Page 17 of Dying in Flames (Reborn 4)
Maya
“Coffee?”I mumbled, half asleep, as I reached out for the source of such an amazing smell. Someone chuckled, but I ignored it as I snuggled a cold pillow under my cheek and continued to reach out for the coffee cup that someone really needed to put in my hand. I inhaled again, noticing a small hint of something more sugary than normal inside of the concoction. Caramel? I was pretty sure that was caramel.
“Damn, she has a good nose,” a voice said, sounding amused.
“When it comes to anything sweet, for sure,” a secondary voice, the one who had chuckled, agreed.
“Where is it?” I complained vocally.
“If you want it, you’re going to need to open your eyes.” Anani’s voice became clear to me as my heavy lids opened to find the man lying next to me, causing a smile to form on my lips. He was so handsome. I looked at his empty hands, scowling as I turned to find Sai, on my other side, holding the coffee mug.
“Please?” I put my hands out, almost as if begging, and he flashed a smile before handing it to me. I pulled the blankets up around me in a cocoon as I sipped on it, keeping my eyes half-closed, remembering why I was so tired. My body sure as heck remembered, and it was probably good that at some point Henry brought me back to my room because after the third time, I’d been bone tired.
To be fair, I had been the one to start the second time when I had climbed on top of him… I hadn’t expected him to just flip me over and slide into me, though. I had just been trying to tease him… And that was a lie. I was thrilled with the results of my actions.
I let out a happy sound as I finished my coffee and finally opened my eyes, finding both Sai and Anani staring at me with amusement.
“What?” I asked curiously, realizing that the aroma of coffee filled the space to an extent that was far more than what my single mug should do. I looked around, turning my head towards the…What the heck was that?
“That’s your new coffee bar,” Sai explained with a smile.
“Oh my goodness!” I got out of bed, glad I had changed into an oversized shirt after our bath last night. I’d felt bold wearing what I had to Henry’s room, and while I absolutely loved it, I usually preferred my mates’ oversized clothing. Although, I wouldn’t mind owning more pieces like that, especially if that was the reaction I got… Maybe my mates would even come lingerie shopping with me.
The coffee bar in front of me was like a small kitchen island, equipped with a coffee maker, a mug rack, and an entire collection of syrups and sugars. Underneath it was a mini-fridge of what appeared to be different flavored creamers and some breakfast snacks. I made a happy, humming sound in my throat as I examined each mug, every single one in shades of purple, pink, and glitter. One of them was shaped like a cat head, and I was almost positive that it was my favorite. I looked down at my current one and smiled, realizing it was a purple ‘Princess’ mug with a crown and outlines of dragons on it.
I lied. This was my favorite.
“Whose idea was this?” I asked softly, turning back to find both of them watching me with smiles. Sai had stood, but Anani was still laid out in my bed, Bella moving from her little cat bed at the end of the bed to go sit on his chest.
“All of ours,” Sai offered casually as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“It was Sai.” Anani chuckled. “Don’t let him tell you differently.”
“I love it,” I told Sai as he walked up to me and pressed a hard kiss to my lips before disappearing. I walked over to Anani, who was examining my bed that was covered in some of my boy's shirts and a few other comfortable things I liked to sleep with. The idea of being surrounded by my mates like that was extremely appealing.
“What time is it?” I asked curiously.
“Sometime in the afternoon.” Anani yawned. “We all woke up a bit late today.”
Well, that wasn’t the worst thing. I didn’t have school or anything like that, but it was surprising we slept in so late. Then again, we had literally traveled across realms, so being exhausted, I suppose, was expected.
“Is everyone else up?”
“Yes,” Anani hedged, “but I would say get ready for the day before coming down. There are a lot of people outside of our house.”
I walked towards the hallway and peeked out, making my way to the top of the stairs to look out the glass wall of the front of the house. My eyes widened at the news vans in the driveaway, all being herded by security and local police, but the effort didn’t seem to be making much of a difference. The reporters looked so worked up that I actually felt concerned about them. I also worried about the security and police officers, because there were fewer of them than the reporters.
“They’ve got it handled.” Anani came up behind me and squeezed my waist. “Just get ready for the day and then come downstairs.”
Nodding, I kissed his lips, letting out a soft sound at the small smile he gave me, his fingers tangling in my hair and tugging at the scrunchie I’d tied it back with. I watched with amusement as he tucked it into his pocket, shot me a wink, and walked downstairs. I loved that he felt comfortable doing that. I knew he liked stealing my stuff, and he never needed to hide it.
Going back into my bedroom, I found Bella padding around the bed, instantly meowing upon seeing me. I gave her some pets and cute snuggles, appreciating the small peaceful moment, before slipping into the closet. I wasn’t positive what the weather was like, but I decided to go with a cute brown and cream plaid skirt that had a leather buckle at the waist that matched the loafers I slid on. I finished the outfit with a soft, oversized cashmere sweater that I tucked into my skirt at the front before assessing my appearance in the mirror. I couldn’t help but smile as I ran my fingers through my hair, loving the array of colors behind me in my closet, so vibrant compared to what I’d experienced before this. I didn’t think I would ever not be able to appreciate it.
Sometimes it felt a bit odd seeing my reflection in the mirror, not fully recognizing the woman that looked back at me. Not only did I look healthier than ever before, but I was covered in markings that made me happy instead of the bruises that had once covered my skin. My mates’ bite marks were my favorite, but I also loved the flight mark on my forearm, the gorgeous imprint of the rose gold cuff, like a metallic tattoo on my skin, that I couldn’t help but run my fingers along. I would be thrilled if my mates kept marking me, including human stuff like the ring on my finger.
Running some vanilla lip gloss over my lips and a brush through my hair, I walked back towards the bed, where Bella sat waiting patiently.
“Ready?” I asked her as she climbed up my offered arm and positioned herself on my shoulder. I kissed her little head and left the room, my gaze going back towards the driveway as I walked down the steps, the chaos seeming to grow more consistent as time passed. I knew Anani said they had it under control, but I honestly wasn’t positive that was going to be true if any more reporters arrived.
