“I need to find Rafe, and see how Gia is this morning. They were both in a bad way last night,” I explained.
“I’ll find Rafe and bring him here. You need rest.” Dante was already halfway to the bedroom door by the time he finished speaking.
“Dante, wait!” I cried, and thankfully, he stopped and looked at me. “Don’t do that, please. I don’t want to pull Rafe away from Gia. I’ll find them, plus I want to eat some breakfast. I’m starving.”
“Come on. Lets all go and eat, then we can find Rafe if he’s not there already,” Cal suggested.
“Cara needs to stay in bed today,” Dante argued.
“I dinnae think Cara is keen on that idea, pal. We’ll just need to keep an eye on her, and make sure she takes things easy fer today,” Arran spoke up, and when I turned slightly I found him laid out casually on his back, staring right back at me. “Ye feelin’ any better, wee one?”
“My head does. My shoulder, not so much,” I tried to shrug, but that was a bad idea too. “Thank you…all of you…f-for staying with me. I slept really well, and I think that’s because I knew you were here,” I admitted.
“You only have to ask if you want us to stay with you at night, Cara. None of us mind,” Cal offered.
“She won’t ask,” Dante abruptly cut in. “Never asks for a bloody thing, does she? No, we have to just come and stay with her. I’ll take tonight.”
“Dante…” I sighed.
“Do you like sleeping alone?” Dante asked me flatly.
“I’m okay if I sleep in the closet,” I told him, but even I knew that was a weak argument.
“You cannae keep sleeping in there, Cara. Yer’ll end up wi’ a stoop to yer back,” Arran chuckled.
“I’ve slept in much worse places and survived.”
“Never happening again,” Dante growled. “No more arguments. You don’t like sleeping alone and we’re happy to be with you. I’ll stay with you tonight, and we’ll all rotate so you’re not alone.”
“You guys don’t have to do that,” I whispered, feeling embarrassed. What kind of nineteen year old was too afraid to sleep alone?
“We know that, but we want to,” Cal told me more gently from where he was still crouched before me. “We’ll all feel better knowing you’re sleeping soundly and that you’re safe, okay? Just allow us that.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “Thank you.”
“I ken yer no’ completely trusting of any of us yet, lass, but until ye get there, know that we care fer ye, alright? All we want is to make ye comfy and happy in this house wi’ us. Trust in that, fer now at least.” Arran said as he moved to sit behind me on the bed and gently ran his hand down my back.
“I do,” I agreed. “And I think I’m beginning to trust you all too. I feel safe with you. I know that much,” I tried to explain.
“Good,” Cal nodded, then he picked up my bundle of socks from the bed and started pulling them onto my feet for me. It was a strangely intimate gesture and I knew my face was bright red when he was finished, but Cal just smiled and took my hand, helping me to my feet. “Grab a blanket and her slippers please, Arran. She gets cold down stairs,” he requested, then before I even saw it coming he scooped me up and held me in his arms.
“Cal!” I cried in surprise. “I can walk!”
“I know,” he agreed, “But you’re not going to. Not today. We’re not risking you getting unsteady again and hitting that shoulder.”
“What if Gia’s in the kitchen though? She already thinks I have you all under some hex or something,” I reminded him, pain stabbing at me as I recalled her words the night before. She hadasked if I were a whore. She hated me and wanted me gone. It fucking hurt to know that.
“Gia is being a spoiled brat. She just hates that she doesn’t have all of the attention in the house on her now, but the thing is, even when she did, she didn’t want it. She’s barely even been home the last couple of years. She spends all of her time with her friends. I told you, she barely even speaks to me anymore, and she doesn’t bother with the others much either. She only goes to Rafe when she wants something,” Cal told me.
“He’s right, Cara. Gia’s just throwin’ a tantrum because she got caught out a few times since ye arrived here – no’ that any of that was yer fault. Don’t listen to her shite. She’ll calm down eventually. She always does,” Arran agreed.
“I’ll set her straight if she says anything,” Dante added flatly, and I groaned, knowing that was the last thing I needed.
“It’ll be fine,” Cal laughed as he started out of my room. Somehow, I felt his optimism may be misplaced.
CHAPTER 4
CARA
