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“No, never! Fallon wanted to break the hand of the girl who dared to touch him.” He chuckled darkly at the memory, but my mind was fixated on the fact that some gorgeous girl had touchedmyman.

Who knew I was so possessive? Geez.

Why don’t you just pee on all of them already?

A ball of lead tangled with the nerves in my stomach. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. We were separated. And even now, I’m dating all of you and you’re only dating me. How is that fair?”

I wanted to vomit at the mere thought of them with another woman, but I was determined not to be selfish. Were we even in an exclusive relationship? My heart ricocheted, drowning out even the roaring in my ears.

Declan stared at me for a long moment. Before he could reply, however, a soft patter of footsteps echoed from the living room, stopping in the kitchen.

Nikolai was dressed in too large pajamas rubbing sleep from his eyes. For the first time in forever, he didn’t have his large, red headphones around his neck. His sleepy eyes tracked all who was in the kitchen before resting on Tonya.

“You want some water?” Tonya’s voice was...doting. The type of voice a mother would give a son. This time, jealousydidspear my chest as I watched their exchange. The easy way Tonya walked up to Nik, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. The tentative smile that touched my little brother’s face. The hushed thanks as he took the proffered cup from Tonya’s hand.

I pressed the palm of my hand to my chest.

Shit. That hurt.

“What are you doing up, Nik?” Tommy asked, languidly stretching in the doorway.

Tommy and Nik had a relationship I couldn’t quite understand...one I wasn’t suretheyunderstood.They were almost always together, and I knew they slept in the same bed. Even now, their fingers brushed as Nik walked back towards the bedroom with his water and Tommy remained with us.

“What are we talking about, heathens?” Tommy plopped himself onto the counter, legs dangling.

“Paradise,” Jared drawled.

“Before we do anything, we have to stop back at the house and pick up Kai and Doc,” Ronan butted in, glancing at the others. Declan’s brows furrowed, and an almost incandescent fury darkened Fallon’s face.

“Who the hell are they?” he asked harshly, and I could’ve been mistaken, but it almost sounded like he was jealous. His eyes flickered to me sharply before looking away. His jaw was clenched so tightly I was afraid it would break.

“You remember Doc,” Asher said, a small smile evident in his voice. He, too, had seen the jealousy on Fallon’s face. Always the perceptive one. “He treated Addie for her injuries. They spenta lotof time alone together.”

Fallon’s eyes darkened further.

“And Kai...well...let’s just say it involves adult kidnapping,” Ryder added. His white teeth gleamed as he smiled. “I know he and Addie are really close. They sometimes have sleepovers together.”

Fallon looked positively murderous, enraged, seconds away from getting in his car, driving to the house Doc and Kai were held up in, and cutting off both their dicks.

Not that Ryder lied, necessarily. Kai and Ididhave sleepovers. Sometimes I needed a break from all the testosterone with...more testosterone. At least, testosterone that didn’t constantly kiss me and treat me like breakable glass. I needed Kai to call me out on my shit and be my friend. God only knew how badly I was lacking in that department.

“Oh, calm down,” I said, patting Declan’s arm reassuringly and flashing Fallon a shit eating grin. His eyes narrowed when he realized we were teasing him. “They prefer sword fighting, if you know what I mean.”

“I like sword fighting!” Tommy piped in with a large smile, happy to contribute to the conversation.

“That was...oddly disturbing,” Ronan mused, shuddering.

“Before we do anything, I want to have a funeral. For Calax,” I said resolutely. My lower lip trembled, and fresh tears welled in my eyes. Still, I willed them back. I had to remain strong. Calax would’ve wanted me to.

“Of course, Princess.”

“We’ll have it tomorrow, Kitten.”

“Whatever you need.”

What I needed was Calax, but that would never happen.

That night, I cried until my face hurt and my throat was raw. But crying couldn’t numb the pain in my chest, my head, my soul.

Only a dead man could help me.

If some people dreamt of sugar plums and fairies, I envisioned handsome men with soft smiles and whispered words of love. For the first time, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.