“Hey,” Kade barked, giving him an eye, while pulling me in close. “Watch it.”
“He’s telling the truth, dude,” Thomas added. “Her scent is very alluring.”
“Alright guys, remember it’s my daughter you’re all talking about,” Alaine said, stepping into the room.
I was glad for her sudden appearance because it took the attention off of me.
“Let’s go get something to eat, then you all need to get some rest,” she instructed.
Dom led the group toward the kitchen, where we found Malachi in an apron as well.
“That smells good,” I chimed. “And those aprons suit you both.”
“Yeah, Miss Lily’s got nothin’ on me,” Malachi grinned, flipping a pancake up in the air and catching it perfectly in the pan.
“And, she’s got nothin’ on me either,” Dom added, walking up to the stove to flip an omelet. Half the egg stuck in the pan, and the other half went flying sideways, hitting Malachi in the chest.
“What the hell, man?” Malachi growled. A mixture of cooked and raw egg dripped down his apron; his brows instantly furrowed and his lips pursed.
“Hey Mal, looks like I got somethin’ on you,” Dom said, pointing to his apron. He looked at us with a sly grin.
“You’re lucky that crap didn’t get on my shirt,” he snapped.
I totally thought Malachi was going to smack Dom, but he didn’t. He grit his teeth together, walked to the sink, and began wiping the egg from the apron.
“I don’t want that egg,” Kade said.
“Oh come on. It’s perfectly scrambled now,” Dom replied, wiggling his brow.
“Let’s go, Emma,” Kade said, grabbing my hand. “I think I feel like pancakes today. What about you?”
“Yep. Pancakes sound good to me,” I laughed.
“Ha!” Malachi snarked.
“Traitors,” Dom huffed, under his breath.
We all grabbed platters of food and brought them into the dining room with us. Sitting around the table, Dom and Malachi brought up the rear with pitchers of juice and coffee. When we were all seated and dug in,
Alex started the group conversation.
“Did you see how close they came to breaking the barrier?”
“There’s still a lot of hold in her,” James answered, sipping on some coffee. “And it’ll take a lot more to bring her down.”
“Yeah, it looks like the barrier is mending itself,” Malachi added.
“Yes,” James continued. “But what we don’t know is if the areas which sustained the most damage are still integral. We all saw the large cracks across the barrier after it was hit. I’m hoping it will continue to hold, but we will know when it does not.”
“If it does come down, maybe Emma should be out there fighting with us,” Alex added.
Every eye in the room narrowed on him.
“Dude, she’s the reason why we’re here. We are supposed to protect her,” Thomas chided.
“But from what everyone keeps telling me, she seems like she’s just as good a warrior, or even better, than we are. She can be invisible and has a magical suit, amulet, and dagger which can penetrate almost anything. How can anyone or anything match that?” Alex explained.
“He does have a point,” Dom added. “But we all know the warrior princess cannot leave the safe room until her transformation is over. It’s way too risky. If she’s caught, then the whole reason we’re here is for nothing. Besides, she only has two days left.”
“Yeah, and we all know what that means. If she doesn’t you-know-what, with you-know-who, Lucifer will be able to collect her, no matter where she is because of the oath she made. And once they do you-know-what, everything will change. She won’t care about us anymore,” Alex said, pointing out things I never realized before, which made me a bit frantic inside.
“What are you talking about? I will always care about all of you,” I stated, a bit offended by his statement.
“You don’t know the power of the bond,” Dom interjected. “Once it’s been sealed, your life will not be your own. Your whole outlook on life and love will completely change. The bond will bind and seal your hearts and minds together, each wanting, craving, and yearning to spend the rest of eternity, perusing the happiness and fulfillment of the other. Everyone and everything else will become secondary.”
“Damn, that was a mouthful coming from you,” Malachi sneered.
“Well, I’m sorry you’ve never discovered true love, Mal. Sometimes the bond isn’t for everyone,” Dom simpered.
Malachi growled at him with narrowed eyes.