“Just open it!” Leo smacked her hand playfully against the duvet. “I’m dying of suspense.”
Holding the box away from my body, I lifted the lid, ready to drop it at the first sign of trouble. But to my surprise, there were no bugs or daggers or poison smoke waiting for me. Instead, it was…
“Motorcycle chains?” I tilted my head.
“Mhm,” Spencer nodded. “From your Oath.”
Taking a closer look, I saw that they’d been forged into a tri-metal bracelet. Three distinct colors from three distinct protectors.
Leo rubbed my shoulders lightly as I lifted the bracelet. “You’ll wear this to remind yourself of the words you swore to Styx. Your oath to us.”
“And ours to you,” Spence added.
It felt strange to hold the bike chains in my hand. I was just getting used to being around motorcycles again, and now, I wouldn’t just have a piece of dad with me; I’d have pieces of my guardians too. The same bike chains that had pulled me away from Gabe that night.
I swallowed hard as I took in the weight of that. Somehow, this simple gesture felt more daunting than the oath itself.
But there was no denying that the bracelet was beautiful despite its bulk. The chains had been cleaned meticulously before being reassembled in alternating hues. I wasn’t sure where Dom had learned that type of craftsmanship, but it almost made me forget what a colossal bully she’d been these last few weeks.
“Want help putting it on?” Leo asked, kissing my shoulder.
“Yes please…” I nodded, turning to face her.
She took the bracelet for me, and as the chains looped over her fingers, I thought that I’d never seen something more natural. I held out my wrist for her, letting her drape the metal delicately over my skin before skillfully hooking the clasp. Once it was secured, she kissed the back of my hand before letting me free.
“How does it feel?” Spencer asked, sitting up to take me in.
“...Good.” I murmured, glancing down at the polished metal. The slight, cool weight of the bracelet was calming, grounding even.
I grabbed the box off of my bed so that I could tuck it into the nightstand for safe keeping. But as I moved the box, I spotted the small, folded note beneath it.
Unfolding the worn paper, I was surprised by handwriting I didn’t recognize:
For better or worse,from the first to the last.
-Dom
My throat tightenedreading her blocky penmanship. It wasn’t quite warm, but it was more tender than I thought her capable of. Certainly as intense as I’d come to expect from her.
“You like it?” Spencer asked from the bed.
“It’s…pretty.” I cleared my throat as I turned toward the closet, surprised by the sudden wave of emotion that overcame me. “Really beautiful. Thank you.”
With the bracelet settled, I knew I was running tight on time to get ready. And apparently, I’d be doing so with an audience. Once my saviors made themselves comfortable in my room, there was no getting rid of them.
I didn’t mind the company, though. It gave me less time to ruminate about Dom’s cryptic note, about what it really was we were getting ready for.
This was supposed to be a simple assignment. After my Initiation, though, I knew that any mission could go in that direction. It was a comfort knowing that if and when it did, I had three hulking security guards between me and any real danger. But the idea of any of them in harm’s way — even Dom — was enough to chill my blood.
Clearing my throat, I tried to abandon the thought. “What do we think? Hair up or down?”
I gave a little spin in my black mesh shirt and leather mini skirt, modeling my hair both ways as I turned to face Leo.
“In your wig,” she raised her eyebrow, trying to fight back the hunger in her eyes.
“Come onnnnn,” I pouted. “That thing is terrible, and it makes my head all sweaty.”
“It makes you harder to recognize,” Spencer piped up. “Pretty as that red hair of yours is, it’s a fucking beacon for Gabe’s citizen spy network. We’re not risking you being recognized any more than necessary.”
