House Of Gods 9 - Samantha Snow Page 0,16

inside out. He had to do something about the way he felt before he lost his mind completely. He had tried hanging out with the others, but it just made him feel like an outsider. He had tried talking with Brenna and even tried holding her and kissing her once to see if it would jog his brain. But that just ended up feeling awkward and making Brenna cry when she saw that he didn’t feel anything. He had even tried drinking himself into delirium on more than one occasion, but none of it had helped. He had to numb the need that was eating him alive. He hadn’t intended to hurt Brenna; in fact, he liked her and felt bad that he couldn’t remember her or their daughter. He had just acted without thinking when he met the girls on his walk in the city, and he needed something to distract him.

There was a knock at the door, and he knew his decisions would likely not be received well.

“Brandt,” Colby called from behind the closed door. “Uh, I think you have visitors?” The upward intonation at the end of his sentence made it sound more like a question than a statement.

“Be right there,” Brandt called as he laid his sketchbook down on the mattress.

When he walked out into the living room, he was met by several disapproving looks. Erik, Colby, and Jerrik all stood around the room, staring at the two female mortals who had just stepped off the elevator.

“There he is,” one of the girls said as they both started to smile and giggle.

“Care to explain?” Jerrik asked Brandt, completely ignoring the two girls at the entrance.

“Not really,” Brandt said.

Jerrik walked over and stood in front of him. He dropped his voice to the level of a low and threatening growl. “What the hell do you think you’re doing inviting these girls here?’

“It’s my apartment, too, isn’t it?”

“That’s not the point. You are with Brenna.”

“Are we married?”

“No, marriage is a mortal construct. It’s not something we place value on as immortals.”

“Well, if I’m not married, and I can’t even remember her, then I’m not sure what the problem is,” Brandt said. He knew he was acting like an irrational child. But he had to do something to distract himself from the gnawing feeling inside of him.

“You have a child together,” Jerrik hissed.

“And she looked like she was a grown adult herself, so I still fail to see the problem here.”

Jerrik looked at Brandt with frustration and disgust. He was trying to decide whether to continue blocking his path or to punch him in the jaw, but then Brenna’s voice came from behind him.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she walked out from the hallway. “Who are these two?” she asked, looking at the girls.

“Brenna goes back to the room, and I’ll bring you a drink in a minute,” Jerrik said without turning around.

Brenna didn’t leave. Instead, she walked closer and read the expressions on the men’s faces.

“Jerrik,” she said when she was close enough to stand behind him. “Who are the girls?”

Jerrik turned around to face her, and Brenna looked between his pissed-off expression and Brandt’s guilty face.

“What?” she whispered to herself as she covered her mouth with her hand. It sank in, the realization of who the girls were, and who they were for.

“Brenna,” Jerrik said. He reached over to hold onto her arm as she saw her start to wobble.

The girls walked over now that Jerrik had moved out of the way, and each one attached themselves to one of Brandt’s arms as they rubbed their hands on his chest and kissed his cheek.

“Where…where did you come from?” Brenna asked the girls while the room started to spin around her.

“We met Brandt in the city yesterday,” one of the girls chirped. “He said he was out for a walk and he bought us some coffee, then invited us to come over. Is this your boyfriend?” she asked, pointing at Jerrik.

“I’m going to be sick,” Brenna said. The color rushed from her face, and she ran out of the room toward the bathroom in the opposite hall.

She hadn’t even made it out of the living room before she stumbled and landed on her hands and knees, throwing up on the floor where she landed. Jerrik ran to help lift her up and carry her into the bedroom, while Colby and Erik jumped up to help.

“Ewe,” the other girl said. “She doesn’t have anything contagious, does she?”

“No,” Brandt