Cardinal

Bonus Chapter- William

I watched her walk away, my heart already aching with the distance. Her smell was intoxicating. Her presence was addicting. The severance was affecting all of us in different ways. It was painful for me to be away. I needed her in my arms at all times. I wanted her smell embedded in my soul and my being. I wanted to chase the high that was her. 

I had hoped that she would have avoided the mercenary life but she was too powerful. She's too beautiful for this life. I wanted to whisk us away to some remote island, where she could be whoever she wanted and do whatever she wanted. 

"She got there okay?" Keenan's voice pulls me out of my thoughts as I hear his heavy boots approaching from behind. He was a big motherfucker and he wasn't the most subtle person around either. 

"Yep, Damian's already got eyes on her." I told him as I checked my phone with a text message from Damian. 

"That fucker. He's obsessed with her. He just needs to pull his head out of his ass," Keenan gruffs. We were all annoyed as fuck with Damian. That damn empath. 

He can't call himself an empath and not know what the fuck is going on with Lilac. The way her face falls every time she feels him dismiss her is just heart-wrenching. I made peace with my anger regarding her leaving. Life was way too fucking short to be mad at the love of my life forever. 

"We need to have a plan for the gala in a few days. My parents won't be a problem but yours and Damian's might be. I swear to the fucking maker that if your parents fuck up her night and her mood, I'll gut them," I level him a glare that was hotter than the hottest fire he could fucking come up with. 

"Chill the fuck out, Will." Keenan gruffs, his arms crossing across his chest. I see Steel bounding towards us...happily. He was a giant. Taller and bigger than any of us but damn, his always seemingly joyous disposition contradicts his outward appearance. It doesn't help that he's ran through like roadkill and is the most extroverted person out of our whole unit. I'm just glad that Lilac hasn't caught on to the whole thing...yet.  Though, it seems like this gala will be troublesome. 

"What's up fellas?" Steel gives us a large grin as he bounds toward us. 

"What's got you feeling so happy all of a sudden?" I gruff at him, my mood already souring with the thought of post-gala damage control. 

"We have to talk about the gala." Keenan states without looking up from his phone. 

"Well, I get my babydoll tonight so I'm feeling extremely excited," His grin only grows larger as I see his gaze coming in and out of focus. No doubt, picturing Lilac...inappropriately. I glare at everyone as they pass by, not wanting to have any conversation with outsiders. 

"Don't be too happy now. She's going to find out sooner or later about...everything. Best to come clean to her now. You should also probably get tested while you're at it. I don't want to catch any venereal disease you might have contracted." I sneer at him, to which he rolls his eyes in response. 

"Hey, Steel," A girl who I didn't know approaches us, batting her eyes at us and Steel gives her a grin in return. I sneer at her and she gives an actual grimace and scurries away. 

I smack Steel upside the head. Lilac wasn't going to like this. 

"You're fucked up," I tell him honestly to which he just shrugs. 

To be honest, I wasn't too happy about Steel still keeping in contact with some of the women and men he had screwed in the past. His phone vibrates frequently and if it wasn't for the fact that our little cardinal's got too much on her plate, I would have punched him if she was ever to feel self-conscious about Steel, I wouldn't be opposed to murdering him or giving him a case of the flu for a few days.