“You got the ‘middle of nowhere’ part right,” Dom quips, pushing open the door. Zane pops out after him, then both men pull the seat down for Beckett and me to climb out.
“She probably has dead bodies buried beneath her flower garden,” Beckett says.
“In the backyard, actually,” Aria trills, moving toward the front door. “Now, come inside.”
I exchange an uneasy glance with my guys before following Aria up the front steps, the wood creaking ominously beneath our combined weight.
Zane and Beckett stand on either side of me, creating a protective barricade against me and the outside world, whileDominic remains at my back. He’s close enough that I can feel the heat of his body.
“Welcome home, my daughter.” Aria pushes open the front door and steps to the side, allowing me the first glimpse of my newest prison.
The living room glows with light from candles lit at sporadic spots around the house. Wooden beams cross the ceiling like the arms of a watchful guardian, and the stone fireplace, blackened from years of use, exhales the faint scent of smoke and pine. A mismatched assortment of armchairs and thick, knitted throws makes the room appear almost…welcoming. Moonlight pools through gauzy curtains, dancing on shelves filled with old books, hand-thrown pottery, and tiny trinkets that I can’t even begin to imagine their purpose.
In the middle of the room, pacing back and forth, is my older brother, Fischer.
Seeing him is a punch to the gut. I physically have to stumble back a few steps, my head reeling and my heart racing.
“Fischer?” Surprise raises my voice a dozen octaves, turning it high-pitched and squeaky.
Fischer immediately stops pacing and turns toward us. His eyes widen. “Ellie?”
I don’t think, just act.
With a strangled sound catching in my throat, I race forward and throw myself at my older brother. My guys try to stop me, but it’s useless. I need my brother.
Fischer’s arms immediately, instinctively, come up to hold me to him. A tremble reverberates through his body.
“Fuck, Ellie. What are you doing here? Why are you…?” He tenses. Then, in a voice dripping with vitriol, he hisses out, “Aria. What thefuckwere you thinking?”
“Is that any way to talk to your mother, son?” Aria asks, a mocking lilt to her voice that instantly makes my hackles raise.
Fischer abruptly releases me and shoves me behind him, protecting me with his body as he faces off with our birth mother.
“I did everything you asked of me,” he hisses, a vein in his temple throbbing. “You promised me you would keep her out of this. You fucking promised me.”
Ariatsksher tongue disapprovingly. “And have you kept your end of the deal? Have you participated in all the fantastic events the Paragons of Prosperity has to offer?” Her upper lip curls away from her teeth, which are slightly sharper than normal. “No? Of course not. You think you’re too good for all of that. Too good for us. I wonder if you’ll still feel this way at our next event, knowing what’s at stake.” Very purposefully, her eyes slide to me, the threat in them evident.
Fischer trembles. “You’re a conniving, evil bitch.”
“Of course I am.” Her smile grows. “That’s what makes me a good leader. Now, we can discuss this all later. Let me show Ellie and her boy toys their room.”
Fischer bristles. “Boy toys?” He seems to suddenly notice Dom, Beckett, and Zane for the first time, his eyes narrowing. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We heard Aria has good tea,” Zane quips.
“Yes,” Dominic deadpans. “We wanted a tea party.”
Fischer takes a single step forward, his hand raised, his pointer finger trembling. “How could you have let Ellie come here? What thefuckwere you thinking? You guys were supposed to protect her! How could you?—?”
I’ve heard e-fucking-nough.
Grabbing a fistful of Fischer’s sweater, I tug, forcing him to whirl around to face me.
“Don’t fucking do that,” I warn him, and he blinks at my change of tone—so unlike the Ellie he abandoned months ago. “You have no idea what I’ve been through the last few months.Whatwehave been through. Landon and Ryker are dead. Did you know that? The men I love are dead. And I know…I know you were trying to protect me. I get that now, I think. But you left me. You abandoned me formonths! I had no idea if you were dead or alive! I didn’t know anything, Fischer, because you didn’t tell me jack shit. You left me alone to fend off Aria and POP and creepy predators. So get off your high horse, calm the fuck down, and apologize to my guys. They did everything in their power to protect me. Even now, they’re here, in the belly of the beast, to protect me. They could’ve left me—just like you did—but they chose to stay.” I’m trembling by the time I finish my dogmatic speech, tears pricking my eyes. “They’llalwayschoose to stay.”
“Always,” Dom vows.
“Forever,” Beckett agrees.
