was ready, I wandered back to the couch where the two women were still waiting for me.
“So, you’re bothwith-with your Horseman?” I hoped the question wasn’t rude, but neither one seemed bothered by it.
“Yeah, I’m with Zelus, the asshole redhead. We humans call him Pestilence,” Emily explained.
Asha was next, tucking cherry-red hair behind her ear, her bright green eyes pinning mine. “I’m with Thanatos. And humans call him, uh…” For some reason she was hesitant. “We call him Death.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. It took me nearly a minute to collect it. I wasn’t sure how to address the elephant—or rather, Death—in the room. The last thing I wanted to be was rude.
“That’s cool,” my ever-clever brain landed on.
Asha laughed again, and my anxiety slipped away. “Yeah, don’t worry. I had much of the same reaction when he told me who he was. Well, I didn’t want to believe him, but when a guy tears five other guys who were trying to assault you apart in front of your eyes…”
Both Emily and I stared her down. I was the first to ask, mainly because I’d been the victim of abuse for so long it was natural for me to feel protective. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” I whispered, reaching out to touch her hand.
Her smile was gentle. “No, he got to them before they could do anything.”
I let loose a grateful sigh, and so did Emily. Apparently, she hadn’t told her friend everything. I tried to let go of her hand, but she held on a bit tighter.
“Are you okay?” Asha asked, taking me off guard.
I stared at her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I thought that was obvious. You’re being targeted by a whole lot of assholes who want you dead, all because of what you mean for the end of the world.”
The most honest answer I could give them was: “I’ve made peace with it. It’s not like I can stop it from happening, so I’m making the most of it. I don’t have any supernatural power to fight back. I’m at Ghost—er, Limos’s—mercy right now, so…” Emotion hit my throat when I thought about what would’ve happened if he’d left. “I’m making the most of it,” I repeated again, a bit firmer than before.
Both of them were quieted by my response, and it bothered me. We were all in the same position, so why did it feel like theirs wasn’t as precarious as mine? Why did it feel like I was missing something really important here?
“Your Horsemen didn’t want to use your souls, either?” I finally pivoted, and the question seemed to shake them loose of their deep thoughts.
“Both of them intended to at first,” Asha explained, her smile soft. “But they came around after…well, everything, I guess.”
I was surprised to hear it. “I don’t think Limos ever intended to take my soul.”
Both ladies gaped at me in shock.
