Page 87 of Tethered to the World
And she lost her heart to them, fully and completely.
She’d never thought she would find anyone, much less four someones, but they broke past her walls, blasted away her resolve to keep to herself.
They gave her a reason to survive.
She carefully eased away from them, tugging on a pair of jeans before tiptoeing down to the kitchen, intending to thank them for everything by cooking them breakfast.
She copied Logan—chopped the vegetables, cracked the eggs, pulled out the bread—and that’s where everything went to hell.
Ten minutes later the fire alarm blared, immediately followed by a stampede of feet on the stairs. The guys burst into the room, sleep lines still etched on their faces. Their hair was wild and sticking up, their clothes wrinkled, and she felt awful.
Logan flashed her a giant grin, grabbed a towel, and began pulling things off the stove. Mason unplugged the toaster, waving the smoke away, then tipped it upside down and began sticking a fork into the machine until he emerged with a pitch-black, shrunken hockey puck that was supposed to be toast.
Camden sighed, but there was a slight smirk on his face when he went for the alarm, shutting it off before he began opening the windows and doors.
Her heart sank at the mess she made of everything, the wonderful breakfast she had planned ruined.
“Are you hurt?” Xander edged her away from the chaos, his teal eyes dark with concern as his gaze swept over her.
She blinked up at him, then shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
But instead of retreating, he caught her wrists and lifted up her hands. She’d nicked herself more than a few times. Who knew stabbing someone was easier than chopping vegetables? The other hand had a couple of welts. In theory, she knew the pan and stove would be hot, but it was her organizational skills that were lacking…dropping things, knocking others over, spilling things. Trying to catch and clean up her mess only made everything worse.
Xander tightened his lips, then spun her around and hauled her toward the kitchen sink, holding her hands under cold running water. He watched her from the corner of his eyes. “What were you doing?”
“Making everyone breakfast?” It came out sounding like a question, and she heaved a sigh. “To say thank you. For everything.” She shrugged as he turned off the water. “How can cooking be so hard?!”
Blood continued to well up from the cuts, but it was sluggish.
“You really don’t feel pain?” Mason sounded hesitant.
“Don’t be daft. Of course she feels pain.” Xander huffed out an annoyed breath. “Some people have to learn to compartmentalize it or risk going insane.”
The rest of the guys fell silent and gathered around them. Despite just having woken up—or maybe because of it—they were sexy as fuck, standing around all rumpled and grumpy.
“Heal yourself.” Camden scowled and crossed his arms.
Annora rolled her eyes but did as she was told. A small speck of black mist swirled over the wounds before soaking in her flesh, sealing shut the injuries. The pain was just a pinch, more of a distraction, and she raised a brow at him. “Better?”
He heaved a sigh, as if exasperated, then he dropped his arms, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m going to hit the showers.”
Logan walked past her with an armful of vegetables she’d managed not to mangle or destroy. He kissed her absently on the cheek, then lifted his chin toward Mason. “Why don’t you head out and enjoy the tour of the forest you missed yesterday? Breakfast will be done by the time you get back.”
She stood still, completely shocked by his easy affection despite the closeness growing between them, her body humming with the need for more as he calmly stood in front of the sink and washed the food.
Xander, who was behind her, leaned forward, and placed his lips on her neck, nipping at her playfully, then nudged her toward Mason. “Behave. We’ll train more when you get back.”
She opened and closed her mouth, only able to blink when he casually walked away.
Then Mason was there, his smile so very sweet, she swallowed hard.
“Ready?” His low voice resonated in her chest, sending her already overactive libido into overdrive. Was it polite to crawl up his body and give into the temptation to touch his horns? It wasn’t fair that only she was affected.
She must have been projecting some of her thoughts. Logan began choking on his laughter, while color swamped Mason’s cheeks…but it was the lust darkening his lavender eyes that made her breath catch.
Ever the gentleman, he offered his elbow, and she placed her hand on his forearm, charmed and taken off guard by the courtly gesture. As they strode into the sunshine, the cool morning air cleared her head a bit, and she breathed easier.
They turned onto the well-used trail and entered the forest, the sun dimming slightly as it filtered through the trees. The breeze died, and the outside noise quieted, drowned out by the rustling of leaves, the hum of insects and the chirp of birds.
