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I close my eyes, trying to centre myself. But memories flood in unbidden—the dark, dank underground chamber where my life changed forever. The fear, the pain, the figures that haunt my dreams. I shiver despite the warmth from the bodies surrounding me.
But an unexpected calm pierces through the turmoil. These guys may have been the ones to shatter me into a million pieces, but they’re here now, holding those pieces together.
It’s fucked-up, but it’s the harsh truth.
“Ever,” Charlie’s voice is gentle, pulling me back to the present.
Opening my eyes, I look at them. Maybe there’s no need for choices when your heart doesn’t segment itself. Maybe love, the real gritty kind, isn’t about choosing a single safe harbour but braving the open sea with a fleet at your side.
“I need to be clear,” I say, steadying my voice as much as I can. “I’m in uncharted waters here.” My gaze flicks to each of them—Alistair with his regal posture, Ben’s thoughtful frown, Charlie’s encouraging grin, and Damien’s inscrutable stare. “This is new for me, and I need us to take this slow.”
“Slow is good,” Damien says. “I like slow. We’ll navigate this at your pace, Ever.”
“And yours,” I mutter with a frown, remembering what he said earlier on campus about this moving too fast.
A silent pact forms, an understanding that we’re all treading into unknown territory, but we are doing it together. We’re a knot too complex to untie.
“Okay,” I murmur. “Okay.”
8
ALISTAIR
The weight of the impending night hangs heavy on my shoulders. Ever’s eyes are wide and flickering with a nervous fire. The rest of the men are here, casual, calm. It’s the way it has to be.
“Stop fretting,” I murmur to Ever, my hand finding hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She tries to smile, but it comes out more like a grimace.
I pull her close, my arm slipping around her waist, and she leans into me, her body language screaming relief. “It’s okay,” I whisper, pressing my lips to her temple. The softness of her hair under my nose is familiar and soothing.
She’s scared, and I don’t blame her. What we’re about to do is not for the faint-hearted, even though she is blissfully unaware of the real reason for this meeting.
Her phone rings, and she frowns, pulling away to answer it.
Her face pales, and she presses her lips together as if to stop herself from crying. “Okay. I understand. Thank you for the opportunity.”
Ben and I exchange a lingering glance. He raises an eyebrow, and I know what the phone call is about.
“I’ve been fired,” Ever blurts out and bursts into tears. “They said they needed someone more reliable than a student who can only work so many hours a week and on certain days. Fuck. Fuck! What am I going to do? It wasn’t much, but it was mine. Shit. I knew when they rang me the other day to say it was quiet and I didn’t need to come in that something was wrong!”
“Ever, there was no way you could have gone in to work last weekend anyway.”
“But I got sacked!”
“It doesn’t matter. You will find something else, or, better yet, you will focus on your studies and maybe find something after.” I’m testing the water and her limits. She won’t accept this lying down. She is furious and upset, but she would be more so if she knew it was us who removed her from her work. It’s too risky, too much of a variable. Anything could happen to her there, even with us standing over her.
I pull her to me and kiss her forehead and her cheeks, chasing away the tears of rage from her eyes. “This is fine, angel. You don’t need it.”
She sniffs and looks away, feeling deflated over something that wasn’t her fault. It pricks at my conscience momentarily, but it is fleeting. Control. It’s all about the control of her safety. Nothing else matters.
“I’ll get something else. It’s fine. I’ve got this.” Ever nods, her spine straightening, the ethereal quality that always clings to her, making her seem like some warrior queen from a long-forgotten tale.
“Of course you do,” I murmur, hoping she soon has too much on her plate to forget about working and focuses on the matters at hand. “Let’s move.”
Everyone snaps to attention: old money, titles, legacy—it’s all woven into our DNA, and tonight, we add another thread to that twisted tapestry.
Tonight, we walk through fire, but it’s a net that Ever needs more than anything else right now.
“Wait!”
