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We exchange a look and I think he sees the same thing I do. She’s loved. Not just by me, but by all three of us. She’ll never be alone again.
“You came for me.” The level of awe in her words pulls my brows together at the seams.
“You think we would let our queen be stolen from us? Not a cold day in hell we’ll let that happen.”
She falls silent for a moment, and I give her time for all this to sink in. But not much.
“What will happen now? The bodies?”
Wolfe brings the SUV around and holds the keys out to me. “Now you go with your men while I take out the trash and finish this job.”
Wolfe pulls his sister in for a tight hug and whispers something to her that has her flushing red but dries the tears at the same time. No number of words I say will make her feel less guilty for exposing the video she took, but I am infinitely grateful for Wolfe’s gentle manner with our girl.
He pushes her toward my open arms.
Ares and Dragon are busy dowsing the contents of the van with gasoline. I salute them and get a nod of their heads in return.
“Let’s go, pussy cat. You don’t need to be here for this.”
Nyx
Ilet the water wash over me. We are in a safe house in another part of the men’s territory. It’s another penthouse only this one is a bit smaller but just as elegantly decorated. But I can’t seem to find it in me to care much about the black-market paintings on their walls or the five-star meal waiting for me in the living room.
All I care about is none of us died today. The urge to turn and run to my saviors this second is so damn strong. I can’t explain it beyond an invisible tether pulling at me.
I grab the towel from the warming rack—heaven on earth—and wrap it around me, securing the thick edge between my breasts. With the palm of my hand, I swipe at the steam-covered mirror. But I am my own savior too, I remind my bruised reflection. I didn’t wait to be saved. I caused the mess, and I helped clean it up.
Sort of. I didn’t handle the ending of the Finely brothers, but I didn’t let them take me or get away. That’s something. I close my eyes and focus on my body, trying to ground myself in this moment. It’s amazing how a shower makes everything better. The aches and pains from the hard sides of the cage digging into my face left some ugly coloring along my cheek.
Chills erupt over my skin and the nerve endings throughout my body tingle the second I leave the bathroom and walk down the short hallway, plush carpet silencing my footfalls.
I quietly step into the living room to find all three men perched on the ends of either a chair or a section of the large couch talking about today. They don’t see me at first. It feels off to not say anything, but I’m caught off balance by Ryth’s comment.
“I love her.”
He says it so confidently. They’ve all showered already and are freshly dressed in clean T-shirts and sweats. I’ve never seen them in anything other than their day wear, so I appreciate the view in silence for a while longer.
“You’re not alone. We’ve loved her for four years.”
That’s Marco. I want to run to him and lose myself in his warmth.
“I feel like we’ve known her our entire lives. I’m almost forty and here I am in love with someone half my age.”
I smile at Alaric’s bafflement and wonder. He’s right. They are all double my age, but I don’t see why that matters. The heart is what determines a soul’s fate in my opinion.
“I love you all, too,” I say, the emotions welling up from inside me to drip from each letter.
Ryth’s dark eyes sweep across the room and land on me first with a powerful force I’m not prepared for. I nearly lose my nerve, but I want this. I want them.
Alaric and Marco turn following their friend’s line of sight. I’m instantly flushed the second all three have their full attention on me. I’m left wondering if it will always be this intense.
“This is all so new to me.” I wrap my arms around myself and stand in the middle of the floor. I can tell Alaric wants to come to me, but he changes his mind sensing I need a minute.
“I thought I would die today. I was stupid for what I did. I should have never taken that video. I had no way of knowing it would end up in the wrong hands or almost get you guys killed. But I should have known it was a possibility. I was mad at you for keeping me from my brother. Scared.”
They rise and come to me. Ryth is directly in front of me with Alaric to my right and Marco to my left.
Marco moves my wet hair to the side and places a warm kiss on the top of my shoulder. “It’s over now. We don’t need to speak of it again.”
