I tiptoe into the adjoining bathroom, a lovely addition to the room from when I was here before. Conjuring up a pair of skinny jeans, a t-shirt, socks, and a hoodie, I get dressed quickly. Pulling the door open just in time, my boots come flying from the bedroom to complete my outfit. I smooth my hair back into a ponytail and stick my hands in my front pouch pocket. Man, this sweatshirt sure is cozy! Perfect thing to wear when confronting some fears.
Listening from the doorway of the bathroom, I try to see if I can hear anyone waking up. I don’t mind if they know what I’m doing, I just know they won’t want me to go alone... and this is something I want to face alone. As much as I’ve grown to trust them all, this is too vulnerable and raw for me to share.
There’s no sign of anyone waking up, so I make my way to the door leading to the hallway. I’m about halfway there, before I’m falling through the air and landing on top of someone... shit, Alex was sleeping on the floor. He lets out a shout and his arms wrap around me as he flips us over so he’s in a protective position guarding me with his body. Right away, he glances around to make sure I’m safe. How he knew it was me tripping over him is beyond me.
The lights switch on in the room, Marcus has a gun out, leaving me frazzled as to when he even got it, it sure as fuck wasn’t on him when he was holding me. Klaus and Derrick come running from the bedroom, and jump in front of the door leading to the hallway in protective stances. After everyone has a good survey around the room, all eyes are on me.
Alex is the first one to speak, “Why are you dressed? It’s like four in the morning.”
His question is quickly followed with Marcus bellowing, “What the fuck, Cecily. Were you trying to leave the room without us knowing? How are we supposed to protect you if you just sneak off? Don’t you remember what happened when you were here last time without someone who had your back? Fucking hell... what were you thinking?” He doesn’t wait for a response and walks out the door, his back ramrod straight and shoulders tense.
I didn’t think he would be happy with me going off and not telling him, but I also didn’t think he would be this upset either. Glancing around, my other three mates have expectant gazes, waiting for the response Marcus asked for. “Precious?” Derrick prods me for a response. Guess I’m not getting out of the question just because Marcus left the room. Darn!
Sitting up, I swallow to give myself some time to think through an answer, finding it hard to meet any of them in the eye. Disappointment is coming down the bond from Derrick, so I can only imagine what feelings I would be getting from Marcus if our bond was completed. Alex has his serious face on, and Klaus...
Klaus lets out a deep sigh and picks me up off the floor, carrying me to the couch where he sits me on his lap. Alex walks over on his knees, as Klaus turns me sideways on his lap so he can see me better. Derrick starts pacing the room, running a hand through his hair. I’m getting choked up like I want to cry again, I really don’t like thinking I disappointed or hurt them.
Alex reaches up to hold my face with both hands, and forces me to look at him, even after I try to pull my head away to keep it lowered. I don’t want to find the same feelings Derrick is giving off reflected in Alex’s eyes. He taps a finger on my cheek trying to get me to focus on him, and I give up my stubbornness, not wanting to cause more frustration between us.
I’m thrown off when the expression I’m expecting isn’t the one I get. Instead, his eyes shine with love. “Hey... you remember what I told you this morning?” Even with his eyes expressing his love, he still has his serious face on. Not sure why I get the compulsion to pay extra attention when he’s like this.
I whisper out a “yeah” and he continues his thought. “Do you think their feelings are any less powerful than mine? You’re the most important thing in the world to us. Even if you didn’t tell us what happened with Silas, we’ve already begun suspecting him of shady shit. We wouldn’t want you to be alone with him, and we can’t ensure that doesn’t happen if you just leave without saying anything.”
He presses a kiss on my forehead when he observes my eyes filling up with tears again. How do I tell them I need to go back to the scene of my greatest heartbreak? And I want to do it alone... Klaus puts a finger on my chin and guides my head to peer at him. “Just tell us, Sunshine. It’s that simple.”
It’s that simple...
I guess I’m making things harder than they need to be... shit, when will I stop trying to be an island? I don’t have to be the solitary strength in my life. Even with my realization, my words are whispered with worry for how they’ll take my confession. “I want to see the dungeon, to try and get over my fear and obtain some closure from what happened there. But... I kinda feel like I need to do it alone.”
“I totally understand wanting to get closure. It’s hard to get over traumatic events. Can we come to a compromise? I’ve never found a dungeon here, but if we find it, how about you let us wait for you at the door? That way we’re right there if you need us,” Klaus asks.
I think it over and his idea actually gives me a sense of comfort. “I would like that, a lot.” My throat is tight with all the emotions I’ve been going through, but I still try to give him a wobbly smile.
“Would you like to go now?” Alex asks, and I nod my head as I stand up. I don’t want to put this off any longer. Klaus rises to his feet after I do, and grabs my hand as we walk out of the room. Marcus is standing right outside the door with his arms crossed. From the expression on his face, he was listening to everything we said. Before I can pass him, he pulls me into his embrace for a deep, toe-curling kiss.
As he pulls away, his thumb gives my cheek a caress. “Sorry, I overreacted. I’m just finding it hard to deal with seeing my face being a constant source of your pain. I never want you to doubt my ability to protect you or my devotion. Mark or not, I’ve known you were my mate from the first moment I saw you. You’re my girl for life, my everything.” He takes a deep breath and steps back, giving his silent support of our plan.
“You’ve really never seen the dungeon?” I ask them, as I go over our conversation in my head.
“You know, I was surprised when you mentioned it before. Maybe it’s just something the castle in your alternate universe had,” Alex says with a puzzled frown on his face. For some reason, that doesn’t sound right, it’s too eerie being here. Everything seems exactly the same.
Our footsteps sound down the hallway, and I magic the noise away, wanting to make sure we aren’t heard. I lead them along the same path I took all those years ago to find Marcellus, and I swear I even feel the faint pull of the bond thread I tracked leading to the dungeon. It’s an odd sensation seeing how Marcus is standing right next to me.
I know this path like the back of my hand, taking the turns with confidence. Right as I pivot to go down the last hall, Klaus pulls on my hand to stop my movement. The others circle in around us, seeming a bit shifty. I can tell something is up, especially when they start using their hand signs again. Sigh... I’m going to need to get them to teach me what they mean. Although I don’t know why they aren’t just speaking in each other’s heads. Maybe it’s just a habit.
Throwing up my soundproof bubble, I ask exactly what I’m thinking. “Wh…” Before I get my first word out though, Marcus’ hand is covering my mouth. Rolling my eyes, I switch tactics. Not wanting to leave either one of them out, I try speaking to both Derrick and Klaus at the same time.“I’m not stupid, I threw up a soundproof bubble. Could you pass the message?”
Moments later, Marcus gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, Babe. I didn’t want to chance it. A soundproof bubble is pretty clever. What did you want to know?”
Giving him a smile in acceptance of his apology, I continue on with what I was going to say, “I was going to ask why you guys are using the hand signs instead of just speaking to each other.”
“Habits are hard to break, plus the mind speaking trick only started when we found you, so we aren’t used to having it. Honestly, it was going to take us forever to get across what we wanted to say that way. It’s not like we’re using sign language. I was trying to remind everyone that Silas renovated this whole wing a while back, and moved his bedroom down here. Since then, he’s been really cagey about any of us coming near here,” Klaus says.
Alex is the next one to voice his concerns, “With all of the firewalls protecting his network, I’m pretty confident there might be cameras. I wasn’t able to find any yet, but better to lean toward the side of caution.”
Shit... I’m so glad they came with me. I never would’ve thought about something like cameras, but it fits with how paranoid Silas comes off. A tug pulls on my chest urging me to continue down the hallway, just as I get a panicked thought about the possibility of the dungeon door being relocated. Glancing at Marcus, I rub at my chest. “So what should we do? I can’t not go. I need this, please.”
Their uneasy frowns tell me they wanted to ask me to drop it, but something inside is pushing me to follow through with searching for closure. It’s not a want, it’s aneed. Klaus’ eyes widen, probably feeling the fact I can’t give this up. “We’re all out of practice using our magic. Can you put up a shield around us, like your soundproof bubble to protect us from being seen?”
