AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Forty-Nine
QUINN
Eventually, reality creeps in, harsh light from my bedroom as we open the closet door, a deep hunger spurred from days of not eating enough, sticky fluids drying and flaking off my skin. The comfort of the nest begins to fade as the desire to be clean settles over my dirty skin.
The discarded air fresheners lie scattered across my floor, and I stare at them, chewing on my cheek as I try to imagine telling our parents the truth.
I share a look with each of the guys.
Brady’s face is a storm of emotion.
Austin’s sky-blue eyes flicker with ideas of what comes next.
And Dylan’s lips are quirked into a smirk, almost like he’s ready to ask for more, but upon seeing the line of worry nestling into my forehead, the smile slips and the streaks of white cutting through the deep blue of his irises seem to glow with concern.
“We’ll figure it out,” Brady says to all of us. “But I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re not letting you go.”
The thought had crossed my mind, and as his words smooth over that worry, I release a harsh breath. “We’ll figure it out,” I repeat, wishing to all hell that it could be easy.
After showeringand eating the biggest meal I’ve ever had—a delicious and unhealthy chicken fried steak, eggs, and hash browns with bits of bacon crumbled over the top—I call and check in with work. Austin had enough sense to message Calla when my heat began, so thankfully, there are no repercussions for my week-long fuck fest.
Mr. Mosley would’ve pitched a fit, I think bitterly, then scowl into my third cup of coffee. That guy is a total asshole. Nothing has come of his threats, and I’m beginning to wonder if he was just trying to scare us.
Either way, he doesn’t get to ruin my after-heat comedown. I’m lounging on the couch between Austin and Brady, and Dylan is sitting in the oversized chair, playing some video game while we all watch. It’s cozy, but I need something more to distract me from the doubt circling above me like a vulture waiting to dive and feast on the wreckage of our lives.
Mom loves me. She’ll have to understand things, right? And my stepdads are great. Our parents know that some things can’t be prevented...but that very thing is what makes me nervous. Mom fell into a deep pit of depression when my dads left. I prided myself on resisting my scent matches because of propriety.
Now, that’s all changed.
Maybe I’m no better than my dads.
“Okay, we need to do something,” I say suddenly, setting my coffee aside. “It’s Saturday, the sun is shining.”
“Do you want to go for a swim?” Dylan glances at me. “Get crushed by more waves?”
I smile. “Maybe...but do you guys remember when our parents took us to that little amusement park on Atlantic Avenue?”
Brady chuckles. “The obnoxiously small kiddie amusement park? How could I forget? We were all teenagers.”
“They thought it would be a fun way for us to bond,” Austin says in their defense.
“Come on, dude, they tried to get us all to share a Ferris wheel bucket, but there were too many of us, so we had to split up, anyway.” Brady rolls his eyes.
I frown. “I remember that. You wouldn’t let me on.” A little stab of hurt hits my chest, and I look away from them before they can see how much it bothered me. Rubbing my aching heart, I remind myself that they’re mine now, and we were only stupid teenagers when all that went down. Well, Brady wasn’t, but still. He was young and angry.
“Quinn.”
Sighing, I put on a smile and glance at Brady. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper, shoulders sagging with relief, but my eyes still prick with tears.
Austin slaps the back of his head. “Stupid, you made her cry.”
“Ow, fuck. I know!” Brady rubs his head and studies my face. “You want to ride the Ferris wheel?”
I shrug. “We don’t have to go. It’s a kiddie park?—”
