Page 19

It’s over an hour before Ash and Hypnos return. Ash storms straight onto the bus without so much as a glance in my direction and Hypnos runs a hand over his face, the other propped on his hip. He looks stressed, which is out of the ordinary for him.

“She’s got baggage, man. Serious baggage. Tread carefully.” Is all he says before digging into the cold left-overs from breakfast.

There’s a tug in my chest with his warning, but it’s pushing me to get up and check on Ash. I don’t find her in her usual spot on the couch, so I head to the back of the bus, opening the door to the bedroom.

She’s curled up on my bed, staring out the window. When she doesn’t look at me, I clear my throat.

“You’re invading my space.” My voice sounds too loud in this cramped room.

“You invaded mine.”

“Fair.” I say and I guess it’s the right thing because she looks at me with curiosity .

“No comeback?” She asks, pushing herself up against the headboard.

I climb onto the bed, kicking my shoes off before crawling towards her.

Her brows dip, uncertain of my intentions.

Honestly, so am I. When it comes to Ash, there's an uncertainty inside of me that swirls around and makes me sick. I don’t trust her, but I can’t fight the urge to be near her. It’s exhausting.

I sit next to her, and she visibly relaxes. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

She nods, “You often are.”

“I guess I am. You just have a way of pissing me off.”

“Not really a good excuse, is it? I wasn’t the one who outed our business to everyone.” She argues.

“I know. I said I’m sorry.” The words leave me easier than I want them to.

I capture her blue eyes with mine and she searches for sincerity. She must find what she’s looking for because the anger that lines her face smooths out and the hostility holding her captive dissipates. It’s almost uncomfortable sitting next to her without so much pent-up rage inside of me.

“Thanks.” The corner of her lips tip up just slightly. “To make it up to me, you can give me this room.”

“Funny.” I chuckle.

There’s no way I’m giving up the only king bed with a private bathroom on this bus filled with three other guys. She glares at me, her face hardening.

“No way.” I shake my head.

She crosses her arms and pinches her lips.

I groan, “Fine, but you’re sharing. I’m not sleeping on that couch. A Gnome wouldn’t even fit.”

She rolls her eyes, “Whatever.”

I smirk, my heart skipping a beat in excitement. “Just don’t try to take advantage of me in my sleep. ”

She whacks my chest with the back of her hand, “Don’t get too excited. It’s solely because I’m sick of sleeping on leather.”

“Sure, whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.” I catch her wrist, gripping it tightly.

She yanks it back, but I don’t let go, so she tries even harder. I grab her other wrist, pulling her onto me, her thighs straddling my waist. She writhes against me, forcing out a groan. I let her arms go, only to dig my fingers into her waist.

“Don’t.” I warn her.

“I’m not doing anything. I was perfectly fine sitting where I was.” She argues.

“I like you here, so this is where you’ll sit, but if you keep moving your ass I’m going to lose it again.” I explain.

She stops moving and sits as still as she can, though it has the opposite effect than I thought it would. I can feel the excitement growing inside of me when she obeys, and I think she can too.

“Can I ask you questions? Off the record?” She finally speaks, thankfully ignoring the rod she's sitting on.

I nod, hesitantly.

“Why do you guys wear the masks?”

“To hide our identities.” I answer simply.

She rolls her eyes, “Duh, but there’s a deeper reason. I’ve already signed a contract agreeing that I would never sell your faces to the public, yet you still hide from me.”

“I don’t trust you, Eris.”

“Come on, it’s been weeks now and I’ve done nothing to kill your trust. I’ve put up with all your bullshit, let you kiss me, let you... taste me.” She whispers her last words, a fierce blush tainting her skin. “And I don’t even know what you look like.”

I reach up and grab her face, my thumb brushing her pinkening cheeks. “You are such a prude.”

Anger flashes behind those cerulean eyes and she shuts down like I’ve hit the kill switch. She climbs off of me and I don’t fight her.

“Look, I have trust issues, okay? I’m not saying I’ll never let you in, I’m just not ready.

” I explain. “It’s not a vanity thing. I’m not so arrogant that I think if I show my face the whole world will want a piece of me and never leave me alone.

I’m... hiding. Okay? It’s crucial that no one knows who I am. ”

“Hiding from what? The life you created?” She snarks.

“No. It’s bigger than that. Something you would never understand.”

“I might. We all have issues, Khaos. You’re not the only one.” She crosses her arms.

“Yeah? What kind of issues does a girl like you have? Raised in a wealthy suburb with parents that loved her. Never needing for anything.” I flip up the side of yet another sun dress, this one as blue as her eyes covered in daisies.

“What do you know about how I was raised? Sure, I had a decent home life, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t go through things.” She argues.

“Like what?” I push.

She chuckles darkly but shuts down. Clearly, we’re both hesitant to open up to each other.

“Whatever. All I’m saying is give me some damn time.” I grumble, scooting off the bed and rejoining the guys outside.