Page 11

Mine

Snacks were given, so Ellie stopped tormenting her sister, and finally, the delicious smoked food was ready. We stuffed our faces in relative silence. Ellie kept us all amused, but my hands were too busy shoveling the food in to be more involved than listening. Besides, it seemed like they all needed a moment to catch up, and what better time to do that than over a meal?

With us all full of food and exhausted from the day, it was time for bed. As I was getting Ellie’s attention to ask for her to show me my bedroom, including toiletries and extra clothes, she interrupted me.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.” Her voice was quiet, even though it didn’t need to be. Odie was cleaning up her smoker, and Cy had disappeared somewhere else.

I smiled at her and reminded myself that she was only seventeen. Today was a near-traumatic experience for me, but if I was seventeen—well, I had already gone through quite a bit by then, so maybe comparing us wasn’t the best move. Anyway, a normal teenager would be affected by this in some way.

Movie on the couch? I figured if we fell asleep out here, at least it would be two birds, one stone.

“Are you sure? You look exhausted.”

Thanks. If signing could look deadpan, I nailed it.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I kind of threw off your whole day—life actually. If you want to go to bed, I’ll manage.”

I shook my head. Comfy clothes and brushed teeth, then a movie.

“Really?” Ellie stood up straighter, and the exhaustion I saw creeping in was snuffed out with that one movement.

Really.

She leapt forward, wrapping her arms around me. “Thank you, Mine.”

Pulling away, she grabbed my hand and dragged me through the hallway and to the second door on the left before opening it. A bed was in the far corner with a nightstand and lamp. A dresser was against the right wall along with the bathroom. To my left was a closet that jutted from the wall and had a simple door. I didn’t go digging around in it, but it seemed large enough, especially for the little—nothing—I had with me.

The furniture was all a dark hardwood to match the rest of the furniture in the house, which I liked. It was sturdy and went well with the decor that they had. Really, as long as it was all functional and I had some decent bedding, I didn’t care too much.

“This is your room. There’s not much since it’s just a guest room, and well, they don’t do the whole guest thing.” She shrugged and walked over to the bathroom, flicking on the light. “But there’s a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, yadda yadda, all in there for you. I’m guessing it’s horrible, so I will order us some good stuff tomorrow.”

And what do you know about the good stuff? I joked.

“I’m spoiled. I know.” She said that with so much serious pride that I couldn’t help but laugh at her. Ellie ignored it and flung open the closet, which was relatively small but plenty big enough for me to keep my nonexistent clothing in. “My dad texted me,” she said while refusing to look at me. “He’s having some of my stuff and yours delivered tomorrow. I have no idea what will get here or if it will actually be in good shape. I’m sorry about that in advance, but I will order new versions of whatever they destroy.”

I placed my hand on her shoulder, and Ellie turned around, her lips turned down in a frown and tears filling her eyes.

This isn’t on you. You tried. They didn’t listen.

“I know that, but I still feel so bad. I ruined all of our lives because—” I covered her mouth like I had done back on Lucinda’s porch, giving her a stern look.

Letting go, I signed, You were going to be sex trafficked. Do not apologize for saving yourself or bringing me into it. If I had learned what happened later and had refused to help… I trailed off and huffed. Never, ever feel bad about this. You’re safe. We are safe. That’s what matters.

I didn’t know Odie and Cy, but I was confident in that statement. They would protect us, and if Lucinda showed up, I didn’t think she’d last long without a solid amount of force behind her back.

Ellie fell into my arms, sobbing. I held her and rubbed her back, knowing she needed to let it out without shame. It was a hard fucking day, and truth be told, I’d probably have a cry later myself to get it out of my system.

After a few minutes of soothing her, she stepped back, wiped away the remaining tears, and cleared her throat. “My room, then? I have some clothes in there that you can borrow. I guess Cy and Odie planned to have me visit and wanted me to have everything I normally would.”

Does it help the sting?

“A little. At least I know they wanted me around. I think they were just worried I didn’t want to be around them.” She gave a sad little shrug and turned toward the door, but I stopped her.

What designation is your aunt? I had to know what we were up against. I still needed to get more details from all of them about the Primarchy, but this was a start.

“Beta. Thankfully. I’m guessing that’s part of her mental issues.” I nodded and nudged her out the door.

Her room was the same set up as mine but in reverse. Plus it actually looked like a bedroom and not some haphazard storage unit with a plain bed and matching dresser and nightstand with no personality whatsoever.