He leans down, pressing his lips to mine. I can think of few scenarios less romantic than threatening to kill someone and their mom after finding a dead animal in their bedroom, but of course, that's lost on Dax. In his mind, he's sweet and protective; he's making me feel safe.
But his lips are soft, and he smells good. While my body freezes, I inhale deeply, breathing him in while his tongue subtly coaxes my lips apart. I gasp when he slips into my mouth, deepening the kiss briefly before pulling away, lingering with my bottom lip between his teeth for a few seconds before releasing it.
"I like having you around, Ripley," he whispers against my lips. "And there's nothing to be afraid of. When we find out who's doing this, we're going to kill them."
"Okay…" But I don't find comfort in his words or his lips—both are equally terrifying.
"Get your stuff, and let's get out of here. If we're any later, Elias is probably going to come looking for us."
Defeated, I begin indiscriminately grabbing clothes from around the room and filling the suitcase. As much as I don't want to stay with them, I know he's right, and I can't stay here. I pack my makeup and toiletries last and then close the bag. Dax takes both the suitcase and my backpack, holding the door for me while I grab my purse and leave the room, locking it behind us.
We exit the building, and I follow closely behind Dax, my heart pounding, unable to shake the feeling of eyes on my back. Campus is still bustling, the late September evening air still warm enough that fellow students line the streets. Every shoutcauses me to jump, my nerves misfiring. With unsteady hands, I dig around in my purse until I finally find an old, almost-empty pack of cigarettes. I bring one to my lips and light it, inhaling, instantly feeling that dopamine release, but it's short-lived.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Dax whips around, letting my suitcase fall to the ground before plucking the cigarette out of my mouth and tossing it into the grass.
"What do you mean? I just—"
"Never fucking do that. As long as you're anywhere in or around our house, which is every fucking day, you can't smoke. Ever. You got it?"
"I…yeah, I guess. But…why?"
"Because I fucking said so—that's why."
"Okay, I…I'm sorry." I don't really mean it. I'mnotsorry; his reaction seems completely illogical. I'm angry at myself for allowing it to slip from my lips, but it seems to satisfy Dax.
"That's okay, baby," he says, bending down to grab the handle of my suitcase. "You didn't know, but now you do. Don't let it happen again, okay?"
He flashes me a quick smile before turning back to the street, and I follow quietly behind him down the block and up to the townhouse.
When we step inside, Elias waits in the living room, Arcadia at his side on the couch, a glass of gin in his hand. Or at least I assume it's gin—it has been his drink of choice in the past. "You didn't send me those notes."
I shake my head, incredulous. "Yeah, I've beena little busy, Elias."
"Well, you're not fucking busy now, are you?"
"Come on, Saige," Dax says, gesturing for me to follow him.
Dax leads me into a small bedroom on the first floor. It looks as though it's meant to be an office, as there isn't a closet, and there's barely any room to walk around the queen-sized bed.
"There's a bathroom with a shower in the next room. You can stay here until we figure this out," he says, double-checking the window lock.
"I don't—"
"You don't want to; I know. Save your breath. We both know it's pointless." I sigh, sinking into the mattress. "Just send him the notes. Then, you can start on the laundry, and I'll order us all food, okay?"
I save my breath like he told me to, but scowl at him silently.
Dax rolls his eyes and then takes my laptop from my bag and opens it, setting it beside me on the bed. "You know, you'll be a lot happier if you stop fighting us every step of the way. In fact, I bet you'll like it. Hell, you might even love it."
Again, I don't reply. I have no idea what he's talking about—I don't know what there is to like about cooking and cleaning up after my worst enemy.
And whatever else they make me do.
He leaves me alone, not bothering to close the door, and I overhear him and Elias speaking in hushed tones in the living room, but I can't quite make out what they're saying. Begrudgingly, I send Elias the notes I took earlier and then start gathering their laundry.
Nolan's bedroom is first, so I stop there, opening the slightly ajar door. The dark space is illuminated only with what little light comes from a brand new fish tank against the far wall. Isearch the room for the laundry basket for a few seconds before I run into him and almost jump out of my fucking skin.
"Fuck!" I step back, covering my heart with my hands. "You scared the shit out of me."
