Bile rose in my throat. “I-it’s my fault,” I whispered, staring down at the glossy surface of the table. “I should have spoken up. If only I?—”
“No.” Vivienne’s voice was soft, but threaded with steel, and the other three immediately nodded in agreement. “You did nothing wrong. None of the blame belongs to you. It rests entirely on his shoulders.”
A faint creak that sounded like the motorhome door opening reached my ears, but I paid it no attention. I had to get my words out.
“I was too scared to speak up,” I confessed. “I didn’t know where to turn, and if anyone would even believe me. He kept me so isolated. I felt as if—as if I didn’t have a voice.”
At my back, a soft noise of distress sounded, and then a shadow moved, ending up in front of me, arms outstretched, pulling me into a familiar body, soft curves yielding against mine. Hands stroked up and down my back, while a soothing voice spoke low in my ear.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. You did nothing wrong. It’s all him. He’s a sick, twisted man who needs to be purged from the earth. He’ll never hurt you again. I promise you.”
Wrapping my arms around Amélie’s waist, I breathed her in, letting her words sink in, healing something raw and aching inside me. When I raised my head, I unwrapped myself from her, but I kept a grip on her hand, letting her touch steady me. I looked at each of the others in turn.
When I spoke, my words were certain.
“Okay. It’s decided. We have our next Chosen.”
Florin clapped his hands together happily. “Yay! I can’t wait!”
“Little psycho,” Teeth muttered, but flashed his fangs, and the next thing I knew, they were kissing, completely uncaring that the rest of us were sitting right there.
“Ohhh…blood…” Florin breathed when they drew apart, tracing his finger across the red blooming on his bottom lip where I guess Teeth had nicked him with one of his sharpened canines. “We need Darius.”
“Get out of my sight,” Judge ordered them both, and they wasted no time in exiting the motorhome. I could hear them calling out for their other partner, Darius, as they left.
When they were gone, Judge curved his hand around Vivienne’s arm, and she nodded. “Wren. If you’d like us to, we can take care of everything. You don’t even need to look at him. You can be as involved or as uninvolved as you’d like.”
“Thank you.” I meant the words with all my heart. These people had proved time and time again that they were there forme. They owed me nothing, and yet they’d taken me in without question, giving me a home and a job and a family all in one go.
“Don’t even mention it.” Vivienne gave me a soft smile. “We’re here for you. Whatever you need.”
“I’d like to be involved.” I needed this. To face my former tormentor. To look him in the eyes and know for certain he would never hurt anyone again.
“Very well. Let us know how you wish to proceed,” Judge said.
“I will.”
8
Amélie
The motorhome was cramped with five trapeze artists living in it, but tonight, everyone else was out—sitting around the campfire, or playing cards, or warming someone else’s bed. That meant Wren and I had the rare luxury of complete privacy.
We’d showered separately in the tiny bathroom, and now I sat on my bed in a T-shirt and sleep shorts, working the tangles out of my hair. It always took me forever, but there was something relaxing about the process that helped me unwind at the end of the day.
Wren appeared in the doorway, towelling her hair dry, barefoot and dressed in an oversized T-shirt that was slipping from her shoulders, exposing a tantalising glimpse of her collarbone.
She was gorgeous.
Smiling, I crooked my finger at her. “Come here.”
She crossed the small space and slid onto my bed, sitting between my legs with her back to my front. Gently positioning her, I set aside my brush and gathered her damp hair in my hands, combing through the strands with my fingers.
I watched as her shoulders dropped, the tension leaving her body bit by bit. What I was doing was something so small, but it was making a difference. To both of us. She deserved to be cared for, and I wanted to be the one to provide that, for as long as she wanted me.
When I finished detangling, I picked up my brush and began to work it through her hair in long, soothing strokes. She practically purred, her body going loose and pliant against mine.
“Mmm. That feels amazing.”
