Page 30

Chapter

Thirty

A ZALEA

Once Kyson is sure Katrina has both Alphas under control, he escorts me back to the Limo, and I climb in the back and slide across the seat. My hands shake with adrenaline, and I feel a little giddy. The feeling wears off as the car starts. I glance out the window at the bus and the cars follow, however the bus heads down a different street, as the orphanage street is too narrow for the bus, with its low-hanging trees to fit. We slow a little as the orphanage comes into view out my window.

That place will never hurt anymore children. I unclip my seatbelt and tap on the window. Trey winds the glass window down and I tell them to stop. The car does and one of the other cars follows after the bus, while the other three stop behind us.

I open my door when Kyson grips the back of my pants. “You don’t need to go back in there. There is nothing there for you anymore,” he whispers, but I want no remnants left of this place.

“I know,” I tell him and he lets me go and sighs. I climb out as do the guards, taking positions around the cars. Trey comes over to me.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. I shake my head, moving toward Liam as he steps out of the car.

“Have you got a lighter?” I ask knowing he smokes. He lifts an eyebrow at me.

“Terrible habit. Shouldn’t smoke when up the duff,” he tells me, and I roll my eyes and hold my hand out for the lighter.

“I’m not smoking.” I tell him, and he pulls a packet out before lighting a smoke.

“Since we have stopped,” he says, he lights his smoke then hands me the lighter. I step over the little brick gate, and Kyson grips my arm.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure no more kids ever come back here.” I tell him, shaking his arm off. Guards rush ahead of me as I walk around the outside of the building to the small garden shed out the back. Kyson follows but just watches me as I reach above to the low hanging tin roof for the padlock key. I feel around before pulling it down and unlocking the padlock.

Ducking my head, I step inside and see a red jerrycan. I grab it off the small shelf and shake it to find it had a bit of fuel left in it for the mower. I crack the lid and the fumes confirm it is indeed petrol. Stepping out of the garden shed. Kyson gasps, coming over and snatching it from me.

“You are not playing with petrol!” he growls.

“Give it to me,” I tell him, holding my hand out. But he refuses.

“Give me the lighter. I will do it,” he says, holding his hand out. I don’t care who does it, as long as the place is reduced to nothing but soot and ash. I hand him the lighter when Liam bounces on the balls of his feet like an excited kid in a candy store.

“Oh pick me! Pick me! Can I help? Liam likes playing with fire,” he says, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

I glance inside the small shed when Liam clears his throat behind me.

“No fuel needed. I always have lighter fluid,” he says and I look at him over my shoulder to see him rummage inside his jacket.

“Here, hold this,” he says, passing me a knife. “Ah, and this,” he says, dropping a pistol in my hand. Kyson growls, snatching it from me.

“Liam!” he scolds.

“It’s in here somewhere,” Liam mutters, pulling out an apron covered in blood. He sniffs it and pulls a face. “I was wondering where that smell was coming from!” Liam mutters, chucking the apron over his shoulder and rummaging around some more. “Ah, found it!” he announces, holding up a bottle of lighter fluid. He then turns to Trey, who is watching him, like Liam is a madman.

“Here ferret face fuck, hold my shit!” Liam says, dumping his apron and taking the knife from me and his pistol from Kyson. He loads up Trey’s arms, before removing his jacket.

“Genuine leather. Can’t ruin that,” Liam says, dumping it in Trey’s arms. Kyson growls as Liam skips like a kid to the back door. He gives a ninja cry, before kicking in the back door, “Honey, I’m home!” Liam sings out and Kyson shakes his head.

“Can’t take that idiot anywhere,” Kyson curses, stalking after Liam with the jerry can in hand. Trey nods for me to follow him back to the cars.

“I think that man needs a psych evaluation,” Trey mutters, nudging me with his elbow. I laugh, following Trey back out the front with the guards surrounding us.

“Call the fire brigade. I don’t want it getting out of control,” Trey tells one of the guard’s, who pulls his phone out. Leaning against the hood of the limo, I listen to Liam singing at the top of his lungs inside the house. I also hear glass shattering before he comes to the front window on the top floor. He waves and I laugh, waving back.

“That man is unhinged,” I tell Trey as Kyson comes out, shaking his head. He reeked of petrol fumes. Kyson stops beside me.

“The fool is going to kill himself one day,” Kyson says, when Liam suddenly sets the curtains of the room on fire, with the lighter he stole from Kyson. He starts catcalling out the window and dancing.

“Liam, get out of there! The room is on fire, you twat!” Kyson calls out, and Liam stops the weird ass fire dance he is doing. The entire room goes up and he yanks the curtain rod of the window.

“You smell smoke?” he asks, smiling, and showing all his teeth. Kyson shakes his head again, as Liam climbs out the window, dancing on the roof and chanting about fire gods, or some crap. The room beside him catches on fire and Liam rubs his hands together, getting ready to jump off the small porch roof, when he suddenly vanishes. I blink before hearing a crash, as he falls through the porch roof. He groans sitting up, while Trey erupts in laughter.

Liam holds his hand up. “I’m okay!” he announces before rolling on his side. A tile falls off and hits his shoulder, shattering on the ground.

“That hurt my fanny!” he says, rubbing his butt and skipping down the steps when the entire porch collapses behind him.

“Wow! Talk about in the nick of time!” Liam says.

“I swear, you have nine lives!” Kyson tells him with a shake of his head. We watch the place burn, the roof caving in and the air fills with black smoke. Once we hear the sirens on the way, we climb in the limo, knowing they would contain what is left of the burning rubble. But as the wind carries the smoke away I feel myself relax, as if it is also carrying my past with it.

Ivy is no more. Mrs. Daley is no more. I know my past and what we endured would always remain, but the sense of relief that comes with watching that place burn gives me hope that maybe the memories would one day fade. Maybe they won’t hurt as much. Kyson reaches over and squeezes my hand, and I look at him.

“Ready to go home?” he asks, and I nod.

I am ready to go home, and for once the castle feels like home, as much as I am terrified of going back knowing there is someone there trying to sabotage everything, and ruin me. It still doesn’t bring the fear this place did. And for once I feel free. Free of everything and this place. Free to try to move on. Because one thing I know is if I could survive eight harrowing years here, I could survive anything.

Nothing breaks a soul more than being suppressed. Nothing breaks someone more than being shackled and trapped in a repetitive loop of torture. Kyson and I have our differences, different beliefs that came with different upbringings, different views of how we should be. Kyson was raised with a silver spoon, while I was raised with whips and canes, we are complete opposites, yet the same both having suffered at the hands of our upbringings, both having suffered losing ourselves at the hands of someone else.

Both of us have our own struggles to contend with, and I know what Kyson struggles with most is insecurity. While what I struggled with most was beaten into me, engrained. Making me meek and fearful of everything, something I am trying to work on, yet you can’t beat a dog every day and expect it not to flinch when you pat it. Everything takes time, but I know Kyson will be patient. I just need to remember I have to be patient with him, too.

I know little about who I am, but I trust Kyson will eventually teach me. As much as he angers me, I do trust him. And after today and him letting me have control, I trust he will also one day let me find my voice. The one that was squashed and was suppressed living here. So with those thoughts in mind, yes, I am ready to go home. Home is something I never thought I would have, but now I realize home is anywhere Kyson is.

We meet up with the bus at the first service station on the way out of town, which waits parked on the side of the road for our convoy. The bus is following us back to the castle. I feel terrible for all the children being cooped up on the bus for so long. Although we do stop twice to let them burn off some energy, and at the last stop, the children become too rowdy, so Liam climbs on the bus with them. When we finally reach the castle, it’s early morning.

We’ve arrived and are pulling into the castle when Kyson shakes my arm to wake me.

“We’re home, Love,” Kyson whispers, and I yawn. It’s still dark outside, but the castle is lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Clarice and everyone have set up the ballroom as a sleeping quarters for the children,” Kyson tells me, and I’m glad he thought ahead. I was too busy sleeping and forgot they would need somewhere to sleep. Kyson, however, seems to think of everything.

I climb out of the limo, and Kyson grips my arm to steady me since I’m still half asleep. The bus door opens, and Liam stumbles out, nearly getting knocked over as the kids rush out behind him. He stumbles past us. “I need a fucking drink,” he growls, looking worse for wear as he makes his way inside.

Clarice comes out the front doors, and I cover my ears at all the noise, trying to wake up as kids rush around everywhere. Moments later, I hear Abbie’s voice reach my ears.

“What the heck is going on out here?” she yells out. The kids, not hearing her, continue to rush around, and the castle staff look overwhelmed when Abbie sticks her fingers in her mouth and whistles loudly.

The kids freeze and glance in her direction, taking in the woman who stands before them, their eyes light up with excitement and then they are suddenly rushing toward her. Abbie smiles and is nearly knocked over when they spot her, all trying to hug and touch her. She beams, reaching for them, grabbing them, and hugging them. I stand back and watch as Tyson squeezes through the bodies, and tugs on her dress, she looks down and I watch every possible emotion cross over her features. “Tyson,” she almost whimpers, her eyes glistening with tears of relief before picking up Tyson. She buries her face in his hair with tears in her eyes while I make my way over to her.

“I missed you, mister,” she says, and he makes his grunting noises, bouncing in her arms. Gannon comes out behind her and leans in the doorway, watching her as she says hello to all the kids.

Abbie, finally noticing me, pulls me into a hug with one arm. “You got them out,” she whispers, wiping her tears. I nod sadly but now we have to find homes for them all.

“Katrina?” she asks.

“Now, Alpha,” I tell her, and her green eyes widen. She glances at Kyson behind me. He places his hand on my hip and pecks my cheek. The heat of his body seeps into my back before he reaches over and messes with Tyson’s hair. Tyson stares up at him before sucking on his thumb. I chuckle as the small boy who stares at him like he is a giant.

“They never have to go back?” Abbie asks worriedly as she glances at all the kids rushing around.

“Nothing to go back to,” I tell her, looking at the kids. Abbie looks at me, confused, and I answer her questioning look.

“I made them burn it to the ground. It’s gone, Abbie. All of it,” I assure her, and she sucks in a shaky breath and nods.

“We are never going back,” she chokes on emotion, tears slipping down her cheeks.

“Never, we are home now,” I tell her, and she clutches me, pulling me into a hug with one arm.

“More than my life,” she whispers.

“Forever more than my life. We have a home now, and we have set them free.”

“We are free,” she chokes on the word that for so long meant death to us, only now freedom holds a different meaning now.

“Free,” I repeat, and she sniffles and lets me go. She wipes her face before clearing her throat. She glances at the children who Clarice is trying to get their attention. Abbie and I both stick our fingers in our mouths simultaneously and whistle. They stop all freezing.

“Line up and settle down. You will wake the entire town,” I yell out at them. They all immediately line up into four rows. Abbie shakes her head and sighs, yet the kids listen and when Clarice claps her hands loudly, they straighten up.

“Now we have breakfast cooked and ready for you in your new room, but everyone has to be quiet and use your inside voices,” Clarice says. The kids all remain quiet before she turns on her heel.

“Now follow me, quietly!” she calls out to the kids, and they file in after her. Abbie and I follow behind them, and Gannon stops Abbie as she goes to pass him with a hand on her arm.

“Who is this?” he asks, shucking Tyson under the chin to look up at him. Tyson sniffs the air, and he must be able to smell Abbie’s scent on Gannon because he then waves and grins at him.

“This is Tyson, and Tyson, this is Gannon,” Abbie says, smiling fondly down at Tyson. Tyson makes one of his noises, and Gannon smirks.

“Hello, Tyson,” Gannon tells him softly, placing his hand on Abbie’s lower back. Abbie starts to follow after Clarice when she looks at Gannon before looking ahead, a strange look crosses her features, one I recognize to be fear. However, instead of heading toward the ballroom. I stop at the stairs because I am heading toward our quarters when Abbie stops also and I know immediately why she hesitates, she doesn’t want Tyson going into a new home, and I know she won’t lose him again.

She looks at me. “Az…” she doesn’t finish, but I know what she wants and I nod once letting her know it’s okay, he is hers, before turning to wait for Kyson to catch up, but he is talking to a guard.

“Abbie?” Gannon asks as she climbs the stairs. She doesn’t answer. She just keeps climbing the stairs, and I follow up behind her. At first I think Abbie is coming to my room, knowing she’ll need to be assigned elsewhere if Gannon doesn’t allow her to keep Tyson, when I remember she cant follow me, so I wait allowing her a chance to navigate the command over her when she stops looking back at Gannon before rushing off toward the guard quarters.

“Where is she going?” Gannon states stomping up the steps. Yet if he thinks he can take Tyson from her he has another thing coming. That is not an argument Gannon will win with her, she would choose Tyson, that I have no doubt about. I wait, but she turns down the opposite corridor toward hers and Gannon’s rooms. Gannon races up the steps behind her and passes me. He stops, staring after her before calling out to her.

“Abbie, where are you going?” he calls out.

“Tyson is mine. I want him,” is all she says, not bothering to turn around or ask permission from him. Gannon scoffs and looks at me.

“Is she being serious?” he whispers.

“Now she got him back, she won’t let him go, and if you make her choose, you won’t win,” I tell him, and his lips part. Gannon glances down the corridor where she disappeared.

“What do you mean now she has him back?”

“Abbie was his primary carer. She raised him since he was newborn,” I tell Gannon. “Don’t make her choose,” I warn him. Gannon sighs, and Kyson comes up the steps while I worry Tyson would be a deal breaker for Gannon.

“What’s wrong?” Kyson asks him, and Gannon looks at him.

“Looks like I have a son,” Gannon says, turning on his heel and jogging after her.

“Abbie is pregnant?” Kyson asks, and I roll my eyes and click my tongue at his silliness.

“No, Tyson!” I tell him.

“Ah… Wait. You both know we can’t keep them all, right? Clarice has the two boys already, and now Abbie has Tyson. You’re pregnant. I am not running boarding school here,” Kyson tells me.

“I know that, but they stay until they all have homes, but you won’t take Tyson from Abbie,” I tell him, grabbing his hand and tugging him back to our room.

“I need a bath,” I groan, and Kyson growls.

“Am I invited to this bath?” he asks.

“Only if you wash my back,” I laugh, and he growls.

“I’ll wash more than your back,” he says, tugging me closer and purring.