AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Especially since I’d probably killed as many—if not more—people as she had. And being a hypocrite was never how I’d describe myself.
Shivering, I turned the shower off, unsure of what would happen next. I didn’t know what to do. How to be around her. I couldn’t stop the feeling of loss. For what we had. For what I thought we could have.
And then there was Lenny. He didn’t deserve to grow up without his sister. I knew she’d do anything for him.
Wrapping the towel around me, I finally left the bathroom. Searching the room when I didn’t immediately spot Ariel, I refused to think about the amount of relief I felt at seeing her curled up on my bed, the bedside lamp casting the room in a muted light.
I dropped my towel inside my walk-in closet, pulling on fresh boxers, sweatpants, and a T-shirt.
Forcing myself to walk past the bed without stopping, I sat down on the couch with a groan. Leaning forward, I put my hands in my hair, pulling on the strands.
“I really am sorry for everything. And I promise you won’t regret helping me.”
Ariel’s voice was muffled, and I wouldn’t have heard her if the room hadn’t been so silent.
“Did you know who I was the whole time we’ve been together?”
She sat up, her hair a wild mess around her head. She must have taken her hairband out. “I found out the day before I left.”
The fact that she hadn’t deceived me the whole time lifted a weight from my chest.
When I didn’t answer, she settled back into the bed, her gaze on the dark ceiling.
We stayed silent, but neither of us slept. Ariel didn’t move, but her breathing didn’t even out. I’d slept next to her enough times to know she was still awake.
I wanted to say “fuck it” and slide into bed next to her many times over the next few hours. But instead, I stayed on the uncomfortable couch, my brain running in circles.
When the room was cast in the first rays of the rising sun, I stood up with a groan. Stretching, I glanced at the bed. Ariel’s moss-green eyes were focused on my middle, where my shirt had ridden up. When she noticed my attention on her, she snapped her head back, biting her finger.
“Stay in here.” She sat up, no doubt to protest, but I cut her off before she got a word out. “You’re not very popular right now, so this is as much for your protection as ours. I’ll let you know when Lenny wakes up.”
Her expression fell, her hands fisting in the sheets, but she didn’t argue.
I left, not trusting myself to stay this close to her when she was upset. Because I still wanted to comfort her despite everything.
Unsurprisingly, Dad, my brothers, Freya, and her husband, Gunner, were already in the study. Bloodshot eyes, unkempt hair, and hastily thrown on clothes told me none of them had gotten any sleep either.
I went straight to the pot of coffee set up in the little kitchen in the corner and poured myself a cup, forgoing the creamer and sugar. “Let’s get this over with.”
Liam watched me over the rim of his own cup. His gaze was sharp despite the dark circles under his eyes. “You sure it’s smart to leave her by herself?”
“She won’t do anything.”
Gabriel exhaled, leaning forward in the chair he was sitting in, resting his elbows on his knees. “You can’t know for sure. She’s already fooled you once.”
“She didn’t know who I was. And there were no bullets in the gun, so I’d say she didn’t really want to harm anyone.” Glaring at Gabriel, I clutched my cup in my hand. “You should know better than anyone that things aren’t always what they seem.”
He’d been devastated when Vanna had betrayed him. But we quickly found out that she didn’t have a choice. What if this was a similar situation?
Nobody looked convinced, and I continued explaining why Ariel would never do anything to any of us. Because despite her actions I couldn’t help but defend her. “Lenny is here. He means everything to her. She’d never risk him.”
Dad pushed his chair back, standing up. “We’d never harm a child.”
I sighed. “But you offered to help him. And that means keeping him safe from Gladius. And that’s enough for her.”
Gunner placed a kiss to Freya’s head before she left his embrace and grabbed the now-empty coffeepot. “I’ll get refills. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think she’d hurt us either. She loves her brother. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his safety.”
Gabriel scratched the scruff on his chin, no doubt itching to shave. “So what’s the plan?”
