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PAIGE
I cower in the shadows as Misha’s voice fills the hallway from below. “…And when you do, there will be no more lies.”
The door slams like thunder and I stifle a sob until it morphs into a silent, gasping shudder. Cyrille lays her hand on my shoulder. I’m not sure if she’s trying to comfort me or quiet me. Maybe both.
I hold my breath for a long time, wondering if the door is going to wrench back open and he’s going to fly up here to drag me out of this pocket of shadow, kicking and screaming. Only when my lungs are burning with the need to inhale do I finally ease my full-body clench.
“Are you okay?” Cyrille murmurs.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Not really.”
“Come on,” she sits, shifting to the stairs and patting the top step. “Sit.”
I slide next to her. Cyrille wraps an arm around my shoulder and squeezes. That’s all it takes to bring more tears to the corners of my eyes.
“Well, don’t you two look cute,” Nikita observes as she appears at the foot of the staircase. “Don’t worry. The big bad beast is gone.”
“For now,” I answer softly. “He’ll be back.”
Nikita comes up the staircase towards us. “Without a doubt. He’s stubborn. But so are we, and he’ll have to deal with us first.”
I almost choke on gratitude. And since I can’t really speak at the moment, I let the tears slip down my cheeks to communicate it. Cyrille’s grip on my shoulder tightens.
“You don’t have to be scared, sweetheart.”
“I’m not scared,” I manage to blubber. “I’m just so… touched. I haven’t explained anything to any of you and you’re still defending me.”
“You’re family now, Paige,” Cyrille says fervently. “That means we’ve got your back.”
“I know it looks bad,” I admit. “All of it. I’ve spent the whole day thinking about everything, and I can see how he jumped to the conclusions he did. It’s just that, while he was accusing me, he said some things…”
“That hurt you,” Cyrille finishes.
“Yeah. They hurt me badly.”
“Then he’s going to have to apologize for them before he can talk to you again,” Nikita promises. “I’ll see to that.”
“I don’t want you all fighting because of me. Misha needs you in his life. Both of you. You don’t need to get involved.”
“Honey,” Cyrille says, squeezing my arm, “you’re living with us now. We’re already involved. And you know what? That’s family. That’s what we do.”
Despite the tears and the thudding pain in my chest, I can’t help but smile. Since I lost Clara, I haven’t had people who’ve had my back the way that Nikita, Cyrille, and Nessa did today. It seems strange that they entered my life so recently, considering how much each of them has come to mean to me.
Cyrille squeezes me again. “Don’t worry. Misha will come around.”
I glance at her and shake my head. “I don’t think he will. Even if he does, I have my pride. There are some things I might not be able to forgive.”
She and Nikita exchange a glance. I feel cold all of a sudden. Did I say the wrong thing? Will they turn on me now?
“Well, honey,” Cyrille says gently, “that’s your decision to make.”
I look up at Nikita, knowing that if it comes down to a choice, blood is thicker than water. I’m not naïve enough to believe that I’m a permanent part of this inner circle. They’re saying and doing nice things, but how long will that last?
“What was your parent’s marriage like, Nikita?”
Nikita cringes, eyes going gray. I know she understands exactly why I’m asking. “It was long and miserable on all sides.”
I nod. “Misha told me that he’ll never touch me again. He said he doesn’t care if I have lovers… once the babies are born, at least.”
