Page 28

27

KAI

“I can do it myself,” she mutters under her breath.

I remain silent and let the sound of the rushing water fill the bathroom as I turn the shower on.

“Kale! Are you listening to me?” I push her under the water and take the sponge, but not without a squeal from her. “Why are you being weird?”

“Shut up and let me clean you.”

The scent of her body wash fills the room as I pour it onto the sponge, and she visibly calms as I glide it over her skin.

The house is saturated with her scent, attacking me relentlessly from every corner, trapping me in its clutches. It infiltrates my senses bit by bit as if its only intention is to ensure I can never forget it, no matter where I may be.

And I hate that feeling.

Letting the water run over her face, she relaxes and mumbles to herself, “No need to be grumpy.” She tilts her head back and soaks her hair. “Can I ask you something?”

“No.”

I quickly rinse her with the water jet, causing her to let out a groan as I turn it off.

I never bother with women, so I have no idea why I find myself taking care of her.

“You’re just going to say ‘No,’ and that's it?”

“You’re a fast learner.”

I leave the bathroom and grab a T-shirt in my wardrobe when something catches my eye.

That wasn’t there before.

“I...” I turn my head, catching a glimpse of Iris standing in the middle of my room, wrapped in a towel. “I took it from my last kill.”

“Why?” Why the fuck would someone do that?

Her eyes dart from me to my hand and then to the bone finger resting on one of the shelves in my wardrobe.

“I don’t know,” she shrugs. “I… You don’t have to tell me what happened, but?—”

“Good, because I won’t.”

“Can you stop being a grumpy ass for two minutes?” She takes the T-shirt from my hands. “I just thought it carries some importance to you. Take it as my white flag.”

“You don’t do ‘white flag’.”

“True,” she murmurs, letting the towel fall to the floor, allowing me a full view of her naked body and Arch’s ink before hastily putting on my T-shirt.

I’d recognised his ink with my eyes closed.

Shit. It’s unsettling to see her in my clothes, and it stirs up unexpected emotions within me.

I have no idea what emotions are swirling inside me, but I definitely don’t like them.

“You can talk to me.” Those striking eyes of hers bore into mine, and fuck, they’re powerful.

“I’m good.”

The boys know my past. She doesn’t need to know the story behind my missing pinky finger or the painful memories associated with my scars and burns.

She nods towards the finger and back at me. “I didn’t want to place it on your dream catcher. I just thought…”

“You thought what?” I cautiously move closer to her, feeling her warm breath gently brushing against my skin.

She lifts her head to look at me. The striking difference in our sizes becomes even more apparent when we stand together.

“I know you have a pattern with everything.” She shrugs again. “I just didn’t want to ruin everything.”

My finger grazes her jawline as I carefully lift it upward.

“What are you doing, Lily Adams?”

Her audible swallow breaks the stillness, filling the air with a small, sharp noise.

I know she doesn’t like it when people call her that.

But that’s who she is.

Now that I know her story, she should proudly wear her name like a crown.

Because she is a fucking survivor.

Like all of us.

We maintain an intense gaze, our eyes locked until the jarring ring of my phone breaks the silence.

That’s maybe for the best.

I reply instinctively, my eyes never leaving Iris.

“Allo?”

“Kaiden McLeod?”

My back straightens immediately.

“This is he.”

“Mr McLeod, this is Officer Dan. I just wanted to let you know your father has been released today.”

My entire body is immediately drenched in a cold sweat, and waves of nausea wash over me.

This can’t be happening.

He had ten years left to do.

“How?” That’s the only word that leaves my mouth.

“Good conduct,” he sighs wearily on the other side of the line as I feel Iris’ intense gaze burning into me. “He might try to contact you. If he does, please notify us immediately.”

Yeah, not a chance. If he dares to do it, he will never live to see another sunrise.

“Thank you, officer.”

I hang up, still feeling the weight of Iris’ gaze on me. It’s as if she’s on the verge of asking me who it was, so I quickly say, “You should leave.”

She bites her cheek, suppressing her thoughts, and nods before quietly exiting the room, leaving me alone in my bedroom.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

FUCK!

This can’t be happening.

This can’t be happening.

I collapse on the floor by the foot of my bed, struggling to catch my breath while my mind replays every moment in a dizzying frenzy.

“What the fuck is this mess?” Daddy had a lot to drink tonight, and the sound of his angry, slurred words fills the house as he screams at Mama and me.

“Go to your bedroom and lock the door,” Mama whispers urgently, her voice barely audible over the sound of my own racing heartbeat. But as I turn to obey, Daddy’s eyes meet mine, and he forcefully grabs me by the hair, causing me to let out a piercing scream and burst into tears.

“Where do you think you’re going, Kaiden Joseph? You made this mess, didn’t you?” No matter how hard I try to shake my head, his grip only tightens.

“Let the boy go. He’s only five. I made it, I’m sorry.” She sobs. “I’ll clean. Let me ? —”

“Shut up! He needs to learn the lesson.” His angry eyes glance at me. “You’re going to clean everything, and it better be spotless. I want everything to be in perfect order.” He forcefully throws me onto the hard floor, causing my head to collide with the unforgiving furniture. “I’ll give you an hour, Kaiden. After that, if it’s not cleaned, I’ll come for you,” he warns, his words hanging in the air.

The floor was so dirty that my hands started bleeding as I cleaned it.

I don’t know why Daddy got angry. I didn’t do anything. Neither did Mama. It was him. It’s always him.

Tears are streaming down my face as he enters the dark room he locked me in.

“This is what you call cleaning?”

The room is enveloped in darkness, except for the faint glow of his cigarette as he moves closer.

With a sudden burst of aggression, he seizes my T-shirt collar and hurls me against the wall. My head is already throbbing from the previous hit, and this one intensifies the pain.

“I told you to clean.” Frustration is evident in his voice. “But it seems like you never do what you’re told, do you, Kaiden?”

I desperately plaster myself against the wall, hoping to elude him. But my anguished cries only serve to provoke him, leading to the brutal destruction of my T-shirt. The only thing I perceive through my blurred vision is the flickering light of his cigarette, drawing nearer to me, and then a horrifying scream coming from me that could rouse even the most soundly sleeping granny from the grave.

“Hey. Hey! Kai. Look at me.”

No. I need to clean before he comes back. It needs to be?—

As my burning skin cries out for relief, an icy touch glides over my body, momentarily soothing the heat. Then, firm hands seize my shoulders and shake me, abruptly pulling me back to reality.

Blinking repeatedly, I am calmed by the sensation of Bella’s body slithering across my face as Eli’s concerned expression meets my gaze.

“Hey. What happened?”

I shake my head vigorously, my hand instinctively moving from one side to the other, then resting on my chest as if the burning sensation had never ceased.

“Nothing.” Looking up at him, I can’t help but notice the deep concern reflecting in his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Iris told me you might need someone to lend an ear for you to talk to.”

“So now she’s talking to you?” I raise my brow. “And since when does she show sympathy?”

A deep laugh escapes him. “No, she’s still mad. She actually told me to check on you before telling me to fuck off.” He sighs and brings a hand over his face. “You might think she’s a heartless bitch, but deep down, she does have a heart. Protecting it is something she excels at, that’s all, and she’s worried about you.”

“I’m fine.” There is no need for people to worry about things that are outside of their own affairs.

Bella’s circling around my body has a calming effect on my muscles, causing them to relax.

Standing up, I can still feel the burning intensity of Eli’s gaze, as if it were my father scorching me instead.

“Kai.”

“I’m fine. Drop it. I mean it.”

I secure Bella around my neck, feeling her weight against my skin, and walk away.

He’s going to tear down all the progress you’ve made.

Bloody hell.

I turn my head to meet his hazel eyes. “He’s out.”

His mouth hangs open, his eyes widening in disbelief, but I don’t let him reply.

I need to get out of here.

My heart races as I lie completely still, my senses heightened by the soundless click of my bedroom door opening and closing.

I feel the mattress sinking under his weight, and a tightness forms in my throat as my breath catches. The stench of alcohol emanates from him, but I fight the urge to flinch, tears silently cascading down my cheeks.

“Shhh. Are you going to be a good boy for Daddy, Kaiden?” He caresses my hair, which makes me flinch. “You don’t want to wake up your mama, do you?”

I bite my tongue, swallowing my tears. I saw Mama. The force of his blow sent her crashing to the ground, her head hitting the floor with a sharp crack. I felt her breath against my hand when I approached her, but the sight of blood seeping from her head was horrifying.

I can still hear her firm yet loving voice repeating in my head, “Go to your room, my sweet boy. Keep yourself confined and remain unresponsive. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, my baby.”

I know she tried to leave. She made countless attempts to escape this inferno, but he was always one step ahead, finding us every time. The police never did anything. He convinced them she was a sick woman who needed help.

His hands move across my body, tugging at my pyjamas until my sobs break free.

“Shh. Don’t cry. It’ll feel good, I promise you.”

A wave of nausea hits me, and I desperately try to hold back the urge to vomit.

Nobody will ever touch me.

He will never touch me.

Echoes of my screams fill the air as the scene transitions, and I can feel my daddy’s anger as he yells at me for the untidiness of my room.

Today, he has already struck me, leaving a crimson mark across my face and nose.

The grip on my hair tightens, causing a sharp sting on my face as he compels me to face the floor.

“I think I was clear about the house being clean?”

“I… I cleaned.”

His hand reaches for his knife, and in a moment of panic, I let out a sharp scream, and he presses my hand flat against the floor.

“You call that cleaning? Maybe you need a lesson! Those hands are useless, aren’t they? Like you are! Not even capable of doing what we ask you to. You’re 8 now. You’re a big boy. You should listen.”

“Da-daddy? What are you doing?” Tears blur my vision as he remains silent, pressing the cold metal of his knife against my pinky finger.

“I hope you’ll learn your lesson after that.”

The sound of my screams fills the air, matching the intensity of a wounded animal as he presses the knife onto my finger.

I try to push him away, to make him budge, but he remains motionless.

No.

No.

NO!

With a sudden touch on my skin, my body reacts instantly, pivoting and my hands reaching out, grabbing the intruder by the throat as I straddle them.

He will never touch me ever again.

My hands clench tightly, feeling the pressure build until two hands desperately try to create some room, while a faint voice whispers.

“K-Kai. I-It’s me.”

I shake my head. He won’t trick me. Never again.

“K-Kale.”

The sound of this voice instantly makes my muscles tense, and then I catch a subtle scent of her presence.

Fuck.

I quickly retract my hands from her throat, causing her to gasp for air and cough while she massages her neck.

“A-Are you okay?” she manages to say.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard you scream.”

I take a quick look around me, and to my surprise, it’s already pitch black.

Shit, I probably fell asleep.

“I was the only one in the house,” she adds. “Nobody else did.”

Her intense gaze sweeps over my body, lingering on the beads of sweat that drip down and then moving to the countless cigarette burns and scars that mark my torso.

She never posed any questions about them, but it doesn’t require a genius to comprehend the events that unfolded.

Scars trace a map across my body, running from my face down to my neck and across my torso.

I'm broken.

In and out.

“Are you okay? I mean, I’m all for a good choking, but that was intense.”

Seriously? I could’ve easily snapped her neck in two, and yet she is joking about it?

I don’t think I’ll ever understand her.

“I’m fine.” I grab a T-shirt and pull it on.

“Alright then.” She walks off the door and tilts her head. “Oh. Arch made dinner.”

I give a quick nod and count to 120 to calm my nerves before I follow her.

Right now, I’m not convinced that it’s a wise decision to mingle with all of them.

All I feel is anger, and it drives me relentlessly.

“Here he is.” Just as I’m about to sit down, Arch gives me a playful smack on the ass.

I don’t think Eli said anything to them, and I’m thankful for it.

The table is already dressed, with a plate of steaming meatballs and pasta placed in front of each person except Iris.

Maybe she is vegan after all.

I’m usually the one in the kitchen, but today, my body blacked out.

The silence is heavy as we all begin to eat, with Iris steadfastly refusing to engage in conversation with Theo or Elijah.

It’s comical to witness, given that she’s also a liar, yet she has them completely under her control.

“It’s delicious, Arch,” says Theo with his mouth full.

“Thank you,” Arch beams.

I open my mouth to speak, but there is a strange, gooey substance stuck between my teeth, making it difficult to bite down.

While removing each bit of the meatball on my plate, a curse unexpectedly reaches my ears, making me lift my head.

“Oh, oh. I can explain, I swear,” she panics.

My anger begins to boil inside me, causing my eyes to sting as I lock my gaze on Iris.

“What is it?” Theo asks, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of my plate.

“I completely forgot about it. I’m sorry.” Iris looks around her, but nobody will help her.

The chair beneath me scrapes against the floor as I stand up, creating an unpleasant noise that echoes through the room.

“You forgot you added an eyeball to the meat?” I raise my brow. “For the second time now,” my voice raises with anger, “you’ve forced me to consume human flesh… Again .”

“I…”

“Run.”

She wastes no time and escapes from the house while I’m left contemplating the remnants of the eyeball on my plate.

“Kai…” The boys call at the same time as I move from the kitchen.

“No one interferes,” I warn, my voice filled with a menacing tone.

“Kai…”

“I said you better not interfere. She wants to play. Well, she picked the wrong man for that.”

I make my way from the kitchen to my bedroom, where I quickly grab my wipes before heading into hers.

You want me to eat human flesh, Lily Adams? Well, you’ll meet with the devil itself then.

With wipes in my hands, I carefully clean her bat, ensuring it’s spotless before I bring it along.

“What are you going to do with that?” Eli’s eyebrow raises inquisitively as I continue making my way towards the door.

“Teaching her a lesson.”

He lets out a heavy sigh and retreats to the kitchen.

These woods are so familiar to me that I could navigate them blindfolded and still find my way back.

There’s no escaping for her.