Page 212 of Hymns of the Broken

Riot grins, crowding in from behind to kiss her neck. “You put on a fucking show, Angel. He’ll never forget it. And neither will I.”

We take our time—soap, water, careful hands. I can’t stop touchingher, like I have to remind myselfshe’shere,she’s safe,she’sours. She lets us. Hell, she basks in it, tilting her head for kisses, arching her back when I smooth shampoo through her hair.

I press my forehead to hers as the water runs hot down our bodies.

“You did more than survive,” I whisper. “You fucking owned it.”

She grins, lips finding mine. “Guess I learned from the best.”

For a minute, it’s just us. Steam and skin, soft laughter and the promise that none of this is over—not by a long shot. But for right now? Right now, we’re together. And nothing else in this fucked-up world matters.

RIOT

I can’t stop watching her. The way Sawyer stands under the spray, soap trailing down her skin, laughter soft. There’s something different about her now—a quiet gravity, a light behind her eyes that wasn’t there before.

I step out first, towel slung low on my hips, water dripping down my shoulders. I catch myself grinning like an idiot as I pull on clean clothes—one of Jasper’s shirts, my faded jeans, hair still wet. It hits me out of nowhere in the chest.

I love her.

Hell, I’m obsessed with her. I want to tattoo her name on every part of me. She’s it—the wild card I never saw coming. I don’t know what the hell’s going to happen next, with Jasper, with all of us. But I know I want her, in every way, for as long as she’ll let me.

And maybe that’s enough.

By the time she’s out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, hair dripping, I can’t help but pull her in for a kiss. She smiles up at me, something easy and brave in her eyes now.

“Ready?” Jasper asks, voice low.

“Let’s get this over with,” I mutter, jaw clenching at the thought of Blake, chained and waiting below.

We head for the basement stairs. The air is heavy, colder down here, each step echoing in the silence. Halfway down, Silas and Micah are waiting, both with that grim set to their jaws.

“Where’re you two headed?” I ask.

Silas jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “Micah and Iare heading back to the place we found Sawyer. To make sure we didn’t miss anything. You want anything brought back?”

“Only if it’s something that tells us why that psycho thought he owned her,” I grit out.

Micah nods. “We’ll call if we find anything.”

Sawyer squeezes my hand and I squeeze back. I don’t say it, but she’s my priority. Always.

Jasper’s already moving ahead, and I follow him all the way down into the dark—ready to face whatever’s left.

The air’s thick, still heavy with the ghosts of everything that’s gone wrong in this house. Blake’s chained up in the chair, face a mess of dried blood and bruises, head bowed like he’s about to pray. But when Sawyer walks in, he looks up, and the sick smile that twists across his lips makes me want to break every tooth in his fucking head.

“Back so soon? It’s okay, Sawyer. You did what you had to do. You were mad. I forgive you. When I get out of these chains, I’ll cleanse you. We’ll go back to the cabin. Just you and me. I know what you need.”

“And what exactly is that,” she asks him.

“A cleansing. Not a shower or a bath, but I’ll cleanse you with my cum. I’ll wash you with it and you’ll be all mine again.”

What the fuck is this dude on?

She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t even look at Jasper or me for backup. Just faces Blake like she’s already won.

“You’re delusional, Blake,” she tells him, voice flat as concrete. “You’re never getting out. Not after what you did to me.”

He shrugs like he’s bored, smile still stuck to his face. “You say that now, but you’ll see. They’ll hurt you, Sawyer. Riot and Jasper—guys like them, they don’t stay. You don’t want tobe madea fool. You know they don’t love you, right? You’re just a stop on the tour. A warm body to share for a while.”