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Phoenix

B aby," a soft voice rumbles in my ear, coaxing me awake. I didn't think I'd fall asleep so fast. How long was I out?

"Raven's awake, Nix." The words from Mason snap me out of my exhausted state.

I shoot up from the bed, my heart racing at the news. "She is?"

Mason nods, catching me around the waist as I start to leap from the bed, nearly falling on my face when my foot catches in the sheets. "Careful, babe. We'll go check on her in a second." He starts untangling my leg from the sheets as I nibble on my lip.

My mind is running a thousand miles a minute, wondering what she's been through, how she's feeling. I can't stop the worry that shows on my face at the thought of something horrible happening to her at the hands of the Bastards. What if she suffered like Kat did? What if they did worse because she's the MC president's daughter?

So many worries rush through my head as Mason works to free me from the bed. He must notice my struggle because the moment my foot is free, he curls an arm around my shoulders. "She's okay, Nix. She's here, safe, and in one piece. No one is going to hurt her again."

I nearly sob at his words. Rae is here now. She's safe.

I close my eyes and will the message to sink in, begging myself to believe it. Mason's warm body next to me gives me comfort as I take a deep breath. "You ready?" he asks, squeezing my shoulder.

With an exhale, I nod. "I'm ready. Take me to my sister."

My heart is pounding with every step we take closer to Raven. She's safe, I remind myself. She's here. We have her. Her door is only feet away now. It feels like a huge weight is sitting on my chest. I need to see her with my own two eyes to know she's really here safe. Maybe then I'll start to trust those words.

Jesse and Mason hang back a step when we reach the door, letting me lead the way. Taking a deep breath, I reach for the doorknob. My hands shake as I turn the handle, and the door begins to open. I'm nervous about what we're about to see and what state my sister is in. The anxiety is eating me up.

What if she's in pain?

What if they hurt her so badly that she's unrecognizable?

What if . . .

The door swings open, and my question transforms mid-thought. What if she's making out with the club's burly enforcer?

What the fuck!

I'm stunned at the scene unfolding in front of me. On the bed where Raven was just hours ago, Reaper is now lying on top of her, kissing her like there's no tomorrow. Several emotions pass through me at once—rage, shock, uncertainty, shock, curiosity, shock.

At first glance, it seems like he's taking advantage of her, but I can see Rae's fist clenched in Reaper's hair. Whatever's happening is consensual, and even in her injured state, my sister seems to be a driving force behind whatever we walked in on.

It takes a few seconds for my mouth to catch up to my brain as everything that's happening starts to sink in. "What the fuck!" I finally exclaim, halting Raven and Reaper's make-out session.

When Reaper pulls away from my sister, his face is more than mildly annoyed. His glare flits from me to the men behind me, stopping on Jesse. I turn to see J's wide eyes staring at the room before us. He looks both shocked and guilty as he meets the full force of the enforcer's irritation. What's that about?

I turn to Mason, who looks as stunned as I am. When he feels my gaze, he looks at me and shakes his head in disbelief. His mouth gapes like he wants to say something, but nothing comes out. What we walked in on has him as freaked out as it has me. When the hell did this start happening?

Shifting my eyes back to the bed, I see Raven's flushed face. She gives me a small half-smile as she greets me. "Hey, sis. I'm back," she says, curling her shoulders in with a wince. Her voice is weak and twinged with guilt as she looks between me and Reaper. She knows I have a million questions about that , but they'll have to wait.

Rae's here. She's safe. She's awake.

That's what I choose to focus on as I step into the room with tears welling in my eyes. "You're here," I croak, clutching my chest. I take a few cautious steps closer as Reaper sits up and moves to Raven's side, still perched on the bed only inches away. It would be comical if it wasn't so bizarre. He's like an animal staking his claim, watching the rest of us like he'll jump in to protect her if anyone moves too quickly.

I move closer to my sister, eyeing Reaper with every step. Rae sees my hesitation and looks at him. She reaches out, squeezing his hand, drawing his attention to her. Something passes between them at that moment. A silent conversation between two lovers, much like Mason and I sometimes have. It's so strange to see it happen between Raven and the man she professed to hate on more than one occasion.

Reaper's face softens and his body relaxes when Rae gives him a tiny smile. I take that opportunity to move closer, wanting nothing more than to pull her into my arms and feel that she's real, that she's here. When I reach the side of her bed, she turns to me, reaching her arms out like she needs the embrace as much as I do.

A sob loosens from my throat as I throw my arms around her, hugging her as I bury my face in the crook of her neck. Her body is tense as she squeezes me to her. It's the only sign that she's as emotional about our reunion as I am. Her tears don't fall. Sobs don't escape her throat. It's not her style. But the way she's hugging me right now is all I need to feel to know this means as much to her as it does to me.

"I was so scared," I cry into her shoulder.

Her hand strokes the back of my head as she replies tightly, "I know, Nix. I know. I'm so sorry. I'm here now. It's gonna be okay."

Her words make me hold her tighter. I don't want to let go, so I don't. We sit quietly after that, locked in our embrace as the guys wait patiently around us. They understand how much we need this, and I appreciate them for it.

When we finally break free, I take a closer look at my sister. She's still marred with cuts and bruises all over her skin, but her eyes are still as piercing and strong as ever. It gives me hope that no matter what she went through, she never let them break her. My ferocious sister, my rock, my best friend, my hero—she didn't let them take her strength, her resolve.

I know, without even asking, that she fought them every step of the way. I'd even wager she took more from them than they did her, and that makes me so proud. But I'm still worried about what she went through in there. How bad it must have been.

The questions stick to the end of my tongue. I want to know what happened, but I'm scared to ask. What if I'm wrong? What if they took more from her than she's letting show?

I swallow hard, trying to work up the nerve to ask the question, still holding her hands in mine. When I hesitate, she answers my unspoken inquiry. "It looks worse than it is," she says. "They roughed me up. Tried to intimidate me, and copped a feel through my clothes a couple times," she pauses to make me meet her eye. "They never got what they wanted, Nix. It never made it that far." Her words grow softer as she tells me what I need to hear.

The breath that I was holding suddenly feels lighter in my chest. I let it go with a long huff, closing my eyes as a few stray tears fall to the bed. "I wish you never had to go through any of it," I whisper.

Rae grips my wrist, leveling me with a look. "It's over now. No need to dwell on it. The Bastards are dead. They can't hurt us anymore."

I nod, unable to speak. The tension from earlier starts to ease. There's so much more I want to ask, but I'd rather wait to ask those questions when the guys aren't around. Especially the mountain of a man sitting on Raven's other side. He's closer to her now, looking like he wants to pull her into his arms. It's such a contrast to how they used to act around each other.

My mind is still trying to wrap itself around that when the door bursts open. I turn to see Dad and Hammer filling the doorway. Someone must have told them Rae was awake.

Dad's eyes are glassy as he looks at Raven. He takes several steps closer before he notices Reaper on the bed next to her. I watch as his eyes narrow and a thousand questions race through his mind. His expression is unreadable as he takes in his enforcer's proximity to Rae.

I glance back at Mason. He's watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. None of us know how this will play out, but the tension that dissipated only moments ago is back with a vengeance. We watch as the two grown men stare one another down. To Reaper's credit, he doesn't back down or cower from Dad's glare. He doesn't even move further from Rae. Instead, he holds his ground, meeting his leader's stare with fiery resolve.

Dad wasn't thrilled to hear when Mason and I started dating, so I can imagine what's running through his mind right now. The way Reaper positioned himself around Rae is more than just protective. If Dad only knew what we walked in on a little while ago.

"Dad," Rae's voice snaps everyone's attention to her. It's the first time she's acknowledged our father that way. Something not lost on him as he turns his gaze her way. I'm not sure she did it to save her lover from Dad's wrath or if she's finally come to accept him. Either way, the title distracts him enough to ignore Reaper for the time being.

He sniffs before clearing his throat to hide his emotions at Rae finally calling him Dad. I shuffle on the mattress, giving him room to come closer. "Are you . . . okay?" he asks.

She nods. "I'm okay."

No one says a word for several beats until Raven finally speaks again. "Thank you," she tells our dad. "For getting me out. For ending this." She looks around the room before adding, "Thank you all for saving me."

Her eyes land on Mason. "And for keeping my sister safe."

He nods back at her. His silent vow to continue doing so from here on out. My throat feels tight again as I fight back the waterworks. I'm not the only one battling my emotions, though —Dad's face twitches as he clears his throat again. He steps closer, taking one of Raven's hands in his. He gives it a gentle squeeze as he sits down next to her. No one says a word as he studies the marks on her skin.

After what seems like an eternity, Dad tells her quietly, "I'm so sorry, Raven. For everything."

My sister nods as her eyes grow misty. "I know . . . I know." Her free hand covers his as everyone in the room holds their breath. For a long while, they stay like that, saying nothing as the rest of us watch in awe.

I can tell this is too much for him. The fear of almost losing her took its toll, and now he's grasping at straws to keep it together. He stands from the bed, still holding her hands in his as his emotions grow too heavy. He drops her hands as he goes to leave but stops himself, turning to face Raven again. Hesitating for a moment, he bends to place a kiss on the top of her head.

No one in the room moves a muscle as the sweet moment plays out. We're all a bit stunned as the ruthless MC president lets down his guard for his eldest daughter. I doubt any of the men here have ever seen him so soft.

As quickly as it happens, the moment is over, and Dad excuses himself from the room, fighting a losing battle with his emotions. He won't break down in front of his crew, so he's leaving before the floodgates open. He's seen for himself that she's okay, and now he needs time to process.

He casts one last warning gaze to his enforcer as he heads for the door. Hammer leaves behind him, closing the door as he goes, leaving the rest of us the grapple with what happened.

"Hey," Raven says, nudging my side, pulling me from my stunned stupor. "Do you have some spare clothes I can borrow? I want to shower."

"Yeah, of course. Do you need help getting cleaned up?"

She shakes her head. "No. I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Mason comes with me to grab fresh clothes and track down a clean set of sheets for Rae. When we get back, Jesse is waiting outside the room. "Figured I'd give them some privacy," he says as we approach.

My cheeks heat at his implication. I knock loudly on the door, waiting for Rae to respond this time before entering. She does, thanking me for the clothes and sheets.

When I go to help her stand, she wobbles on her feet. "Are you sure you don't want help in the shower?" I ask, worried she might fall and hit her head if she tries to bathe on her own.

She shakes her head. "No, it's okay, Nix. I'll be fine."

I start to argue when a large pair of hands encircle my sister's waist, keeping her steady. That's why she won't need my help. My blush spreads as I take in Rae and Reaper's body language. She leans into him, melting into his side as his arms cradle her protectively. It never occurred to me that someone as big and intimidating as Reaper could be so gentle, but he is for Rae.

Clearing my throat, I let him help her to the bathroom while Mason and I change the bedding. "Jesse's outside," I call after them. "We'll come back after a while to check on you."

Rae's response is muffled through the bathroom door. I hear the shower kick on and move quickly with the sheets, wanting to give the two of them as much privacy as possible.