‘Want you safe,’the snake replied simply. I felt an unexpected surge of affection for the creature.
Jupiter’s friend Lydia stood there, concern all over her face. “Jupe, are you okay with this?”
“Ugh, it’s fine, Lyd.” Jupiter said tightly. “They’re assholes, but they’re not completely wrong.’“
I finished packing what I could and zipped up the bag. “Is this everything essential?” Jupiter glared at me, but nodded, and I counted it as a victory. “Good. We’ll get the rest of your things tomorrow.”
As we moved toward the door, Lydia approached Jupiter. “Want me to come with you?”
Jupiter hesitated, then shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” She forced a smile. “Besides, don’t you have a certain Dreadwatch leader to track down?”
Lydia didn’t look convinced. “If you need me?—”
“I’ll call,” Jupiter promised. “Go. Really. Tell Tye where I am.”
Something bristled throughout the bond as I met the eyes of each of my friends. The thought of her huge male friend,Tye, felt like a fucking threat.
The five of us made our way through the empty corridors of Dominion, Jupiter walking stiffly between Percy and me, Draco and Eris trailing behind with the rest of her belongings. I couldfeel her roiling emotions—anger, fear, resignation, and a tiny bit of morbid curiosity.
Our shield quarters were in the west wing with a common area dividing all our rooms. There was a spacious room with comfortable seating arranged around a fireplace, a kitchenette in one corner, and doors leading to our individual rooms.
“This is us,” Eris said unnecessarily, setting down the bags he carried.
Jupiter stood in the doorway, taking it all in with wary eyes. “Cozy,” she said flatly.
I moved past her to the door we’d kept closed for three years, the one reserved for our future axis. I pushed it open and stepped aside. “This is yours.”
She walked over slowly and peered inside. The room was simple but comfortable, with a queen-sized bed with dark blue bedding, a desk by the window, a wardrobe, and an attached bathroom. Unlike our rooms, which had accumulated years of personal touches, this one was a blank slate, waiting for its occupant to make it their own. Still, every single room in Dominion had an old-world kind of charm, with dark mahogany furniture, stone walls, a large fireplace and tall windows with long, flowing curtains. It was definitely luxury living.
Jupiter glanced around the room as if searching for traps. Noodle had already made himself comfortable on the bed, coiling into a tight spiral on one of the pillows.
‘Nice,’he declared.‘Warm. Smells safe.’
“At least someone approves,” she muttered.
An awkward silence fell over the room. Jupiter sat on the bed, her posture rigid, while the four of us hovered near the door like sentinels who didn’t know what to do with their charge now that they had her.
“We should let you get settled,” Draco finally said, backing toward the door.
“Right,” Eris agreed. “Bathroom’s stocked with fresh towels if you want to shower. The kitchen has food if you’re hungry.”
Jupiter nodded stiffly, meeting none of our eyes.
Percy and Draco filed out, but I lingered, watching her. She looked small sitting there, surrounded by hastily packed bags, in a room that was foreign to her. For all her power, all her fierce independence, she looked so fucking lost.
“I know you didn’t ask for this,” I said quietly. “None of us did. But you’re safer here, and I’m glad you’re close.”
She finally looked up at me, those silver eyes piercing. “Is that really what this is about? My safety?”
“What else would it be about?”
“Control,” she said simply. “Making sure your unexpected axis stays where you can watch her.”
I felt heat rise in my face, remembering the sight of her with that Leo’s hands all over her. “That’s not?—”
“Be honest, Aiden. You don’t want me here because you care about me. You want me here because I’m yours now, whether any of us like it or not.”
The words hit uncomfortably close to home. Part of me—a dark, possessive part I didn’t like to acknowledge—didsee her that way. As ours. As mine. The bond had created something primal between us, something that had raged when I saw another man’s hands on her.
