Even Hudson didn’t know what’d happened the day I’d gone to see my parents when they’d called. No one knew but them and whoever else had shown up while I’d been unconscious.
When I didn’t answer, they just called back. And called back again. I could’ve turned my phone off. Ishouldhave just blocked the number. But instead, I just let it ring and ring and ring until they eventually got the memo. Then, I pushed myself off the bed, grabbed the pre-rolled off my nightstand, and headed downstairs. I found a bottle of Kreed’s expensive liquor inthe kitchen, snatched it up, and headed for my car, not even bothering with shoes.
I wanted to get fucking wasted and stop thinking. I was so tired ofthinking.
Chapter Nine
Kip
I jerked awake, my hand automatically reaching for the pistol I kept on the nightstand. Michelle lurched into a sitting position beside me. Someone was banging on the front door, which was what had woken us. That and our blue nose pitbull, Mercy, was losing her fucking mind in her kennel, barking and growling.
I knew if I didn’t go see what the hell was going on, she’d break out her kennel. She’d done it before when she thought there was an intruder. She was a cuddly, cute dog, but she was also protective as hell.
“Stay here,” I ordered, my voice still thick with sleep.
Michelle nodded, looking up at me with wide eyes. I pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then got out of bed, my pistol in my hand. I let Mercy out of her kennel, then pointed to the bed.
“With Mommy,” I ordered, and though I knew she wanted to see who was threatening to break into our house, she jumped onto the bed and sat protectively in front of Michelle, just as she’d been trained to do.
I padded barefoot out of our bedroom, the hardwood floors cold beneath my feet. The banging abruptly stopped, and I frowned. Reaching the front door, I peeked through the peephole, my eyes widening in surprise at who stood on the other side.
What. The. Fuck.
I shoved the gun onto the little table in the foyer then quickly unlocked the front door. Corvus, who was sitting on the concrete, blinked up at me through bleary eyes. He was crying, his face flushed and his eyes bloodshot. He reeked of weed and alcohol. I had no idea how he’d gotten here. His car was nowhere to be seen.Christ, what the fuck had happened to him?
“Chibi, what the fuck?” I breathed, crouching next to him.
He reached for me with a broken sob, even making grabbing motions with his hands, and my heart tightened.
“Okay,” I soothed. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”
Slipping my arms beneath his back and knees, I lifted him from the cold concrete then carried him into the house, kicking the door shut behind me. He was awreck,snotty and tear-stained. And it broke my damn heart.
His arms curled around my shoulders, and he buried his face in my throat, his hot tears wetting my collarbone and neck. His shoulders shook when he sobbed again, and I tightened my jaw, hurrying to the bedroom. He needed a shower and clean clothes, since he was still in the clothes from dinner, and then, once he was calm and sobered up some, I’d try to find out what happened.
Right then, my goal was to comfort him and make him feel safe. Because if he’d come here, that spokevolumes. Not only did it mean he already thought of us as a safe space, but he wanted someone to take care of him. And we’d already essentially promised him we would.
“What—Oh, my God,” Michelle breathed, hurrying off the bed. She frantically ran her hands over him where she could, since Corvus was clinging to me so tightly. It was almost as if he were trying to crawl into my body. “Is he hurt?”
“Not that I can see,tsuma,” I said softly. “He needs to get cleaned up.”
She nodded in agreement then gripped his damp face, forcing him to turn his head to look at her. His chin wobbled. She stroked her thumbs over his cheeks. “Hey, bub. You need a shower. Can you manage that? Or even a bath, so you don’t have to stand?”
Mercy growled low in her throat when Corvus hiccupped. I clicked my tongue, an order for her to stand down, which she did, even going so far as to lie down and just watch us with her head on her paws.
“Bath,” Corvus managed to mumble.
Michelle nodded then kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger. He cried harder, his eyes scrunching shut.God, what the fuck had happened between the restaurant and now? Why the fuck was he such a damn mess?
“I’ll run a bath,” Michelle said softly before turning and hurrying into the bathroom. I followed, gently depositing Corvus on the counter. He swayed, clearly too drunk to sit up properly then propped his shoulder on the wall, another hiccup sounding from his chest.
“I need to help you undress,chibi,” I gently told him. “But we’re going to leave your underwear on until you’re alone, okay? Then, you can take them off.” He wasn’t sober, so he couldn’t consent to us seeing him completely naked. And I wouldnotcross that boundary.
He nodded, hiccupping again. Michelle came over to us as the scent of lavender filled the bathroom. A glance over at the tub showed she’d added her lavender-scented bubble bath stuffto the water and a bath bomb. Hopefully, it would help soothe him.
“Thank you,tsuma,” I murmured as I finished unbuttoning Corvus’s shirt and eased it off his shoulders. My eyes snagged on the tattoo on his chest, finally getting a chance to read it.
Live. Love. Bleed.
