He goes to open his fucking mouth again when Arlo’s scream rips through the bunker Not the sound of pain, but pure terror.
Arsen bolts. “Fuck.”
I’m right behind him, boots pounding the concrete.
We hit the hallway and he spins, blocking the doorway to her room.
“No. Fuck off. I don’t need you making it worse.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Priest. You showing your face is the worst thing. She flinches when she hears your name.”
Arlo screams again. My ribs crack under the sound.
I shove past him.
Inside, she’s thrashing. Tangled in the sheets. Her face contorted in panic, tears streaking down her cheeks. My body moves before my mind catches up—I’m on the bed, pulling her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her, anchoring her to me.
“Arlo,” I whisper, rocking her. “You’re safe.”
“Leave,” Arsen snaps from the doorway.
“No.”
She starts to quiet, her breathing hitching.
I stroke her hair, whispering her name again and again. Her body slackens against mine. Her cheek presses to my chest. She’s still trembling, but she’s no longer screaming.
Arsen doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak.
We both stare at her—at what’s left of her.
“This is fucked,” Arsen finally mutters. “Whatever the hell this is—” he waves a hand at the two of us “—it ends here. You’re not her goddamn savior, Priest. You’re the reason she’s like this.”
I don’t argue.
Because he’s right.
But I don’t move either.
My arms stay locked around her.
Arsen spits something in Russian under his breath and storms out, slamming the door behind him.
I shift us down onto the mattress, her back to my chest, my arm banded tight around her waist. I can feel every inch of her—every stitch, every bruise, every breath.
This isn’t something I do.
Comfort.
Holding.
But she shifts closer, pressing into me with this quiet trust she doesn’t realize she’s giving. Like her body’s already decided I’m not the monster who broke her.
She whimpers. A breathy, broken sound that slices straight through me.
I bend close, my lips brushing her hair. “Shhh, little one. You’re safe. I promise.” She softens against me, curling tighter in my arms.
