This time, when I looked at my phone, there was a notification of a text.
It said there were some demos ready for me to hear tomorrow morning at the studio.
I got excited and sat up in bed.
Zai took that as his cue to pin me back down and resume our activities from earlier.
I only managed to get four hours of sleep before I had to rush into the studio.
Richard had composed a song, and a girl named Lisa had created the lyrics.
She sang the song first, then I made suggestions on some changes.
Zai was with us in the room, taking a nap on the sofa. He doesn't even need as much sleep as me!
I tried not to pout while organizing ideas with the other two in the room.
Time seemed to fly by, and it was evening by the time we made a final decision.
"I'll let Mark know we'll be ready to record by tomorrow," Richard informed me. I gave him a thumbs up and a smile.
"Sounds good."
But deep inside... I wanted to sleep all day tomorrow instead.
Okay maybe not that deep.
Zai woke up as soon as we said our goodbyes. It was like he wasn't really asleep at all, and he walked with me to the car.
"Why did you come if you were so tired? You could've stayed home."
My comment made him frown, and he nuzzled my hair roughly.
"Hey, stop!" I pleaded, then he touched my cheek, causing me to turn and look at him.
"I don't trust them... It doesn't feel safe to leave you alone," he explained,
"Richard doesn't seem like the type to try anything," I replied dismissively, "I'll be alright, there's no need to worry about me."
"Yes, there is. They are humans... dealing with them can be complicated, and they're more twisted than you imagine," he argued, then he removed his hand from my cheek and walked ahead.
We were in the car quietly for a while. The ride felt tense, so I decided to start with something casual,
"You know, before you returned home, RJ bought me a bunch of clothes, and he even got shoes. I never figured out how he knew my size; it was weird." Then I had an epiphany, "Maybe he's one of those people who can take measurements with their eyes."
"You watch too much TV," he retorted, and I pouted.
"What would he need a useless skill like that for? He's not a dressmaker," he added mockingly.
"Then how? Explain, Mr. Smartass."
Zai smirked.
"Maybe he looked at the tag on your clothes while you were sleeping; he could have even checked your shoes at the same time."
... That answer sounds more reasonable.
"But Rai isn't the type to do that stuff," he added, blowing a huge hole in his own explanation.
We pulled into the garage, then he finished by saying,
"He can read minds... of course, that comes with limitations... He can't read mine, but your little head would be easy to get into."
I was overwhelmed with shock and froze in my seat... He's a mind reader?! I thought all sorts of obscene things with him in the room! I'm so embarrassed now, I'm surprised he can still talk to me with a straight face.
"Why do you think he never confessed to you?" Zai asked as he turned off the car.
"I thought... he just lost interest," I admitted, and Zai laughed.
"Why would he lose interest? Also... Why do you think I became so crazy about you?"
My heart raced, and I didn't know how to answer.
"Here's a clue. When you're with Rai... what is the most prevalent thing on your mind?"
He didn't wait for my reply and just left the car while yelling back,
"If you're so comfortable alone, I won't escort you tomorrow."
He relented so easily. I was the one who made the suggestion that he stay home... so something was wrong with me since I wanted to beg him to come anyway.
I rested my forehead against the dashboard, silently reminding myself how stupid I'd been when Cera knocked on the passenger window.
I rolled the window down, and he sighed with relief.
"Finally, we can talk." I glared at him, but he put his hands up to show he meant no harm, "You can stay in the car, I don't want to fight. I learned my lesson, I won't put a hand on you."
"Then what do you want?" I asked, and he said,
"Honestly... I've never seen Zai so... how should I put it?... so... I think it'll make everyone more comfortable if you go away for a while." I scoffed and looked away,
"No," I answered shortly,
"I mean, you should be embarrassed. The whole house hears you every night... screaming and moaning like a whore!" he shouted.
My eyes widened, and I saw his eyes were glowing.
I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I know whatever he was feeling was intense.
"Zai and I have never been close, but it's even harder to change that with you here. SO LEAVE."
He's not scared of me at all.
I opened my mouth to refuse him again, but a bubble of water surrounded my head, and my voice was lost.
This is an extreme reaction for a brother who's just a little lonely!
"Such a shame... I wanted you to go willingly," Cera said, pointing one finger at me while keeping his distance.
I decided to hold my breath and get out of the car; that's when the water turned into ice, and the weight threw me off balance.
The ice chipped but didn't break...
Ice...
If I concentrate, I should be able to get free.
I touched the sphere on my head, and slowly it froze and crumbled away as snow.
"Oh... water is your element too," he noted.
"You!" I began, but Cera sealed my lips together with ice, and shushed me.
"You have to understand, my brothers run through women like they're nothing. I'm sure Zai is the same. For now, you serve some purpose, but once that ends. He will leave you. The smart thing would be to leave him first. I haven't gotten to spend any time with him because you're here."
That's when I realized what he was feeling; it was hate.
He hates me...
But something about it didn't make sense.
Cera looked around the garage to make sure we were alone, then he scanned me over and caught sight of my hand, his eyes locked on the marks beneath my wedding band.
"What's that?" he muttered.
"Proof," I said while parting my lips and melting the ice that had made them immobile.
Stopped by my own element.
I really am hopeless sometimes.
"It's proof that you're the one who can be discarded."
I lifted my hand, and lightning shot out towards him, but he turned into a puddle of water to quickly dodge my attack.
I shot more blasts of electricity all around the room, hitting two of the cars and causing the alarms to go off.
My only thought at that moment was...
I need to be faster.
"Oh shit," he murmured, realizing he could no longer avoid attracting attention.
Then, at that same instant, my body felt as light as air.
Time seemed to stand still, and I was across the room with my hand deep inside the mass of water that Cera had become.
Lightning shot through his body easily, causing him to change from solid to liquid over and over, and scream for mercy.
I thought he couldn't feel pain.
Zai was the first to arrive in the garage, and he caught me once again standing over Cera's charred body.
"Zai... I'm sorry... please," he begged.
Tears were streaming down his face, but Zai's face was cold as he stared down at the man before him. Cera looked like his heart had completely shattered.
I get it now.
He's... in love with Zai...
"Oh," Zai replied.
His hair changed to silver to match his eyes, and I clearly saw the intent to kill on his face.
"Wait!" I shouted.
I don't know why, but pity for this whimpering mess took over me.
"I handled it; he won't try it again," I reasoned.
Despite my protest, Zai put his foot on Cera's head, and electricity coursed through him.
His screams were even louder than the ones I'd caused, and the whole room was flooded with light.
"The prophecy!" I added loudly, "All 7 must be alive on either side, to turn the tide of war. I read it... because of you... You can't kill him. He is your chosen brother," I insisted.
Zai sighed and removed his foot as the others looked on in horror.
"Tell him to leave when he wakes up," Zai muttered to his brothers as he grabbed my hand and dragged me away.
Rai squatted down beside Cera, who was now burned and lying in a pool of blood, and said,
"Looks like you really screwed up, this time."
As we moved through the house, thoughts were running through my mind.
Yeah, none of them are related by blood, but I never thought his brothers would look at him that way.
It makes me wonder just what kind of childhood they had locked up in the castle together.
Cera wasn't even banished, but he followed RJ and Zai here... Zai thought he was just following Raijian, but maybe he was wrong.
Zai pulled me into his room and then embraced me tightly once we were inside, but for once, it didn't lead to sex.
All night he refused to let me go. He was trembling, and it was hard to tell exactly what he was feeling... but I know for sure that one of those feelings was dread.