Because the second my father finds out where I am, this place becomes a battlefield and everything I sacrificed will be for nothing.
Reaper wraps a protective arm around a cute brunette with kind eyes. She barely reaches his shoulder but I can tell she has her man wrapped around her every word. She also smells like baby powder and they totally have the vibe of being new parents.
All the other women appear next, filtering into the living room like they’ve been waiting just out of sight.
Charli’s hand stays on my arm as she starts introductions, like she knows I might bolt.
“This is Arabella,” she says, nodding toward the woman at Reaper’s side. She has eyes that look like she’s seen hell and learned how to smile anyway. There’s a quiet steel in her posture, the kind that says she’d burn the world down for the man she loves.
Arabelle studies me with a measured look, then offers a small, sincere smile. “Hi, Everly. Welcome to our home.”
“This is Emilia,” Charli continues.
Emilia’s gaze is sharp, her expression softening only a fraction when she looks at Kaylee. Her hair is still damp like she showered in a hurry. She looks like someone who knows what it feels like to be hunted.
“This is Isa.”
Isa’s eyes are huge and expressive, and she looks at me like she already understands the shape of my fear.
“And Willow,” Charli finishes.
Willow’s mouth quirks. She’s beautiful in a way that feels dangerous, like she’s learned how to turn pain into a weapon.
All of them are watching me. Not with judgment, but there’s underlying curiosity...and a healthy dose of wariness.
Cajun gumbo, spicy and rich, cornbread sweet and buttery, and something sugary underneath it all that makes my stomach twist with a homesick ache. Cinnamon. Cookies. Hot chocolate. Everything that reminds me of Christmas.
My stomach twists, not from hunger but from grief.
Kaylee deserves Christmas mornings and warm kitchens and a tree with lights and people who love her.
I’ve kept her low-profile for so long that even the smell of the holidays feels like a risk.
“It’s time to eat. You’re joining us right?”
That’s Arabelle and Charli both speaking over one another.
“I’d rather take her somewhere quiet,” I say, nodding at Kaylee. “So she can sleep. And tomorrow…” I force the words out even though they taste like ash. “Tomorrow we’ll be out of here.”
The room stills again, but this time it’s different.
This time it’s Venom who steps forward.
He’s clean now. Damp hair hangs around his shoulders. He's slipped into a clean long-sleeved black shirt and fresh jeans. From the outside looking in, he could pass for normal if you didn’t see the dead calm in his eyes. The calm that belongs to a man who has stitched people back together and buried others without blinking. I should know. I watched it go down tonight.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Venom says.
Heat crawls up my neck. “Excuse me?”
Venom’s gaze flicks to Kaylee and back to me. “Here is home. Right, Phantom.”
Phantom is at my side still holding my hand. He looks down at me and that sideways grin of his is everything my heart loves.
“That’s what I’ve told her all night.”
The wordhomelands on my heart like a two-ton boulder.
I blush harder, because my body is stupid and my heart is worse, and some part of me wants to believe my old friend. I wish I could sink into the warmth they are all offering and pretend I didn’t destroy everything I touch. My mouth opens but nothing comes out. Because what do you say to that when you hurt them all so much?
