Page 27 of Redemption

I try not to laugh at his expression.

“Maybe she can sense that I’ve got a cat at home, so she likes me more?” I ask. “Although maybe that just pisses off cats. In fact, Runa is going to be so mad at me when I get home that I’ve petted another cat that she’s not going to talk to me for ages.”

Everyone bursts out laughing.

“Aria is the same way,” Zemi replies, with a fond smile.

“Aria’s a pretty name,” I say to the cat in my lap, and she immediately starts to purr louder.

“Oh, she’s just like Runa. If you give Runa a compliment, she purrs louder too,” Rafe says with a chuckle.

“You’ll have to come and meet her,” I say to Zemi.

I’m following my instincts. I have trusted Zemi and the guys for a really long time now. I trust them to have our backs in a dangerous mission. So really, having them up to the house is long overdue.

Zemi’s eyes glaze with tears.

“Oh shit, what did I say?” I curse. “You don’t have to. That’s fine, we won’t be offended if you don’t want to come up.”

“Ah shit, she’s crying,” Saint mutters. He looks at Raid, looking slightly panicked. “Raid, what do we do? She’s crying.”

“Chocolate, right?” Zee asks as he jumps up and heads straight to a cupboard in the kitchen.

“Guys, I’m fine,” Zemi announces, rolling her eyes and shaking her head while she smiles and looks amused.

“Jensen’s the same when I cry,” I tell her. Aria jumps off my lap and heads over to Zemi, jumping up and giving her some love too. Her behavior is so similar to Runa that it makes me smile.

“Hey!” Jensen exclaims. “Don’t call me out like that.”

“Am I wrong?” I ask, my eyebrows raised.

Jensen smirks. “Nope.”

“You’re okay?” Zee asks Zemi, his dark eyes narrowed slightly like he’s unsure whether she’s telling the truth or not.

She nods and smiles, “Yes, Zephyr, I am fine.”

“Oh, she full-named you,” Raid grins.

Zee holds his hands up. “Okay. Okay. I believe you. Jeez, there’s no need for the full name. Now I feel like I’m in trouble.”

His words make everyone laugh.

“Thanks for giving me a heart attack, Mo Chridhe,” Saint says as he sits back down and looks like he’s actually been through something traumatic.

Zemi’s smile is a whole lot softer than it was moments ago, and I would be willing to bet that it’s because he used that nickname for her. I have no idea what it means. I’m just assuming from the way that he said it and the way that he looked at her while saying it that it’s a nickname for her, and not some sort of curse word or insult.

“I’m really sorry if I upset you,” I apologize to Zemi.

She shakes her head and reassures me, “Don’t worry, you didn’t.”

“Why were you crying?” I ask her, as her men all calm down and sit back down, although Wilder shifts so he’s sitting even closer to her.

I don’t know how anyone could question whether the guys have feelings for her. It’s obvious to me, but there’s got to be a reason why none of them have done anything about it.

They’ve all been together for years. I may not know much about their past, but from what I have been able to piece together from the few things that Zemi has told me, they had a similar story to ours in the sense that they all knew each other as kids.

At least I think that’s the case, I could be wrong.