My body feels relaxed after a warm shower, and my mind feels clearer, too. After putting on my pajamas, I step out of the bathroom, veer to my left, and enter my bedroom next door, ready to get that good night's rest.
Today had been a tad too eventful to my taste.
"Your hair is still wet." Jordan's voice is soft, almost coaxing, as he beckons me to come closer. He's standing before the bed. "Let me dry it for you…?"
I eye the towel in his hands, keeping quiet.
"Scott?"
"…Coming."
Too tired to care, too exhausted to make a fuss. If he wants to treat me like I'm a drenched puppy that's been kicked to the curb, sure, why not. Sleeping with wet hair is uncomfortable anyway, so might as well let him have his fun.
Tiptoeing my way to the bed, I plop my ass beside Jordan. Behind me, the kids are already lost in dreamland, curled up around James and Jonathan like dragons around their treasure.
In the end, the vampire patriarch never woke up and slept through the whole ordeal.
I swear, the next time he proposes to play bait, the answer is no in big, red capital letters. The guy can't even stay awake to look after himself.
No wonder Jordan was against it and only relented after James agreed to join in. Not like his presence had been any more useful than his patriarch's, though.
"By the way." I close my eyes as Jordan leans behind me and starts drying my hair. His hands are slow and careful. "Why is James wearing Ellena's gown?"
"Long story short," Jordan chuckles, his breath tickling the tip of my ear—he's too close for comfort, "Ellena threw a fit when he asked for Elois's pajamas. And the rest is history."
"Ah, I should've known."
James pretty much dug his grave by asking for her dress a few hours back. Now, there's no way in hell she's going to allow him to wear anything other than her clothes. On the bright side, it does suit him.
"I'm done," Jordan says, yet his hands linger. I can feel his fingers play with a few strands, ever so gently. "It's still a bit damp, but the hairdryer would wake up the kids, so…"
I'd rather not deal with a tantrum this late into the night, thank you.
"How are you feeling?"
Jordan's voice is softer than earlier. It has become a whisper, and I can only hear it 'cause he's so darn close, sitting only a few inches away. The more time we spend together, the more he starts to take liberties. I don't know when exactly he started to invade my personal space, and when exactly I stopped caring. I only know that having him by my side has become a natural thing, almost as if he's supposed to be there.
Maybe we've been sleeping in the same bed too often. I blame the kids for that.
"Scott?"
It's already the second time he's called my name tonight. Guess I'm getting lost in thought more than usual or something.
I should answer him.
"I'm feeling fine."
Bullcrap. If anything, I feel like shit.
"Is that so?" Jordan doesn't sound convinced, but like always, he doesn't push the matter if I don't want to talk about it. He stays by my side instead, respecting the silence. Although the guy is still playing with my hair. "Do you want to talk tonight or tomorrow?"
Good question. I peer at the kids. If I wait, I might not get the chance to speak with Jordan until tomorrow night, when the gremlins are back to sleep. But I'm also dead tired, and my eyelids are threatening to close on their own.
"Tell me just one thing." The words seem to scratch at my throat. I feel like I've swallowed a mouthful of ashes or breathed in smoke. Still, I force the rest of the words out. "Did you notice when I disappeared?"
There's a short silence, so I shift my gaze to Jordan. I can see guilt shining in his true form. The golden hues in his eyes have diminished, and his pointy ears hung low.
Yet his voice betrays nothing when he opens his mouth to say, "Yes, I did."
"Then why didn't you interfere right away?"
I know, that makes two questions.
"Because of fate." He smiles faintly, even though he's offering me a cryptic answer that is no better than gibberish to me. "Let's just say that not intervening was the best option at the time. Or at the very least, from what I've gathered from the kids' prophecies."
Dude, that's still gibberish to me.
"Don't get me wrong; not involving myself in the matter did not please me, and it wasn't easy to stay still." He pinches his lips slightly. His true form is betraying the whirlpool of emotions tearing him apart. "Even if I knew you would be fine and back home soon, it was torturous not to act."
I'd guess, yes, but it doesn't alleviate the discomfort twisting my guts. It's been a while since I felt disappointed in someone. I know I shouldn't be; there's no reason to be. Yet, I can't help the feeling of anger bubbling up in the pit of my stomach now that things have calmed down and there's no danger around. The dam is breaking, and emotions I usually can get under control and not care about are leaking.
I refuse to think about the why. I have other things in mind to care about right now, anyway.
"Still, couldn't you have at least given me a heads-up?" I scoff through gritted teeth. "It'd have made the experience a little less stressful, just saying."
You'll have to excuse the snappy tone, hubby. Putting aside the disappointment, I'm also, let's say, a bit pissed at having been kidnapped—again. That's starting to be a recurrent theme, and I kinda don't like it.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes with a faint, almost sorrowful smile. "Everything became clear in my mind only once I was waiting in the waiting line. This ability of mine can be tricky at times, and it doesn't always show me things beforehand. It's often last-minute."
I narrow my eyes at him, and his shoulders stiffen. He looks like a kid who's been caught red-handed.
"You know what?" I snort, turning around to crawl further into the bed. Looks like I'll be stuck between Ellena and Jordan tonight. "I think I need a second crash course about your species. The first one seems to have omitted a few things."
Alright, to be fair, back then, it'd been just a quick overview to help alleviate my anxiety and distrust. Jordan and Eve were way too generous toward me at the time—and they still are, by the way. Anyway, I've been learning bits about their abilities here and there, but they're only tiny bits. In reality, I don't know shit about them, not even their species' real name. If I'm to live with them and care for the kids, I should at least be made aware of the basics, just to avoid future headaches.
"I don't mind." Jordan pauses to clear his throat, a frown creasing his brow. Ah, there's a but there, isn't it? "But I'll need to ask my clan head permission for a few things first. Sorry."
As I pull the blankets over my shoulders and let my head fall onto the pillow, my eyes never leave him. Interestingly enough, it seems to make him uncomfortable.
"So, even you have to respond to someone…"
Not gonna lie, that's surprising. I've always felt like he could do whatever the fuck he wanted without having to care about the consequences, but guess not.
"If I don't want to get nagged for centuries," he sighs as he leans against the headboard, "yes."
Wait. Something seems off in that sentence.
"Nagged for centuries…?" I hear myself repeat.
"Well." Jordan laughs softly, getting ready to pull another all-nighter to work on whatever file has gained his attention tonight. "Elias is quite stubborn. He's the kind who would nag the new demon king for a millennium just to make his point come across."
I've heard that name before. Isn't he Eve's big brother? Although… Elias? Seriously? What do these two siblings have with biblical names? Powerful demons wearing biblical names in their human forms… They sure have a unique sense of humour.
But that's not the point.
Nag the demon king for a millennium? That has to be a joke! No one has this much time to waste, and no one's crazy enough to bother the demon king for centuries!
…Right?