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“Is breakfast ready?” Tamson ducked into the kitchen, Fallon and Declan directly behind him. All three men stopped and kissed my forehead, my cheek, my lips. I was surrounded by their love, as soft and as soothing as a moth’s wing caressing my spine. I never realized it was possible to feel such an emotion. This elation. This happiness that surpassed anything I had ever felt before.
All I had ever wanted was to be loved and to love someone back. With them, I had everything I ever wanted. For years, I was told I was undeserving of love. The mere aspect of it was an elusive fantasy, a fairytale that was whispered in the dead of night. When my parents talked about their own relationship, I had begun to believe that love was a horror story.
And now?
Now, my entire mentality changed.
God, I was one of those girls in a romance movie. A swooning, drooling heroine. Was that what love did to a person? I found that I didn’t care.
I needed more. I neededallof the love.
Overcome with emotion, I turned to meet the eyes of each of my men.
Calax, the first man who had stolen my heart. The enemy who became my lover. He saw my walls as a challenge to overcome, not as a stop sign.
Declan, my childhood best friend. The person who saw beyond the front I built around myself. The man who loved me unconditionally, despite the years that had passed.
Fallon, the brooding team leader. He hid behind an apathetic front, but those little moments when his eyes softened or his hand played with my hair demoted him from intimidating to approachable.
Ryder, my flirty boyfriend. We had forged a bond that others couldn’t even begin to comprehend. An unbreakable bond made entirely of steel - steel that was forged from shared trauma.
Ronan, the man who hid his pain behind a wide smile. The man who forced a laugh when I knew he wanted nothing more than to cry. He had the world pressing down on his shoulders, and that pressure repeatedly threatened to bury him alive. He didn’t know how strong he actually was.
Asher, my sweet friend. My confidant. My attentive lover. He regarded me as if I held the moon in my hands. Would I ever be worthy of his unconditional, irrevocable love?
And finally, Tamson. The man that was two sides of the same coin. Shy and timid. Assertive and confident. Our relationship was built on trust. And I did trust him. Both sides of him.
“I love you,” I said, my throat clogging. “I love you all.”
“We love you too,” Fallon said, speaking for the group. And I knew he was telling the truth. Love emitted from their smiles, their warm eyes, the very pores of their bodies. I could die of contentment, surrounded by the men I loved and who, for some reason, loved me in return.
Movement over Calax’s shoulder captured my attention. My eyes widened as a familiar figure glided into the room. I glanced anxiously from face to face, but no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Ryder was throwing food at Ronan, and Calax was teasing Asher good-naturedly. Normal. Everything appeared normal, at least on the surface.
But…
The girl had brown, chestnut hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes were trained on mine, an unreadable expression darkening her features.
“Who are you?” I whispered. The men faded away until only she remained. OnlyIremained.
“You have to choose.” The girl - the girl with an uncanny resemblance to me - took a step forward.
“Choose?” I parroted mechanically.
“You have to choose. Live. Or die.”
