Worlds Beyond: Shattered (ON HOLD)

Chapter Sixteen

Out of all the things I had ever woken up to, fights had to be my least favorite.

I couldn't hear or see much at first. All I felt was the nice warmth of a blanket on top of me, probably heated. Silk sheets caressed my body that felt extremely sore, the softness of a fluffy pillow resting under my head. It smelled strongly like cinnamon, a sweet scent that filled my senses, a scent I knew all too well. It was the perfect thing to wake up to, so peaceful, so warm, but was soon shattered by the snarls and insults that began to become more and more clear as the buzzing in my ears dimmed. The tension in the air was so thick I could probably slice it with a knife.

"...his fault!" A voice was saying, one that sounded very much like Cain's, masculine and full of power that was only gentle in my presence, "Because of him, Layla almost died!" Wait, what? What was he talking about? I tried to keep a stoic expression on my face as more voices appeared.

"She wasn't gonna die, you assnugget. And it wasn't even Cecil's fault!" I recognized that sexy masculine voice as Cerberus' immediately, somewhere closer to my right where that strong smell of cinnamon came from.

"Actually, it kinda was," Hades drawled in that deep manly voice of his, "If it wasn't for his shitty personality, Layla wouldn't have been affected enough to pass out. She can feel other people's feelings as if they were her own and probably ten times worse. How you two idiots didn't realize he was a shifter is beyond me."

"You knew?!" I wasn't sure if that was Cerberus, Cain or both.

"Did you forget who I am?" Hades snorted and I could only imagine that smug grin that probably marked his face as he continued, "I'm the fucking king of the underworld, bitch. I know everything."

"And you didn't say anything?" Cerberus asked quietly, pain laced in his words. I could feel how hurt he felt over the fact that his father hid this from him, probably knowing how much Cecil meant to Cerberus. I didn't, however, not for sure anyway. I still had to question him about it.

"It was way more funny to see you lot scream over it when you found out without me saying a word. You should've seen the look on your faces." Hades returned with a snort, making Cerberus' pain turn into raw hatred.

"Is it normal for her to feel emotions this strongly, though?" Cain asked after a moment of tensed silence as I remained quiet, pretending to be asleep. Hopefully they wouldn't notice.

"Well, it all depends on who her real parents are and honestly, not even I have fucking clue. I'm still waiting on Macaria's results, so you better control your shitty shifter and your feelings until then unless you want her to break in half like a twig. And by the way, the gremlin's been awake for the past twenty minutes."

Busted.

I opened my eyes slowly, grimacing by how heavy my eyelids felt. It was like trying to lift two pillars of cement. My vision slowly focused and I found myself staring at the black intricately designed ceiling of my guest room that was slightly illuminated by dimmed lights coming from my sides, probably the lamps on my nightstands. Cerberus stood to my right wearing a black leather jacket and matching leather pants, a white v-neck shirt under his dark outfit. How odd, Cerberus wearing white. His hair looked oddly messy today as well, that stubble forming at his jaw becoming more noticeable and his amber eyes looked puffy, swollen.

Hades stood behind him, towering over everyone in the room like a creepy shadow. He wore the same outfit as yesterday, except his smokey cloak was gone. Cain was sitting at the end of my bed with one leg over the other, leaning back with his hands and dressed in a black turtleneck, matching slacks and a long gray coat, brown boots with a little heel to add a few inches to his 6"5. They all shared very concerned stares.