Their Light

Chapter 16

Hadley

My eyes fluttered opened as I rolled over, soft fabric enveloping me. A clean scent filled my nose as I sunk into a cloud. Awareness came back to me all at once. My eyes opened wide, taking in my surroundings. I was in my room. Wow, that was still so new. My room.

I tried to push myself up and groaned instantly, feeling my muscles clear objection to the idea. I glanced at the side table and found a tall glass of water sitting next to two familiar white pills. Whoever invented Tylenol should get a medal of some sort. I washed the pills down with half the glass before pulling myself up from the soft cushion. Joe didn't even move from his place on the floor.

His snores followed me as I trudged out into the hallway. I paused a moment, taking in the quiet darkness that enshrouded the house. Where was everyone? Were they sleeping? I felt my way down the staircase and into the kitchen. The digital clock on the oven answered my questions.

It was 2:24 a.m.

I would hope that everyone was sleeping. I, of course, felt wide awake. My stomach growled, interrupting my thoughts. Why didn't they wake me for dinner? I looked around the kitchen, my eyes landing on a black skillet. Pancakes.

It didn't take me long to make the batter, the recipe forever cemented in my memory. It was one of the few pleasant homes they placed me in. A sweet elderly couple. I had forgotten their names, but the wife used to let me help her out in the kitchen. This was one of my favorite recipes.

I poured the batter onto the hot skillet and watched the pancakes coming to life in front of me. They smelled delicious. I hummed a little to myself as I flipped the blobs onto the other side. This was a treat that I hadn't been able to do in a while. I was in my own little world as I got out butter, syrup, and the silverware that I would need. I didn't even notice when I was no longer alone.

"What are you doing?" I let out an unladylike squeal and jumped around to face the intruder. Isaac stood by the island, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He didn't even notice that he just scared a few years off of my life.

"Pancakes," I blurted out. I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart. "I'm making pancakes." He yawned as he sat down at the counter. His orange curls were ruffled and frizzy from sleep. It was kind of adorable, if I was being honest.

"Awesome, you have enough for two?"

"Sure." I moved back to the skillet and took the current two off. Leaning over the counter, I handed the plate to Isaac.

"Thanks." His voice was gruff and sounded deeper than usual. Dear lord, it was almost as gravelly as Zeke's. I couldn't even handle these guys when they were half asleep. What was wrong with me?

"No problem," I choked out, turning away so that he wouldn't see the heat fill my cheeks. I poured two more pancakes for me and waited.

Turning slightly, I witnessed Isaac drowning my creations in syrup. I had no room to judge, so I said nothing. He picked up his fork and took a huge bite. His eyes widened for the first time since he entered the room. He immediately cut off a second bite, shoving it into his mouth before he had swallowed the first.

"This... is... amazing," he managed to get out between bites.

"It's just pancakes," I told him, not understanding what was so praiseworthy.

"Theses are the best pancakes I've ever had," he stated. I scoffed and flipped my pancakes. "You don't believe me, but that's okay. Make these for the other guys sometime and see if they don't say the same thing."

I very much doubted they would, but I kept what he said in the back of my mind. I didn't know why, but I thought cooking for them would be fun. Well, it probably had to do with the whole soulmate thing... I mean, soulmates thing. Geez. That had slipped my mind. Ugh, I didn't want to think about that right now.

I glanced back down at my pancakes and noticed they were close to burning. Silently cursing, I took them off and turned off the skillet. Turning around, I prepared them, noticing Isaac was already half-way through his.

"Why are you up so late?" he asked as I drizzled some syrup across my plate.

"It's more like early. I went to bed so early that I just woke up," I explained. I pushed my plate to the other side of the island and made my way around, taking a seat beside him. Our arms just brushed.

We ate the rest of our meal in silence. Everything felt so still and calm. When we were finished, Isaac took my plates over to the sink with his and rinsed them both before heading back over to me.

"Want to join me for some stargazing, milady?" he asked, dropping into a dramatic bow.

"I would be honored, kind sir," I replied smiling, pushing back the anxiety that wanted to bubble up.

I took his outstretched hand and he lead me outside onto the back porch. The chilly night air washed over me as I shivered. Isaac turned and headed back into the house.

Only moments later, he returned with the throw from the living room. He sat on the steps leading into the yard, motioning for me to sit beside him. The wood was cold, but once I was seated, he wrapped the blanket around us both, pulling me into his side. I normally would have objected, but the heat radiating off of him was too good to pass up.

I gave in, resting my head on his shoulder. He took a deep breath before relaxing into me as well. The sounds of the night echoed around us as we stared up at the stars, but they didn't scare me. Everything felt right in that moment.

"I never thought this would happen," Isaac stated vaguely.

"That you would go stargazing?" I asked, confused, looking up at him. He glanced down at me, his eyes twinkling with laughter.

"No, silly. That Fato de Sorte would gift me with you." His deep gaze was locked onto my own as he spoke. I looked away immediately, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I know you aren't ready for anything more, but just your presence is more than I ever thought I would have."

Now he was just making me sad. I nudged him in the side. He laughed, squeezing me closer to him, which I didn't think was possible, but somehow he managed it.

"Fato de Sorte?" I asked. I had heard the others mention it.

"Fate, destiny, whatever word you want to call it," he explained. "Kustos are supposed to protect the Probus of our society. Some dream of making into the protection order of a powerful Probus, but that was never for me. The others guys are the same, we all wanted something else."

"What?" I asked.

"I don't think any of us knew until we got here. I found this place and six brothers that I never knew I was missing. We were all content with our lives. It wasn't what I had expected growing up, but it was good enough. Or so I thought. But then this feisty little blonde who uses sarcasm to cover up her vulnerability came crashing into my life and I realized just how incomplete I was before." Shocked, I looked back up and met his eyes. The blazing heat made me shiver.

"I don't care if I ever get more than this. Because just you is more than enough to make me the happiest guy for the rest of my life."

I swallowed the tears, wanting to creep into my eyes. My gut response was to let some sarcastic comments flow to ease the tension, but his words stopped them in their tracks. Sarcasm really was my crutch and my shield. I couldn't look away from his emerald eyes, either. They were so honest. It was like he was actually seeing my soul., like he was seeing me. Maybe he was. We had some very weird powers going on around here.

"You deserve better," I told him honestly. They all did. He chuckled slightly, finally looking away. Tilting his head down, he laid it gently on top of mine.

"Silly girl, you aren't supposed to steal my lines from me."

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything at all. Looking back out at the stars, I realized I finally had an answer. I had always wondered what they would be like outside of the city. They were so much brighter here, and there were so many of them. They were all beautiful. I glanced at Isaac out of the corner of my eye. Absolutely gorgeous, inside and out.  

***Hey guys, sorry for the delay! Everythings been crazy for me the past couple of weeks. I hope you like the update! If you want to read on, more chapters and special POV/exclusive prequel scenes are available on my patreon! The link is in my bio. Happy Reading!!