Misunderstanding
In jeans and a comfortable shirt, Ruby tossed her hair up into a messy bun. If she was going to be tortured by her libido for the next four hours she would be comfortable doing so.
"You ready?"
She nodded toward Julian, her Horseman of Death. Standing beside the car, he smiled as she headed toward him. Laran was in the backseat, looking like a child in time out. When she got close enough to see the grumpy frown on his face she raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with him?"
Julian shrugged, opening the passenger side door for the woman. He acted as if everything was just fine and the behemoth demon smooshed into the back of the vehicle was of no consequence to his own chipper mood.
As soon as she sat down, and the door was shut, Laran sat up to speak his piece. She had figured he wasn't one to keep anything back, considering he hated being brushed aside.
"I'm being put in the corner like a child."
His growl of a voice comforted her in some ways. She was so tired of them tiptoeing around her as if she might shatter at one wrong move. She was strong, everything she went through was evidence of that. Truthfully, she had no idea what might set her off though. The beast inside her itching to come out and play. Maybe they knew more about her than she did herself.
She tried not to smile as Julian got behind the wheel with a grin on his face. He looked like he just won the lottery, or was taking too much pleasure in his friend's pouting. Was Laran's position behind her due to the other men?
"Quit complaining, Laran. You spent the night with her, despite us agreeing against such a thing. Now you can sit in the back like the dog you are."
She frowned. They were making rules on how to handle her? Was she that far gone in their eyes? The beast inside her purred as she remembered its warning to Julian. It was waiting for one final strike to end the whole world in her name. Could she blame them for being cautious?
"Why would you make such a rule?"
Julian was no longer smiling, his hands tightening on the wheel a bit as his dark green eyes looked over at her. Images of her in that alleyway flashed before his eyes. A voice that was not hers, but was, had spoken a deadly warning. An avoidable apocalypse, but they had to tread lightly.
"We just want to make sure you're respected. Your home is a safe space and we want it kept as such."
She was taken aback by how sincere he was. Looking back to Laran he had his arms crossed over his chest defiantly but was watching her with close consideration. Is that why he hesitated to come in the night before? She was the one who told him to stay though, so he shouldn't be punished for listening to her.
She looked back to Julian, her fingers holding tight to the handle of her bag. She didn't want to seem weak in their eyes. Before they came to her she was on her own, independent, and proud of her own accomplishments. With Moira at her side, she felt peace, for the most part.
Now she was reduced to starting anew, unsure of her footing. To weather this storm, she was barely surviving. Aside from Moira, her four demonic horsemen had held her together as gently as possible. She would never want them to be punished for helping her in any way they could. That included staying the night with her to ensure her safety and help her sleep.
"I asked Laran to stay with me."
Julian looked unsure of whether she was speaking the truth or just covering for the man exiled to the backseat. She sighed, looking down at the bag in her lap.
"Moira is gone and I just can't sleep when I'm alone. Lately, it's too much."
A hand reached out to rest on her knee.
"Forgive me. We thought you would want space. I didn't think through your friend being gone for the moment. You won't be left alone again, Ruby. I swear it."
Laran nodded, glaring at the back of Julian's head. The man with white-blonde hair rolled his eyes and waved off the demon's frustration.
"Fine. Fine. You were right, I was wrong."
Laran sat up straight, now proud of himself.
"I told you guys I didn't do anything wrong."
Ruby nodded, agreeing with him as she looked up. He had been nothing but gentlemanly with her. Although she wasn't going to mention where he slept, because that might cause another issue altogether.
"Okay, now that that's all sorted out, let's go."
She suddenly thought of something.
"Can't you guys just shift through the shadows? Why drive?"
Laran was the one to answer, his grin breathtaking.
"Why would we do that when we could spend time with you?"
She narrowed her eyes on him, then frowned.
"What about Allistair and Rysten? What's their excuse for driving?"
Julian sighed.
"I thought we'd be asking the questions, but the tables have turned. They have a few stops along the way, personal things. Also, it's best to have a backup plan in case something happens and we need a vehicle."
She nodded, unsure how truthful he was being. Not to mention her curiosity wanted to ask about the other guy's to-do lists, but didn't want to pry too much.
"Now, about this Benefit."
