Page 37

Rachel

I can’t move.

My feet are stuck, heavy as stone, while the world around me shifts like a funhouse mirror. Shadows twist across the walls, creeping toward me, whispering things I can’t quite hear.

Then I see him.

Trent steps out of the dark, smug and solid, like he belongs here. Like this is his place firmly implanted in my mind. His grin is wide, stretched across his face like something broken pretending to be whole. His eyes are too bright, gleaming with a deranged joy that makes my skin crawl.

“There you are, Foxy,” he coos, stepping closer. “I was starting to think you didn’t miss me.”

My stomach churns.

I try to speak, but nothing comes out. My throat burns, dry and raw. I reach for my fox, but all I feel is a strange silence.

I’m alone.

Trent brushes my hair from my face, his fingers making my skin crawl.

“You belong to me,” he says, voice thick and syrupy. “Always have. Always will.”

He leans in close his lip brushing the shell of my ear. “You think they’ve saved you. But they can’t protect you forever.”

His hand trails down my arm, slow, possessive.

I flinch.

“You can’t run from me, Foxy,” he murmurs.

My whole body seizes, a scream building in my chest.

I wake with a gasp, air clawing its way into my lungs.

The living room is still dark, painted in the soft blue glow from the early light creeping through the windows. My skin is clammy, soaked with sweat. My shirt sticks to me. My hands tremble. My hair clings to my damp forehead, plastered by sweat.

I press my fingers to my face, willing the memories to fade. But Trent’s voice clings like tar.

I can’t stay here. Not now. Not like this. I don’t want Trent ruining this space for me, too. I’m already going to have to work to be able to think of those woods that were once a special place. He’s tainted them now. Him and my father. I can’t let them take this from me too.

I slowly extricate myself from the tangle of limbs and blankets, careful not to wake anyone. Derrick has his arm slung protectively across my chest. Lucas has a leg thrown over mine, and Bas’s hand grips my ankle as if shackling himself to me. Liam curls behind me like a second spine and I decide climbing over him will be the path of least resistance.

With whispered apologies and a few awkward tugs I manage to slip free.

Tiptoeing, I make my way into Liam and Lucas’s shared bathroom through Liam's room. When I’m finally alone in the bathroom, I quietly close the door behind me then lean against it before sinking to the floor.

I breathe in deep, trying to center myself. When my racing heart finally calms, I stand again and strip out of the too large scrub set. The fabric clings to me in patches, still smelling faintly of antiseptic and fear. I turn the shower to just shy of boiling and when it’s warm enough, I step under the spray.

Rinsing away the sweat from the nightmare is a good first step, but it doesn’t erase the feeling of Trent’s hand on my body.

You’re mine, Foxy.

His voice bounces around my skull, taunting me. My chest heaves as I try to breathe. I can’t seem to escape the grip he has on my mind. A knock on the door halts my racing thoughts and I zero in on the bond to see who it is.

Liam

“You alright in here?” His voice is gentle and calming as he enters the room closing the door with a soft snick behind him. He’s shirtless, wearing only a pair of black sleep pants slung low on his hips, his hair rumpled like he’d just rolled out of bed. “That’s a dumb question, I can feel you’re not through the bond. What can I do, Shadow Girl?”

I pull the curtain to the side and peer across the bathroom at him. His stormy blue eyes are full of desperation, a need to be here with me burning bright.

“Join me, please,” I say quietly. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“You never have to be alone again,” he assures as he strips out of his clothes.

The relief I feel when Liam enters the shower is immediate and all consuming. He stands a bit uncertainly to one side avoiding any unwanted contact but I don’t allow it. I reach out, grabbing his arm and pulling him to me. When he’s close enough I rest my head on his chest and wrap my arms around his waist. Without hesitation he returns the affection, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling his face against the top of my head.

His hands stay on my back, gentle, and grounding. He doesn’t push or pry. He just holds me, providing a stable sense of comfort.

“I’ve had nightmares about my father for years,” I whisper, voice cracking slightly. “I didn’t expect to have one about Trent. Or for it to affect me like this.”

“I’m so sorry.” Liam presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Fear like that… It lingers. But it’s not stronger than you. And it’s not forever, but we'll make sure his imprisonment is.”

I shudder, remembering I have to talk to the authorities today. I’m thankful Demi was able to hold them off for a while, and that my mates can stay with me. But I still don’t want to do it. He assured me I won’t go through this alone and I can’t explain how it feels to know I have people in my corner who will protect me and stand behind me. Unlike my father, who sadly is the one I most need protection from.

Pushing that thought from my head, I focus back on the moment.

My fingers curl against Liam’s back as I plant several small kisses across his chest. His length hardens against my leg and he pulls away slightly.

“I’m sorry, ignore him,” Liam says awkwardly. “Obviously he can’t read the room.”

I trace a path down his chest to the v in his hip muscles that leads my hand on a perfect path. When I reach his length, I wrap my fingers around his shaft and squeeze just a little.

“Or maybe he knows exactly what I need,” my voice comes out husky and filled with desire. “Make me forget his touch… Please.”

Liam’s breath catches. For a second he just looks at me like I’ve hung the moon. His hand comes up to cradle my face, his thumb brushing my cheek like he’s photographing the moment in his mind.

“Shadow Girl,” he says, voice gentle and low, “you don’t ever have to beg me to love you.”

Then he kisses me.

It starts slow. The kind of kiss meant to unravel grief thread by thread. But the moment my tongue brushes his, everything sharpens. Heat coils low in my belly and I press myself closer, needing more.

More of his hands, his mouth, his weight pressed against me.

His hands find my hips, gripping them just enough to make me gasp. The sound undoes him. He lifts me with ease, pressing me against the cool tile as he kneels before me, throwing my legs over his shoulders.

“Hang on, Shadow Girl,” he says with a devilish grin before his tongue finds my core.

One of his hands snakes up, finding my nipple, rolling it between two fingers before pinching it slightly, drawing another gasp. His other arm firmly circles my waist, supporting the majority of my weight while he devours me like a starving man. When I'm on the edge of falling apart he pinches my nipple and pulls away from my core, smirking up at me.

“Ahh, ahh, ahh, not yet, Shadow Girl.” His breath fans across my aching clit and I whine as I come down from my almost orgasm.

When my breathing evens out he resumes kneading my breasts in turn and dives back in with his mouth, latching on and sucking my swollen clit into his mouth. My back arches and I return almost instantly to the precipice of that cliff. His expert tongue brings me to the edge and backs off three more times, making me a sweaty, panting, mess. I almost cry when he releases me. When I’m standing on shaky legs he rises to meet me, claiming my pouting lip with a small nip.

“No pouting, Shadow Girl. I just want to find a better place to sink inside you.” He winks and shuts off the water.

Gathering me in his arms, we exit the shower and cross over to the expanse of counter between sinks right in the center of the mirror on the wall. He sets me on my feet, turning me to face the mirror and places my hands on the counter.

“Bend over just like that, Shadow Girl,” He whispers in my ear making goosebumps erupt across my body. “And watch in the mirror as I make you come undone.”

The wicked glint in his eye only turns me on more as he takes his place behind me. I watch in the mirror as he lines himself up. Maybe it’s the devouring in the shower or maybe it’s the burning need inside me, but he meets no resistance as he sinks fully into me in one smooth thrust.

We both moan. His a low, broken sound that shoots straight through me. I grip the edge of the counter, trying to ground myself, but the sight of us in the mirror is almost too much. His hands on my hips. My lips, kiss swollen, and parted in silent ecstasy. The way he looks at me like I'm everything he’s ever needed.

“Look at you,” he murmurs, thrusting deep and slow, his eyes locked on mine through the mirror. “Taking my dick like a good girl. You’re fucking perfect.”

His pace is measured at first. Controlled. But every movement makes my toes curl. He leans forward, pressing a kiss to my spine, then shoulder, then neck, then right behind my ear.

“You’re mine. Ours,” he growls. “No one else gets to touch you. No one else gets to see you like this.”

Goosebumps race down my spine as I whimper his name.

He speeds up, hips snapping forward with a force that knocks a choked cry from my throat. The sound only spurs him on. I brace myself against the counter, meeting each thrust as he pounds into me from behind, filling me over and over. Staking his claim on my body, my heart, my soul.

Our eyes stay locked in the mirror and it’s electric. Watching the way he wrecks me, the way he knows how to make me fall apart for him. When one hand slips down to circle my clit, the combination shatters me.

I come with a cry, my knees buckling slightly, and he catches me. He pulls me upright against his chest as his rhythm grows more frantic. He buries his face in my neck, groaning my name as he finds his release, hips jerking erratically until he’s empty and breathless against me.

We stay like that for a moment, both trembling. Bodies slick with steam and sweat. He kisses my cheek, then my temple before sliding free from me and leading us both back to the shower.

“You okay?” He whispers when we’re back under the warm spray.

I nod, overwhelmed in the best of ways. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For putting me back together.”

His arms tighten around me, and he buries his face in my hair again. “Always, Shadow Girl. Always.”

Once we are both clean, we exit the shower and Liam wraps me in a warm fluffy towel leading me to his bedroom. He offers me some shorts and an oversized shirt and I dress in silence, my body still humming with warmth.

Together, we make our way back into the living room. The others are all still sprawled across the big floor bed in a semi circle, my spot still available to me.

Despite the fact that we’ll be getting back up in just a few hours, Liam and I crawl back into the center of it all. As I snuggle into Lucas’s side, the rest of the guys resume touching me as if drawn by magnets.

I’m warm and cozy. Safe. Home.

With a sense of contentment, lying between my men, I drift off into a dreamless peaceful sleep without fear.