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Chapter Twenty-Four

Tristan

W hen I walked into my room, I did not expect to see Adelaide no longer cuffed to my bed. And I was even more shocked to see Tank leaning against the wall beside my door like he was standing guard, all while River sat on the floor with Adelaide in his lap, gently rocking her as she sobbed, her entire body shaking. Zyla was whispering soothing words to her, but they didn’t seem to be helping.

I didn’t know whether to be pissed or jealous. She was clinging to River as if he were her lifeline, clinging to him in a way that she had never done with me. His forehead was resting against hers as he whispered soft words to her, being her rock, taking my place and doing what I should have been doing.

But once again, I was fucking failing her.

“What the hell happened?” I snarled as I stepped further into the room, glaring down at River.

“She flipped the fuck out, Grim,” River grumbled. He swallowed hard, shaking his head. His arms flexed protectively around Adelaide, and it took everything in me not to snarl down at him. “Someone fucked her up bad, Grim.” He glared up at me, rage burning in his eyes. “Cuffing her to the bed triggered numerous flashbacks, so real good fucking job there, Prez,” he sarcastically snapped at me.

I opened my mouth, my fingers twitching to permanently shut River up, but Adelaide jumped up from River’s lap before I could and rushed over to me, shocking the fuck out of me. I caught her before she knocked us both to the ground, instantly wrapping my arms around her, my body relaxing as I held her tight to me.

“Please don’t cuff me to the bed and leave me like that again,” Addy sobbed into my chest. Guilt swirled in my stomach, and I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath in an attempt to steady myself. “Please don’t,” she begged again, her voice trembling.

I soothed my hand over her hair. “I won’t,” I quietly promised, feeling like a real jackass.

What the fuck had I done?

Zyla, Tank, and River left the room, closing my bedroom door behind them quietly. I sat on the bed with Adelaide in my arms, leaning against my headboard with her cradled on my lap.

“Don’t let him hurt me,” Adelaide whispered as she clutched my cut in her hands, her head falling onto my shoulder. Exhaustion pulled at her limbs, making her go slack in my arms. Just how long had she been falling apart in River’s arms on my fucking floor?

Before I could ask who she wanted me to protect her from, she passed out in my arms, her soft snores letting me know that she was out cold. As I looked down at her, I realized then that everything she had said to me when she had gotten there had been a lie.

Someone ruined her, and I had a feeling that someone had been Vin.