Sophie returns the smile, her eyes full of love and happiness as she walks over to her sister and takes the chair beside her. I sit my ass down in the seat across the table from Hero, who is watching me like a hawk as if I’m going to swoop in and steal something.
“I’m sorry about last night,” I tell him, getting straight to the point.
“You are?” He looks even more shocked than Ivan did when I told him I was going to apologize. “I mean I’m kind of shocked.”
I shake my head. “Why is everybody so surprised by me saying I’m sorry? I’m not a completely heartless asshole.”
“I don’t know you well, but you don’t seem like the type of guy who does a lot of apologizing.” Well, he isn’t wrong there I’ll give him that. I’m not sorry often and even when I am I don’t say it announce it to anyone. My gaze moves to Sophie, her beautiful hair frames her heart shaped face, and a smile tugs are her pink lips…lips I spent all night kissing. Before her I never felt the need to apologize, to admit my faults, but now I need too. I need to be that man who isn’t afraid to speak out, who isn’t afraid to say sorry when he fucks up.
“You’re not wrong there, but I actually have something to be sorry about and if it was the other way around I would have reacted the same way. I’m protective of Sophie as much as you are of Elyse so I get why you wanted to beat my ass.” I’m not going to say this out loud cause I don’t want to sound like a suck up but I actually pretty impressed by him standing up to me the way he did.
Even more so I’m glad that Elyse has someone who will protect her and stands up for her.
“Alright, since you fuckers have finally kissed and made up,” Xander calls across the table. “Maybe we can get down to business and discuss how are we’re going to do this today?”
“We go in and kill everybody, what the fuck else would we do?” Hero announces and I grin. I’m pretty sure him and I are going to be best friends.
“You coming with?” Damon questions.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I am. If we’re going after that bastard then I’m coming with. He hurt Elyse, and I’ll be damned if I let him continue to hurt more people.”
Yup, best friends…we’re totally going to be best-fucking-friends.
“We can’t just go in killing everyone. We still need intel on what they’re doing and we don’t know who knows what. We need to question the men first, then we can start killing people” Xander says deep in thought as if he is strategizing the whole operation inside his mind. He rubs at his jaw, and the woman
“What about the women and children and even the younger men. Not all of them are bad,” Sophie pipes up and suddenly I feel the need to protect her.
“Obviously, we’re not going to hurt the women and children,” Xander says defensively, his dark gaze landing on Sophie. I clench my jaw, reining in my feelings. It’s a simple conversation…nothing more.
“As for the men, I can’t make any promises. We don’t have time to sift through the flock and pick out the good from the bad. Plus, how would we even know which ones are fucked in the head and which ones aren’t?”
“Xander…” Ella I think is her name scolds. Her voice is tiny, but she’s definitely not timid, or shy. She’s a good equal for a man like Xander. “We can find a way to make sure that the younger men aren’t harmed. No one who is innocent will be harmed…right?” Xander’s jaw flexes, and I can see that he wants to promise her that nothing will happen but he won’t lie to her.
“You know I can’t promise you that, Mouse.”
“But you’ll try?”
“We’ll try,” Xander tells her, earning himself a kiss on the cheek. I can’t help but smirk seeing this tiny women having Xander wrapped around her little finger.. Then I look over to Sophie and my grin widens when I realize Xander and I have more in common than I ever thought possible, hell me and every man in this room have something in common.
We’re ensnared by a tiny little woman that holds our hearts captive.
“Can we eat? Keria is ready to start chewing my arm off,” Damon says, a hint of amusement in his tone. His wife elbows him in the side, giving him a dirty look. His face softens, and he pulls her into his lap, whispering something in her ear that has her squirming.
“Yes. Let’s eat. We’ll need our strength. I’ve got a plan.” Xander smirks, and it looks like the devil is staring down at us.