“I swear, if you make her pass out again…” Kreed growled, hovering close behind us.
Mason’s grin only widened, but he obliged, setting me gently on my feet with exaggerated care, but he didn’t let me go. “Missed you, my little kitten, but the next time you offer me a drink, I’m politely declining.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m still trying to figure out why I missed you, but I did.”
“Fuck ya, you did. It wasn’t the same without you. Whether you like it or not, you’re a Raven now.”
I wasn’t sure I liked it at all, and from the frown carved on Kreed’s lips, he also wasn’t sure how he felt about me being part of his crew.
Mason’s eyes twinkled. “We’ve never had a girl as part of our crew.”
“For good reason,” Maddox mumbled, coming to stand in front of me. “They cause drama.” He swept me into a hug that felt like being embraced by a mountain. He held me against his chest with crushing intensity.
My arms barely fit around him. “You just insulted me, and now you want to hug me?”
“You sure live up to your name, menace,” he murmured against the top of my head, his voice thick with an emotion I hadn’t heard from Maddox before.
I swallowed, my throat tight with the effort of holding back tears, happy ones this time, the kind that came from being surrounded by people who cared enough to risk everything for you. I held on. “You’re never letting me live that down, are you?”
“Not a chance.” He set me on my feet but kept his hands on my waist, studying my face. “Besides, someone’s got to keep you out of trouble.”
The normalcy of it, the teasing, the familiar dynamics, the way they were all pretending this was just another day, felt like a gift more precious than anything money could buy. It was their way of telling me that nothing had changed, that I was still the same person despite everything that had happened, and fuck, if I didn’t need that assurance, because I didn’t feel like me at all.
I wasn’t lost anymore. I was found. I was home. This was where I was meant to be—with them.
The truth hit me with enough force to make my knees wobble, and Kreed was there immediately, his arm sliding around my waist to steady me, pulling me out of his brother’s embrace. “Enough manhandling. It’s my turn.”
“Are you shitting me?” Maddox argued, his brows drawingtogether. “She sat in your lap the whole way back. It’s not like we got turns.”
Kreed scowled. “Fuck, no. If I ever catch her in either of your laps…”
And so the familiar threats over me began. A smile tugged at my lips.
12
KREED
Icarried her up the stairs, her head nestled against my chest and the hair on the crown of her head tickling the underside of my chin. Each breath she drew was shallow and ragged, barely stirring the fabric of my shirt, but the rhythm of it was the most beautiful sound I’d heard in fucking days.
Below us, voices drifted through the closed door, the boys and the Elite in Brock’s living room. Mason’s deep laugh cut through the murmur, followed by what sounded like Maddox telling him to shut the hell up. Normal sounds.
I didn’t want to take my eyes off her. The hallway stretched ahead of us, her bedroom only steps away. I set her on the bed and flipped on the bedside lamp, crouching in front of her, careful not to move too quickly or crowd her too much despite the urge to feel her body pressed to mine.
She tracked my every movement, eyes rimmed pink with exhaustion and uncertainty. The blue that had once blazed with fierce independence now seemed dimmer.
The sacrifice she made for her friend had taken more from her than she probably realized, and I hated that I hadn’t been able to stopher but not as much as I despised the man who took her. It was a constant pulsing in my veins, but Kaylor didn’t need my anger right now. What did she need? I had no experience dealing with a girl suffering, let alone one I had uncontrollable feelings for, feelings I had yet to sort through and understand. I wasn’t big on feelings, or I hadn’t been. This girl turned me up inside.
“Do you need anything?” I shoved my fingers through my hair and tried to be casual, tried to pretend my heart wasn’t hammering against my ribs.
She blinked. “I don’t know what to do next,” she admitted. “Maybe a shower?” She said it like it was a question, like she was asking permission instead of stating what she needed. The Kaylor I knew didn’t ask. She took what she wanted and made no apologies for it.
My lips curled slightly. “I think we can manage that.”
Her hand reached out, lacing her fingers with mine as I stood. “Will you stay? I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’m not leaving you. Not for a second.”
She gave me a look then, half humor, half suspicion. “You could use a shower, too. You smell like…” She paused, nose wrinkling slightly. “Gunpowder and smoke.”
