Page 106 of Monsters Carve Thrones

“I’m here,” I breathed. “I’m here now. You’re safe. I swear to God, you’re safe.” She clung to me like a drowning woman to the shore, and I let her. Iwantedher to. Because I was her shore. And I would destroyeverythingbefore I ever let her drown again.

***

We got back to our hotel room under the cover of night. No one said much. No one reallycould.Adela hadn’t spoken since her sobs faded in the car. She sat pressed against me, her body still trembling every few minutes like her system waspurging the last dregs of terror. Her fingers remained curled in the fabric of my jacket, even as her eyes stared forward, glassy and distant.

“Let me show you your room, babe,” Laura whispered, gently guiding Adela down the hall.

I called and got Olesya a room across the hall from ours. She didn’t protest. Just nodded and gave me that tired, gracious smile again.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice low but steady.

“For everything,” I replied, and I meant it. “Should you need anything, please let me know.” I scribbled my number down on a small sticky note.

She nodded, her gaze sweeping over my tired face. “Take care of her, please. She went through hell.”

I swallowed hard, feeling the burn of tears behind my eyes. “Let me get you something, hold on.” I made it to the safe located in the bedroom, grabbing a wad of cash. When I returned, her eyes widened at what I held in my hand. “This is fifty thousand dollars. Please, take it. Get a place of your own, and take care of yourself.”

Olesya’s bottom lip wobbled. “I...I…”

“It’s okay.” I pulled her into a quick hug. “Call if you need to. Or want to.”

She smiled up at me, tears flowing down her cheeks. Kieran, Laura, and Nico exchanged glances with me as I closed the door behind Olesya. A wordless pact between all of us:give her space.Give her time. Be ready forwhateverAdela needs.

Inside our room, I shut the door softly behind us. She had barely looked at me once we started our drive here. “Shower?” I asked gently. “Might help. Wash it all off.”

Adela looked up at me then, andChrist,it nearly broke me. The weight in her eyes… I’d never seen anything like it. So much pain. So much exhaustion. And somewhere underneath,a flicker of something that still glowed. Some piece of her that refused to die, no matter how much that fucker tried to snuff it out.

I couldn’t breathe.

Laura knocked a minute later and handed me a set of clothes through the cracked door. I took them silently and thanked her with a nod. “Black leggings,” she murmured. “And my loose blue shirt. Soft cotton.”

Adela’s eyes widened when I offered the clothes to her. She stared down at the leggings like they were a ghost from another life. Like they...unnerved her. Then she looked up at me again.

I didn’t ask.

I just reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Take your time,” I said quietly. “I’ll be right here.”

She disappeared into the bathroom. I closed the door behind her with a soft click, pressing my palm against the wood for a second longer than I needed to. And then I turned around, dragging a hand through my hair. Nico was seated on the couch already. Kieran stood by the balcony door, arms crossed. Laura was pacing.

“She hasn’t said a word since the car,” Laura said, her voice tight.

“She doesn’t have to,” I murmured. “She’s in shock.”

“Of course, she’s in shock,” Kieran said, softer than expected. “But she’s alsoAdela.She’s strong. She’ll find her way back.”

“Not if we don’t watch her,” Nico added. “That kind of trauma… it can stick. Deep.”

“We know what that fucking asshole did to her,” Laura nearly snarled, her voice cracking on a sob.

I nodded slowly, jaw clenched. “I know.” The truth was, I didn’t know what the hell she needed yet. But I knew I wouldgive her anything.Everything. I would sit with her through the silence or fight through every scream. I didn’t care.

I just needed her tocome back to me.

“She’ll talk when she’s ready,” I said finally, voice like gravel. “And when she does, we listen. We don’t push.”

Laura stepped closer, her eyes locked on mine. “We’ve got her, Rafe. You don’t have to do it alone.”

I looked down at my hands. Blood still stained them. “She was alone for almost three months,” I said. “She doesn’t ever have to be alone again.”