I let out a sigh. “We love her, Daisy. All three of us do. And yes, we have sex together, and I’m sorry you had to see that. It was never our intention. We genuinely believed you’d been occupied far away from the water tower. But that doesn’t meanwhat we were doing was wrong. Sex is beautiful and natural, and it helps to bond us and show what we mean to each.”
“But it’s a sin. It’s fornication. You’ll go to hell.”
I throw up both hands. “You know what, Daisy? It’s not my job to convince you that what you’ve been taught is wrong. You came to us, not the other way around. You’ve come into our home. You’re the one asking for our help. I’m not asking you to love our relationship or even accept it. What I’m asking is that if you choose to come into our home, and seek shelter under our roof, and accept our help, then you need to stop fucking judging us, and stop judging Ophelia, too.”
Ophelia is in tears, and I hate Daisy for that.
But is my anger directed at the wrong person? I was the one who put Ophelia in that position. My desperate need for her, fuck the consequences. Maybe I’d even subconsciously wanted Daisy to see us so we could shock the ridiculous crap that she’s been fed her entire life out of her system. I should have taken Ophelia up to the bedroom, or even simply locked the goddamned front door, but I didn’t.
“Please,” Ophelia says, “will you come back with us to the water tower? We need to figure out how we’re going to save your family. That is so much more important than how you feel about our relationship.”
Daisy’s body language relaxes a fraction. Maybe it is a good thing that we’ve gotten everything out in the open. It’ll mean we don’t have to keep tiptoeing around her. I’ve got no idea how long she’s going to be in our lives. I guess it’ll depend on what we find once we get to the commune.
Not that I would want her staying with us long term. Hell no. It just wouldn’t work. But she might be here for a few more weeks, and trying to hide what we all mean to one another for that long would be impossible.
My phone buzzes, and I slip my cell from the pocket of my shorts.
Fuck. It’s my dad.
CHAPTER 9
Malachi
“My father has giventhe okay for us to take the men out of Verona Falls,” Cain announces from the doorway. His voice carries a lightness that must come from relief. We’ve all been worried about what his father would say, but for Cain, it’s more than simply needing those men. It’s personal. His father saying no would have cut deep and reopened old wounds.
He steps into the room, and I’m relieved when Ophelia follows, holding Daisy’s hand. I can’t say I’m overjoyed to see Daisy back here, but I guess we need her. Ophelia is looking a little calmer, too, which is the main thing. Daisy keeps shooting us all secretive, wide-eyed glances as if she can’t believe what she saw. Her issues with sex aren’t my problem right now; the bigger picture is more important.
“Good,” I say. “We need to prepare to get on the road, then. We’ve already lost a lot of time.”
I drag my hand through my hair then grimace at my nails. I remember Ophelia’s offer to paint them for me. Fuck. I so badly want to sink into a normal, peaceful life with her and the guys, it actually hurts.
“We have enough,” Cain replies. “I imagine Ophelia will want to shower and pack some things before we leave.”
Daisy’s eyes widen in panic. “Wait. You can’t take Ophelia with you.”
We men exchange a glance.
“We can’t?” Roman questions.
She shakes her head, frantic. “No, of course not. The Prophet is obsessed with her. He wants to make her a part of the ascension. He’ll be looking for her. If you take Ophelia, you’ll be delivering her right into his hands.”
I narrow my eyes. I don’t like this. “So, you expect us to leave her here? Alone?”
“There are many people here,” Daisy argues. “At the college. She won’t be alone.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Rome says. “They don’t care for her the way we do. We’ve already been separated once. We won’t do it again.”
Daisy glances around. “Don’t you have people here who will protect her? Look at this place. It has armed guards and everything.”
“We’re taking them with us,” I tell her.
“Not the ones on the main gate,” she replies. “They’ll be staying, right?”
Daisy seems desperate for Ophelia to stay. Why does she so badly want us to leave Ophelia behind? Is it because then we’ll be away from her, leaving her vulnerable? Yes, there might be armed men here, but they wouldn’t sacrifice their lives for her in the way we would.
Suspicion burns deep in my gut, and it’s making me want to shake Daisy and get the truth out of her.
“That’s not good enough. She’s safer with us.” I’m done with this conversation.
