A Slave to Broken Hearts (A Slave to Love Sequel)

Chapter 53: Team Edward

Blade POV

I padded downstairs barefoot, tripping over the stupid hallway carpet with my eyes half shut, tugging my shirt down as I answered the door, head positively throbbing. Eliza took one look at me, eyebrows raised, then her gaze travelled down and she covered her mouth with a smile.

"Um...good morning?"

"G'morning," I said, rubbing a hand over my face as I tried to make sense of the waking world again but failed miserably. "Sorry. I just woke up."

"Clearly," she said, still looking amused, though she hid her smile behind her hand. "Late night?"

"You could say that," I said, stepping aside to let her in. "Give me five minutes to get dressed and wake up."

"I'll give you ten."

"Do I look that fucking terrible?"

"No, but you do look that tired," she said, following me down the hall. "What happened last night?"

"Lexi dragged me to a party. Fucking loud. Fucking late. She's probably still here somewhere," I said. Which was just what I needed, to try and act as a buffer and prevent a murder with approximately zero energy and a throbbing beat in my brain. Lexi could best me while blindfolded with both hands tied behind her back right now.

"Lexi left an hour ago," Leo said, rounding the corner and joining us. "Alek picked her up and she looked about a thousand times better than you currently do."

"Thanks," I said drily, trying to make him out through half closed eyes. Sure he'd been the one to come get me to tell me Eliza was even here in the first place a few minutes ago, but evidently, the late night and every other sleepless night before it had taken its toll.

"I guess there's perks to being a younger vamp. What is she? Two hundred years younger?" Eliza teased.

"She also passed out and I had to haul her unconscious body out of the club and into the house to bed, so she got to sleep more than all of us." I had half a mind to just leave her in the back seat all night but I knew I'd never hear the end of it and would have paid for it today. Better to be nicer and have her quietly leave like she did, instead of getting an airhorn blasted in my ears or a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.

"All of us? Who else went?" Eliza asked.

"Just me, Lexi and Kiana," I said, realizing too late that that wasn't something I wanted to share. While she maintained her smile, it slipped, ever so slightly. Through the haze of my exhaustion, I recalled the last time I'd seen her, how I'd snapped at her over mentioning Kiana.

"Ah."

"I hope Kiana doesn't work today, she needs rest if she's going to stay in good health," Leo said, frowning at me, like it was my fault we'd stayed out so late.

"No, she has the day off. She passed out on the way home too actually," I said, fidgeting from foot to foot. "I got stuck on designated driver duty while they got to rest, so they're probably both better off."

At least, I hoped Kiana was alright. Her tattoo seemed in good shape, but still. She had worked all day and been out dancing all night, it wasn't ideal even if it had been fun. Hanging out like old times was good for us and our bond, but the lack of sleep wasn't, so we couldn't win no matter what.

"That's good," Leo said, glancing from me to Eliza and back again before excusing himself to find the maids.

"So uh..." my brain was only halfway to being somewhat alert and I was very much disoriented. It felt like I was jetlagged. "Were we meeting today?"