Ember pauses on the step and turns to glare at Cruz. “And why the hell not?” she questions, crossing her arms over her chest. “She’s eighteen years old, and so far, I haven’t heard any good excuses as to why you think you have the right to tell her what she can and cannot do.”
Cruz just stares at her, not appreciating her bullshit just as much as she disapproves of his, then without taking his gaze off her, he leans back in toward the door and calls out. “GUYS, WINTER THINKS SHE’S ABOUT TO GO OUT TO A FUCKING PARTY.”
“Get fucked,” I murmur under my breath before turning to Ember and grabbing her hand. “Quick, we have to go.”
We start making our way down the stairs, going much slower than I’d hoped with Ember in heels. I need to teach this bitch how to run in these things. But within the space of two seconds, Grayson and King are standing in the doorway with the ever-so-pissed-off-and-broody asshat coming in behind them.
“Don’t even fucking think about it,” King says. “If you want to party so bad, you two can drink Carver’s whole liquor cabinet dry here. Get fucking wasted, party and have a fucking fuck-fest on the couch if you want to, but you’re not going out.”
My jaw clenches. I knew coming and telling them the plan was a bad idea, but had they walked into my place to find me gone, they would have raised hell trying to find me. That’s an outcome nobody wants.
I spin around and glare up at the guys who all have eyes on me, the same message hidden within each of their dark stares. “Like I said to Cruz, I’m not here asking permission, and I’m not about to sit back and accept your cavemen bullshit. I just wanted to let you know where I’d be in case of an emergency. So, have a good night, except for you Carver,” I say with a sickly-sweet smile that makes his eyes narrow further. “I hope you accidentally trip and fall on a whole new personality, but if you don’t, I have a glow-in-the-dark dildo in my bedside drawer that’s bound to put a smile on anyone’s face. Highly recommended. Ten out of ten.”
I turn and start walking again and as though not one of them can hear a word I’m saying, both Grayson and King are down the stairs and carrying my ass back up. “Are you insane?” King murmurs in my ear, keeping his voice low. “You’ve been attacked twice already. You’re not even close to being in the clear. Like hell we’re going to risk you going out to some shady club. You’ll either end up dead, or worse, trying to fight twelve guys at once. At some point, you’re going to have to let that chip on your shoulder go and remember that you’re not a fucking superhero, you’re human, and humans bleed.”
I pull myself out of their arms and glare heavily at King. “If I want to be a fucking superhero, then I’ll be a fucking superhero, and for the record, I know I fucking bleed. Carver made sure to remind me of that, and I damn well know that I’m only human, which is why I want to go out in the first place. If I have people after me and there’s a risk that my life is going to be cut short, then I want to be able to say that I enjoyed it.”
“Babe,” Cruz says with a regretful sigh. “I know you want to go out, and I’d do just about anything to make sure that you could, but it’s too dangerous. Don’t you remember just how easily that bastard got to you last weekend?”
“Do you honestly think that I could forget that? Or have you forgotten that I was the one being held under the water?” I question. “Here’s the thing. I’m going out tonight whether you guys like it or not. I’ve had a beyond fucked up week, and I need to forget that the real world exists for just one night. I’m going to go and have fun, I’m going to drink and maybe get a little fucked up, but what I’m not going to do is spend another night pissed off or planning how I’m going to kill someone. So please, if you really have such a big issue with it, then come. We’re not going to a seedy club, it’s a house party ten minutes from here. I’m safe.”
Carver just scoffs, his stare hitting mine like an electric shock. “If she wants to go, then let her go. She’s a big girl, I’m sure she’s got it all under control.”
Asshole.
The guys gape at him as though they can’t believe what the hell just came out of his mouth, and if I didn’t realize that he was just being a dick, I probably would have been surprised too. Nonetheless, I give the guys a sweet smile and turn on my heel, meeting Ember halfway down the steps just seconds before I hear Carver’s familiar grunt as a fist slams into his gut.