“It’s not just her.” Absently, I draw circles into his chest over his shirt. “My dad acted really weird when I mentioned Ms. Stevens the other day. He told me to meet him in person to discuss it further.”
“When?”
“Tonight,” I say. “He’s supposed to text me a location.”
“Do you want me to come with?” Mason peers down at me, nothing but worry in his gaze. He doesn’t demand to come with me like some of the others might. He trusts my judgement—sometimes even more than I trust it.
“Yes, please,” I whisper, stretching my neck to kiss the stubble on his jaw. “I don’t know if I can handle this alone.”
“You’re Violet Dracula,” he says immediately. “You can do anything.”
I press my face to his shirt to hide my smile, his faith in me staggering and quite humbling.
“I was also thinking…” Mason trails off, and I can’t help but glance up at him, surprised to see his cheeks crimson. When he catches me staring, his blush deepens.
“Yeah?”
“With everything that just happened…and now someone breaking into your room…”
“Mason, spit it out.” I poke his bicep, only to have my finger swatted away and then grabbed and nibbled on. With my free hand, I aim a punch at his chest, but he captures my fist and kisses the corner of my lips. Relationship bliss, I tell ya.
“There’s an extra room at our house…” Once more, he trails off with a sheepish smile.
“Mason.” I sit upright, instantly alert. “Are you asking me to move in with you guys?”
“Only if you want to!” he assures me quickly. When he holds open his arms, I immediately lie against him once more, basking in his warmth. He always makes me feel so safe and cherished, as if his body will protect me from the world’s anger and bigotry.
“I don’t know,” I begin timidly. “Do the others even want me there?”
Mason snorts once, amusement in his voice. “I’m pretty sure Hux already designed a bedroom for you in shades of pink and black.”
“Well, if you all agree…” I twist my face until my smile is hidden by his flannel shirt. “Then, yes.”
“Really? You’ll move in with us?” He’s practically thrumming with excitement, his knees bouncing with barely-contained energy. I press a tender kiss to the top of his chest.
“God, this is so weird. It feels as if I just met you, but at the same time—”
“It feels as if you’ve known us forever,” he finishes, brushing back a strand of my unruly blonde hair. “Obviously, we will all be on our best behavior. Even Hux. You don’t have to see us if you don’t want to.”
“Of course I’ll want to see you.” I roll my eyes at him. “You guys are my boyfriends.”
“Boyfriends?” His lips tentatively touch my scalp before lowering to my forehead, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. “Is that what we are?”
“Is that what you want to be?” I fire back, heat suffusing my cheeks. Fuck, why did I just use the b-word? They’re my friends with sexy benefits. We never talked about partaking in an actual relationship.
“Violet Dracula.” Mason grips my chin to stare intently into my eyes. “I would be honored to call you my girlfriend.”
Our lips meet in a soft kiss. It’s innocent and pure, but it causes lightning to zip through my veins and fireworks to explode behind my eyes.
I don’t know what the future will hold, but I know that with these men by my side, I can accomplish anything.
WE PULL up in front of a corrugated iron warehouse. There are at least a dozen others sprouting in all directions like the spindly branches of a tree. They seem to stem from an unassuming building directly in the center, with a large, tin roof and a long row of dirty windows. All of the warehouses are spread intermittently down a curving dirt road, some mere feet away from each other, others spanning the length of a football field.
“Are you sure this is the place?” Mason asks anxiously as he peers in both directions.
“This is the address Dad gave me,” I answer, though I’m confused by this location as well.
My dad…
He prefers the finer things in life. Elegant restaurants, gothic mansions, five-tiered cakes. He would never be caught dead at a location such as this. Even standing in front of Mason’s car, my gorgon boyfriend beside me, unease skates down my spine like an ice cube.
Instead of disclosing to Mason my fears, I lean against the side of his car and cross my arms over my chest. The air is frigid, and in the nearby distance, a forest sweeps up and away, canvasing the hills in skeletal trees.
“Your father is a strange man,” Mason muses, removing a joint from his pocket and lighting up. I eye the fairy weed with utter distaste but choose to remain silent. It’s his choice; if he wants to destroy his lungs, so be it. Though a part of me is tempted to sneak into his room and flush his entire stash.
Noticing my look, Mason smiles sheepishly, puts it out, and immediately shoves the joint back into his shirt pocket.
“My dad is pretty weird,” I concede. “He once hid underneath my bed for ten days to try and scare me.”
Mason snorts, flashing me a coy smile. “Pinkie, you know you just ruined the horrifying image I once had of Dracula, right?”
I pull my jacket tighter around me in an attempt to curb the growing chill. Mason immediately pulls me underneath his arm, holding me to him. “He’s my dad. I’m the one person he doesn’t have to hide his true self from. And honestly? Dracula’s a scary motherfucker and a hard-ass, but he’s also funny. And witty. And he always wants the best for me. Sure, he’s a stone-cold murderer, but what parent isn’t?” I shrug once before turning my face and nuzzling Mason’s neck. “He’s my dad.”
We’re both silent for a long moment, lost in an embrace capable
