Page 51 of Outcast

Stravos was still standing guard on the other side of the door.

“She’s awake,” I reassured him. “You can go see that she’s all right.”

“I knew you wouldn’t fail her,” he said with a relieved smile that said he was, indeed, freaking out.

“Go in when you’re ready. But don’t kill Crew. I worked too hard so he could live,” I said as I patted him on the shoulder. “Give her a few minutes to kick his ass first.”

His quiet laughter followed me down the hallway.

The guys were sitting around, trying to look casual but clearly waiting for me. Roman and Hiro were on their feet the moment they saw me.

“Is she all right?” I didn’t comment on the fact that she wasn’t alone. They weren’t any happier with Crew than I was.

“They’re awake,” I confirmed as I sat down. Kol, who’d been leaning against the wall, swooped in, picked me up, and settled me on his lap. I leaned back into his hard chest and let out a long breath. Our lives had been so insane, I felt like we hadn’t gotten a moment to exist as a group and I hated it. When this was over, I was throwing a fucking party for this realm, then declaring we’d be out of commission for a week.

“Is Crew pissed off?” Drake asked. “Do I need to go knock some sense into him?”

I snorted at that. “No, I’m pretty sure Layne is doing that right now.”

Monty had been leaning against the far wall until now. He let out a laugh and rejoined the group.

“It didn’t go well, here she comes,” he announced. I swear the demon commander sounded eager for gossip.

Stravos charged in first like he was leading Layne here, then jumped out of the way as she stormed past. She looked livid as she stopped between us and paced on the rug, giving everyone in the room audience to her impending mental breakdown. At least she only had to deal with normal emotions and not the shuffling of moods and emotions she would have before.

“He’s so fucking dense, I swear. Even after dying for his ass in Dark Haven and coming back to life, he’s being a dumbass. I don’t understand how one singular man... or whatever he is, can’t get the concept through his thick soul. Just because I love Stravos doesn’t mean I don’t care about him. Never did I demand he be in a poly relationship. If he doesn’t want to be, fine, but he needs to make that decision and fucking stick to it!”

She threw her hands up as she finished. Every one of us looked like we were watching a performance, eyes tracking her movement and barely blinking so we didn’t miss a thing.

Clearly entertainment was scarce in Helheim.

Then Crew stomped into the room a moment later and excitement built between their audience.

“Fight, fight, fight,” Monty muttered. Hiro and Drake lost it, covering their laughter with a cough when Layne glared at them.

“Woman, you didn’t even let me finish what I was explaining to you!” he growled out. It wasn’t far off from all the other arguments we’d witnessed in Dark Haven.

She whirled around at his tone and poked a finger right in his chest, jabbing him hard enough he stumbled backward.

“No, you were fucking gaslighting me. If I wanted smoke blown up my ass, I’d fucking ask for it. I am not forcing you into anything,Crew.” She spit out his name like a curse.

Crew deflated, his voice dropping down so even I had to strain to hear him.

“Why wasn’t I enough for you? Why couldn’t you just choose me?”

“Aaaand there it is.” Roman winced. “Have you not been listening at all, dude? She chose you, and she chose him. Not that complicated.”

Layne wasn’t done with him and had no sympathy for his broken, pathetic tone. It seemed to piss her off more.

“Stravos is amazing. You haven’t even given him a fucking chance. I’m not asking you to let the gargoyle fuck you, I’m just telling you that I’m going to be with him too. And you know what he’s done? Not fucking turned on me and abandoned me like you did.”

She had a point. Crew was always angry about his past and being left behind and he did it to the one person who was always in his corner.

“What else was I going to do? I was watching the woman I loved, the one I stayed in that awful place for, leave me behind.”

She turned and grabbed a throw pillow, screaming out her frustration into it before she finished.

“Not true. I never wanted to end things with you. Just because you can’t understand it, doesn’t mean that my feelings aren’t valid. I love you both. And as we both know, life is too short and I refuse to have this shitty conversation anymore. So, either get on board or you can fuck off.”

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