I look back to see his smile growing.
“I know the drill. Don’t ask questions. Even if I worry I’m contributing to a growing cult,” he says like he’s amused.
Before we can make it to the door, a loud, panicked scream echoes throughout the corridor. Jerome grabs me at the waist and yanks me back, just as Louis comes running around the corner with his freaking clothes on fire.
I shove off Jerome, rushing to Louis, but a fire extinguisher starts spraying, and I hop away from the spray, as laughter breaks out all around. Louis starts laughing as well, while I drop my head back and silently remember all the times I terrified my mother just as much, so that I don’t say something right now that she’ll throw in my face later.
“Why? Just why?” I ask incredulously, as Ighan finishes spraying down Louis.
More and more gather around to laugh, as Louis pushes up from the ground.
He starts stripping out of the flame-retardant suit.
“It works!” Ighan says too happily, as Vance comes out of the kitchen, cursing as he fans smoke away.
“What the hell happened?” the annoyed Van Helsing snaps.
“Oh, so they’re still hanging out around here?” Jerome asks as he clears his throat, gesturing toward Vance.
Vance’s eyebrows go up. “Who the hell are you?”
“The guy who designed all this and helped make it happen in five months. I’m sure you noticed him during that time,” Anna states very dryly from at his side. “You’ll want to play along, because I’m doing you a solid right now, silversmith,” she adds, as Vance quickly smooths his expression and tries to play it off.
Jerome, fortunately, doesn’t seem to see or hear her. Since Leiza did, I’m now paranoid.
“Right. Sorry. I guess I was a little absorbed during those months,” Vance tells him. “Never mind. I remember.”
“Yeah, you guys were working on some weird paranormal show for some chick and trying to make it look like a reality show,” Jerome says as he steps a little too close to my side.
Vance’s eyes sweep over Jerome like he’s now amused, before his gaze shifts to me.
“You didn’t mention getting friendly with the contractor.”
“Architect,” Jerome and I correct in unison, only causing Vance’s amusement to grow.
“Hey, Jerome,” Shera says as she passes, waving her fingers.
Ighan claps Jerome on his shoulder. “Y-y-you st-staying with us?” he asks.
Jerome’s gaze flicks back to me, and a steady smile grows on his lips.
“You still single?” he asks, pointedly avoiding Vance’s subtle glare.
“So, what about that coffee?” I deflect, really wanting away from all this awkwardness.
Jerome smirks over at Vance, which is just ridiculous testosterone, and I take his arm to start steering him toward the door.
“No more fires inside the house unless they’re in the fire room,” I remind them, as Jerome’s hand barely goes to the small of my back, and he takes over the guiding as we step outside.
Five months. Five freaking months. Not one time did I feel one of their stares burning my back as I walked away with Jerome no differently than we’re walking right now. I feel two stares on me right now, and one is trying to make a mental connection.
In the quietest whisper I can muster, I announce, “You’re both dicks.”
A brief glimpse of Damien fucking me is forced into my mind. I mentally flip him off and hope he somehow sees it in those mind mirrors the asshole uses. One day, I will understand how his powers actually work, and I’ll probably feel silly for it.
Until then, I keep mentally flipping him off, as we walk into the coffee shop.
CHAPTER 13
DAMIEN
That fucking wanker.
I’m going to tear off the wanker’s wanker and give it to another wanker who wants a wee wanker.
“Who the fucking hell is he?” I ask, as Vance joins me in my thousand-feet-away-from-the-sanctuary rooftop perch, watching Violet as she sits across from the wanker, who’s going to suffer all those things I already mentioned. “And why is she smiling at him like that?”
“That’s Jerome,” he tells me flatly, clicking his tongue as he just glares. “He’s been helping Violet create this damn sanctuary while we ‘worked on our silly little TV show for our ex,’ according to Shera. She seemed to enjoy it, as if she were savoring delayed gratitude when I demanded some answers.”
“Are those all the answers you got?” I ask, looking at the fool who has an invitation and isn’t sharing the full wealth of information I’m sure he’s collected.
“I’ve spent my day teaching Bobo and Ighan their way around the kitchen so that I could talk to them about the expectations of today’s society. You know how much pride they once had in themselves. They need to contribute in order to feel as though that’s truly their home. They know the utilities are expensive, and—”
“I really don’t fucking care about Ighan and Bobo right now,” I cut in and angrily jab my finger at Violet, as she bloody laughs at the wanker’s stupid joke. “I care about what you’ve learned about this developing situation. What sort of action needs to be taken on a scale of one to death?” I ask very seriously.