“I'd been stalked for years, with letters, poems, paper swans, and burnt black rose petals. I kept it to myself because I thought I was odd. No one cares about me that much to be obsessed with me, surely?”
When she pauses and looks at me for an answer, I remain mute, knowing I am not in the position to tell her what she wants to hear.
“Well, it started to get worse. I finally encountered my stalker on the night of one of Chaos' parties, before I even met you guys, and I discovered there was not just one, but two, and they were both masked.”
I draw a long breath and glance away, dropping my hands beside me.
“All was quiet for a while, but it seems to have picked up again and tonight one of them was in the haunted house with us.”
My focus is drawn to her eyes because I want to hear what she has to say.
“I ran from Chaos because I got spooked, but the entrance was locked. That's when he came out from the shadows, masked with a knife and—”
She gestures to her wound and my brows pinch as I finally speak.
“Did he fucking say anything about why?”
She gives a small headshake and a shoulder shrug.
“He referred to me as Swan like they always do and he said I had deceived him, and he doesn’t like it.”
I inhale deeply once more before drawing my eyes away, not knowing what to say. I can't tell her what's going on, at least not yet.
“I just want it to end, Reign.”
When she leans forward and rests her brow on my pec, I slip my tatted hand into her long dark hair and gently massage the nape of her neck with the tips of my fingers to comfort her in an awkward manner.
“You're not leaving this house until I fucking sort this.”
That causes her to raise her head and shake it from side to side.
“But school. I can't just—”
“Fuck school; school can wait.”
My stern tone compels her to seal her mouth shut.
“That motherfucker clearly wants to hurt you, Charley.”
She gives a small nod in understanding with a sniffle, and I lift her arms around my neck as I lean down. I grip her beneath her thighs and rise her around me before taking her to my bed.
It’s the morning and I jog downstairs toward the kitchen because Reign told me to meet him down here nice and early to talk, but I am hoping he has gotten his head out of his ass since last night. When I enter the kitchen, I notice him and Charley with their backs to me.
She is cooking breakfast at the stove while he stands behind her, his head dipped down as he talks in her ear with his hands resting on the small of her waist causing me to raise an eyebrow.
He isn’t letting her go as much as I ain’t. She has that big asshole wrapped around her little finger, but that is the thing aboutCharley—she doesn’t know how truly powerful she is. We know; we’ve always known.
As I proceed, I clear my throat to make my presence known. The smell of bacon invades my nostrils, making my stomach growl instantly. They both look at me as I stroll to the fridge, and after grabbing a carton of orange juice, I close the door to find Charley standing there in front of me, ready to give me my good morning kiss.
My focus shifts to Reign, who has taken over as cook, and then I return my gaze to her. As I place the orange juice on the counter beside me, I close the distance between us and cup my hands around her neck before planting a firm, affectionate kiss on her pouty lips.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
She smiles widely while I maintain my lips close to hers.
“How are you feeling? You get stitched up good?”
She nods and tucks her bottom lip between her teeth. I smile as I scan her cheerful face before releasing her and carrying the orange juice to the kitchen island. When she follows me, I take a seat on one of the stools, but I motion with my hands that she sits on my lap.
