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29

Thea

V erity giggled loudly as Landon blasted out his version of Madonna’s Like a Prayer , complete with all the stupid dance moves. It was hard not to laugh at his antics. Even Dario’s lips twitched, and he’d spent most of the day hovering on the edge of the room like a ghost.

A hot ghost.

One I’d like to fuck, but we weren’t going there.

Cassian sat on my left side, his hand resting on my thigh, much to everyone’s amusement. Apart from Dario’s, of course.

I’d had a massive panic attack this morning when I remembered what had gone down between me and Cassian last night, but when Kyril caught me mid-meltdown in the bathroom and I confessed, he just smiled.

“Good,” was his response before he kissed me hard and then made me come three times in the shower.

There was no jealousy. No angry ranting about what a cheating whore I was. Just calm satisfaction at the knowledge I’d almost fucked his friend.

I still hadn’t come to terms with how easily these men accepted each other’s presence in my life. Landon had been giving me heart eyes all day. I knew he missed our previous closeness. Or rather, his blatant attempts to get into my pants while I pretended I didn’t want him.

It was how we rolled - me firmly in the avoidance camp while he ignored all my boundaries.

But my relationship woes were not important today. Today was all about Verity. She deserved to have a normal day with people who cared about her. The guys didn’t know her, not really, but all of them accepted her place in my life.

My phone buzzed.

Eden: Glad you stayed?

If I’d run like I wanted to, where would I be now? Stuck in a hotel, miserable. As much as it pissed me off to admit it, Eden had been right. Leaving would have been a mistake.

I was still mad at her for calling Kyril and warning him of my intentions.

Me: I’m being forced to listen to Landon murder Taylor Swift on the karaoke. What do you think?

Eden: Best gift ever lol

It was impossible to be mad at her for long.

Verity was asleep within minutes, worn out from the excitement of our first proper Christmas Day. Her eyes had almost popped out of her skull at the sight of gifts under the tree in the living room. We’d had a few Christmas gifts before, from Dario, as I now knew, but not this many.

The guys - and Eden - had gone all out this year, and aside from the small gifts in the stocking she’d opened before breakfast, my sister now had all the books, tech items, makeup, hair accessories, and clothes she wanted, or needed.

They’d also bought me new clothes, designer toiletries, and from Kyril, some beautiful hunting knives in a hand-tooled leather holster. Both of us knew what sort of ‘hunting’ I’d be doing in the New Year.

I owed them all so much.

Honestly, I’d nearly cried when I saw how much trouble they had gone to making this a wonderful day for us both. The food was amazing, even if the entertainment had been questionable.

After a delicious Christmas lunch, cooked by Milo with help from Landon, we’d messed around on the karaoke and then started on the board games. Even Dario joined in when we played Monopoly.

Verity had had no clue how to play but soon picked it up. Cassian went into full property tycoon mode and treated it as a training exercise, warning us about cash flow and the dangers of sinking too much money into high-end properties.

Landon rolled his eyes, Milo disappeared to clear up the kitchen, and Kyril insisted I sit on his lap while he stroked my leg. He claimed to have zero interest in board games but was happy to play with me.

Thankfully, the double entendre passed right over Verity’s head.

It wasn’t that late, but a full day of rich food, laughter, and excitement had worn out my still-malnourished sister. Verity fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, too tired even to read one of the young adult fantasy novels Eden had picked out for her.

I closed the door of her bedroom and padded back into the kitchen. Milo had wiped all the counters down, washed the pans, and the dishwasher was mid-cycle. The sound of the TV filtered out from the living room, along with the murmur of conversation.

Did I want to go back in there? It wasn’t late, but I felt exhausted, even though I’d slept like the dead after Cassian carried me to bed. This felt more than the sort of exhaustion that came from a few late nights, and once again, my brain reminded me of the one thing I refused to think about.

I still hadn’t picked up a pregnancy test. Since my periods were irregular, I couldn’t use being late as a guide. If I wanted to be certain one way or the other, I needed to take a test.

It was a no-brainer, but summoning the courage to ask Mrs. O’Malley to pick one up for me, or better still, visit the local town and find a pharmacy or supermarket, was beyond me right now.

The nearest town was 10 miles away. Too far to walk. We had use of two SUVs, but leaving here was a risk. Nobody knew we were staying here. The locals assumed we were random tourists, and Mrs. O’Malley was under strict instructions to keep her mouth shut.

The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention.

“Why are you standing here in the dark?”

My head snapped up. Landon lounged in the doorway, looking edible in a pair of low-slung jeans and an unbuttoned shirt.

“No reason.” I brushed a few loose strands of hair from my face and forced a smile. “Just wondering whether to go and read my book for a bit. It’s been a long day.”

He strode across the room and grabbed me around the waist. “Nope. Not happening.”

“Landon! Get off me!” I hissed, but he held firm.

“Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?” He nuzzled my neck and sighed happily. “And also, you smell like salted caramel and vanilla cupcakes.”

“You’ve been eating too much candy.”

“Wasn’t me who ate all the candy. Blame Kyril. He has a sweet tooth.”

I snorted. Landon was right. Kyril had devoured most of the chocolate. Who knew the Russian loved chocolate so much? If I ate that much chocolate, I’d be in a sugar coma.

Landon looked up and grinned. “Are you happy, wifey?”

“Am I happy hiding away while my insane father hunts me down so he can hand me over to a violent mob boss who plans to knock me up? Hmm.” I pretended to think about it.

Landon soon lost his smile, and I felt bad for raining on his parade.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to be dismissive of all the awful stuff you’re going through.” He muttered something under his breath and sighed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have asked. Of course you’re not happy. Sorry.” His shoulders drooped as he stepped back, letting me go.

And now I felt really bad for making him feel bad after they’d all tried so hard to make this a nice day for me and Verity.

“Hey, it’s fine.” I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Um, thank you for, um, everything.”

Landon grinned, some of his cockiness returning. “You can thank me after I give you the best orgasm of your life.”

I rolled my eyes as he pushed me against the counter, his hands on my waist.

“That’s a high bar. Are you sure you’re up for it?”

“Baby, I’m always up for it,” he teased, grinding into me, proving exactly how up for it he was.

“Hey, why are you still—” Milo broke off when he realized he’d interrupted a moment. “Oh.”

“Grab the whiskey and shot glasses,” Landon instructed Milo, letting me go. “It’s time to get this party started!”

“Never have I ever cheated on a test,” Milo said.

“Oh my god, that’s so lame,” Landon groaned but picked up his shot glass and took a gulp.

Milo looked horrified. “You cheated? When?”

Landon shrugged. “Um, loads of times? Who the fuck has time to study?”

“If you partied less, you’d have more time to study,” Milo pointed out, but Landon just rolled his eyes.

“It’s Dario’s turn.” He’d been quiet all day, hanging back, not getting involved in the stupid games. I’d half expected him to slope off once Verity went to bed, but to my surprise, he’d stuck around.

“Never have I ever done anything sexual with a guy,” he said, his full lips quirked up in a half-smile.

“Dammit,” I muttered before taking a drink of my pineapple juice. The guys hadn’t questioned me when I declined alcohol, using the excuse that my stomach felt unsettled.

As I swallowed the sweet drink, I noticed Landon finish his whiskey, and my jaw dropped. Was he into guys? Oh my god, that was… hot .

Kyril laughed while Cassian seemed surprised. Landon shrugged his shoulders.

“What? I’m an equal opportunities guy. It was a crazy night. I’d had a lot to drink. The guy wanted to go down on me, and I was horny.” He grinned. “Gotta say, though, it was kinda hot, but FYI, I’m not normally into guys.” Then he threw Dario a lascivious grin. “Although, I might be willing to go gay for a day if you’re offering.”

“Fuck off,” Dario growled. “I’m not touching your dick.”

“Not even if Thea likes the idea?” Everyone turned to look at me expectantly and I squirmed, uncomfortably turned on at the idea of a naked Landon and Dario kissing and caressing each other’s ripped bodies, touching each other’s di... Shit. I should probably leave right now. Go take care of, um, business.

“See, she loves the idea,” Landon laughed. “I’m willing if you are hot stuff ,” he cooed, stroking Dario’s thick denim-clad thigh.

“Touch me again, and you’re a dead man,” Dar hissed, removing Landon’s hand from his leg and squeezing it so hard Lan yelped.

“OK, so we all agree. Dario isn’t into men. Got it, ” Landon choked out when he’d finished crying over his crushed hand. A snort of laughter escaped. I tried to turn it into a cough and failed. Dar glared at me but said nothing.

“Your turn, Cassian,” Milo reminded us.

“Never have I ever been sexually attracted to a cartoon character,” he said with a sly look at Landon.

“Christ,” Landon muttered, drinking the rest of his shot. “I feel like this game is heavily skewed against me.”

“I’m not sure I want to know,” I admitted.

“Hentai.” Oh .

“Me next.” Kyril refilled everyone’s glass. “Never have I ever been in love.” When I looked around the circle, Dario and Landon both drank their shots.

Jealousy hit me hard. Who had they been in love with? I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of any of them loving someone else. Even though Dario had likely had loads of women since we were teenagers.

But since this game hinged on honesty, it was only fair that I also took my shot of pineapple juice, silently wishing it was neat whiskey.

“Who do I need to kill?” Kyril growled.

My eyes drifted over to Dario, and he looked away. A random memory of the two of us in the chapel one sultry summer night floated free from the locked box in my mind.

“Ti amo,” he’d whispered. “Always and forever.”

Landon coughed, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “You’re next, wifey.”

I was kind of done with this game, but I pushed on. “Never have I ever had a birthday party,” I announced, having run out of ideas. All of them, apart from Dario, stared at me in horror.

“What? Never?” Landon’s jaw dropped while Cassian stayed silent.

“Tell me when your birthday is, kotenok , and I’ll make sure you have the biggest, best cake ever.”

Embarrassment made my shoulders curl inwards. Why had I revealed something so dumb? Birthdays were stupid. While I’d tried my best to ensure Verity had a cake, my birthday was always an afterthought. Dad never remembered, and most of the time, I was busy doing shit for him or Torrance.

I had no memories of my mom celebrating it either, probably because our life was too fucked up even then.

“I tried to bring you a cake when you turned 13,” Dario said in a soft voice. “But then Dad told me Francesco had sent you away somewhere. And it was the same every year after that.”

“Yeah… Torrance loved to make sure I was busy on my birthday.” Busy doing awful things, mostly.

“When is your birthday?” Cassian asked softly.

“July 25th.” He nodded and tapped away on his phone.

“I don’t want anything. It’s just a day,” I warned them. “And besides, I’ll probably be dead by then.”

They all turned to stare at me in horror.

“You’re not dying on my watch,” Kyril snapped. “So get that fucking idea out of your head.”

“We can’t stay here indefinitely, and once we leave, Torrance will find me.”

“No, we can’t,” Cassian agreed. “Which is why I’m organizing somewhere else for us. Somewhere out of reach of your father.”