“Hit me as much as you want. Take your rage out on me,” Cade offered. He invaded my space, and I backed up until I caught myself.
I raised a hand, preparing to swing it with all my might . . . but I stopped.
“Do it.” There was no subterfuge or smugness to be seen, just pure sincerity. He kept still, waiting for my blow. I couldn’t help but respond to his passion—his ache.
I dropped my hand and hugged myself, retreating near the door. “Get out.”
Cade lowered his head and finally nodded, leaving silently.
I grabbed the door as Dorian approached. He’d been studying me the entire time. He was almost out the door when he caught my hand and lifted it to kiss the back.
“Please give us a chance,” Dorian murmured. With that, he dropped my hand and walked out.
My heart shriveled. Their pain was tangible, and it was moving me.
Everything I knewabout them had been swirling in my thoughts since they left. They’d grown up at Forest Peak under the control of abusive people who took pleasure in harming them.
Just that thought battered against my will to stay away. And when they looked at me with those sad eyes. I sighed and rubbed my temples.
A gentle tap came from the door.
“Are you hungry?” Cade’s voice. I stayed silent. “We won’t touch you if you don’t want us to.” He sounded so sad. My heart traveled to my throat. “But come out and eat with us. Please,” he tacked on.
My hunger had increased with each hour that passed. It was something I could ignore and survive for the day, but a bigger part of me wanted to see if they kept that promise. If they could and we could discuss the situation we all found ourselves in, maybe then I could make steps toward healing.
Decision made, I stood and with my head raised, walked to the door in Dorian’s too big slippers. I opened it, and Cade’s lips parted and started to form a smile. He quickly stifled it and took a step back to give me space.
“We’ll be in the kitchen,” he said suddenly serious and backed down the hall, pausing to look at me over his shoulder.
I took a deep breath and shuffled after him. All the doors were left wide open. I frowned and peeked in the first one.Their gym. Instead of all the work out machines that had been there before, everything was gone, and the fresh smell of paint infected the hall.
The floors had been redone to a gray wood. It looked very soft and feminine, especially with the pastel yellow walls. Even the sex room was open. I hurried to it. It’d been gutted too; the walls were now white and there was dark wood that matched the hallway. All of their work out machines were pushed in the middle of the room since their prior gym room had been more spacious than this one. I kept walking to the next hall to the bedroom I’d stayed in. No bed, and just as gutted, but not only that, they’d had a larger window installed.
What were they doing with all these rooms?
I continued on to the kitchen. Nothing beyond the rooms was different. All of them sat at the kitchen table, none of the food on their plates touched. I plopped onto the empty seat at the end of the table.
Dorian sat on one side and Cade on the other, while Rafe was on his other side. They continued watching me, and it clicked what they wanted. I grabbed my fork, then they all did the same, settling in to eat. I moved around the tortellini.
“What happened to the rooms?”
“One is your art room. The other is your nest,” Rafe said while the other two chewed.
Cade nodded as he swallowed. “I read artists like a lot of natural sunlight.” Not for digital art, but the sentiment chipped at the ice around my heart.
I was still stunned, unable to spit words out.
“Do you like the color I chose?” Dorian finally added.
“Y—yes,” I said and cleared my throat. “Did you paint it too?”
“Me,” Rafe grunted.
“He studied architecture for a year before he dropped out,” Cade offered.
“I liked working with my hands more.” Rafe shrugged.
“What do you do?” I turned to Cade.
