But not to me,I realized.To anyone else, but never me.
Without a word, he turned and strode out of the dining room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
“Excuse me, Seri.” Casimir followed seconds later, his movements sharp and controlled, his eyes avoiding mine entirely.
I looked at Zane, who hadn’t moved. His fists rested on the table, his knuckles white as bone. The usually playful glint in his eyes was gone, replaced by something darker, more dangerous. A thread of fear sewed itself in my chest, but the bond encouraged me to comfort him.
Slowly, hesitantly, I slid over and brushed my fingertips against the back of his hand. He was so tense, like a coiled spring ready to snap.
For a moment, he stayed a statue. Then, with a suddenness that made me gasp, he grabbed my uninjured arm and pulled me onto his lap, his arms wrapping tightly around me. He buried his face in my hair, his breath skimming down my throat.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’msosorry we didn’t find you sooner.”
I hesitated for a moment, then slowly put my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling in the fabric of his shirt. His heartbeat thudded against me, fast and erratic, and I could feel the tremors rack his body, the way he was barely holding himself together.
“It’s not your fault,” I whispered. “I’m herenow. That’s what matters.”
He didn’t respond, just held me tighter.
Finally his arms loosened, his breath steady. He leaned back slightly, his brown eyes soft, no trace of mischief or jokes.
“Let’s get you settled,” he said, his voice rough. “I’ll help you unpack.”
“What about Simmy and Koa? Shouldn’t we go check on them?”
“They’re fine. Probably beating the hell out of the weights in the gym right now. They’ll join us when they’ve burned off some steam. Temper workouts are their version of therapy.” He shook his head, that smirk returning to tug up the corner of his mouth. “Now, can I carry you up those treacherous stairs again?”
“Yes. And you don’t have to ask anymore. To carry me, I mean. You can do it whenever you want.”
“Such generosity, my lady.” He stood, scooping me up effortlessly before my giggle quieted.
Brumous trotted beside us, his tail whipping around like he was going on a grand adventure.
Silly pup,I thought with a fond smile.
Zane set me gently on the edge of my bed, then crouched to rummage through my duffle bag, pulling out wrinkled clothes with exaggerated care.
“You’ve got a lot of lavender, kitten,” he commented, holding up Mama’s lace blouse. “Not that I’m complaining. It’s kind of your color.”
“That was Mama’s. I always loved the pretty lace,” I admitted.
Before he could respond to that, the door creaked open, and Casimir stepped in, followed closely by Koa, their hair damp from what I assumed were quick showers after their “temper workouts.”
“Took you long enough,” Zane teased, tossing a pair of socks at Koa, who caught them midair without looking. “We’re making progress here. Sort of.”
Koa ignored him, moving to the dresser and opening drawers with quiet efficiency. Casimir, meanwhile, picked up a stack of books from the bed and began organizing them with military precision. I watched them, half-amused, half-embarrassed, as they bustled around my room like it was their mission to make it perfect.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, my cheeks warming. “I can handle it.”
“Oh, we know youcan,but why should you when you’ve got three strapping men at your disposal?” Zane winked, and I rolled my eyes even as my blush deepened.
Casimir shot him a look, but didn’t comment, his focus on aligning the books on the shelf by size. Koa, however, paused and turned to me, his expression thoughtful.
“This is your home now, Seri. We want it to feel that way.”
“And speaking of homes,” Zane added before I could thank Koa, “you’ll need to get used to the idea of sharing a room with us eventually. We’re not exactly the ‘separate bedrooms’ type.”
“You share a room?” I blinked, caught off guard.
