Chapter 369: Strength
Apparently, while I was away, the house did a bit of decorating. Where it once looked like a haunted mansion, the columns on the front porch were now covered in vines and blooming purple flowers. Entire sections of the bank between the foundation and the moat were covered in the moss Selene had called Death.
The purple and red flowers moved back and forth happily, dancing in the soft evening breeze. Even the handrails on the bridge were now covered in different vines. Some had flowers, others had thorns, while even more looked like mini skulls, the jaw open as if laughing.
"I see de house likes de jungle," said Ronan, his fingers reaching out to lightly brush over the skulls. However, the second he touched it, a four-inch thorn tried to impale his hand. "But de jungle no like us."
Shaking my head, I took his hand and kissed the tips of his fingers. "I like you," I whispered to him. Rising up on my toes, I dropped his hand and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down even further. This time, I kissed him hard.
"That’s all I need," grunted Sloth, looking out at me from Ronan’s eyes. "The rest of the world can go fuck itself."
Humming, I kissed him again, before slowly pulling back. Resting my cheek on his chest, I felt myself relax. The house was back, everything was fine. Life was good.
"Ugh, guys," muttered Beau, calling to us from the front door. "We might have a little problem."
My legs went weak, and I collapsed in Ronan’s arms at Beau’s announcement. Biting my bottom lip, I refused to cry. But having everything that I could possibly want and need right in front of me, only to be denied entry, was a little more than I could take at the moment.
I honestly think that this was the most vulnerable I had ever felt in a long time. It was like I was made of glass, and the slightest wrong move was going to send me shattering into a million pieces. I was exhausted, hungry, and in desperate need of my house.