Lifting one of its paws, the dog considered getting closer.
“He’s gotta be about nine months old. Poor little puppy.” Spencer mumbled.
And then heavy footsteps joined us outside, forcing my head to turn and look at whatever was behind me. The sight of hulking Dom was enough for the dog to bolt. Taking off down the alley, I stood up to watch where it was headed.
Groaning, Leo stood up. “Damnit, Dom.”
“Not my fault that your stray is skittish.” Dom crossed her arms.
“You’re a scary looking motherfucker. Most people would turn tail and run just like that.” Spencer laughed.
Shaking her head, Dom turned back toward the door. “It’s better the beast left.”
As annoyed as I was, I knew she was exaggerating. Because for a brief moment, I could have sworn there was some excitement in Dom’s eyes. She could pretend to be a stone cold killer all she wanted, but I knew there was a way to crack that cement.
“You’re a beast, and we keep you.” Leo clapped Dom on the shoulder as a gust of cold air blew down the alleyway.
Dom shook her head and went back inside. “I’m off.” Without any further explanation, Dom headed out the front door.
She didn’t bother stopping the metal from slamming closed. The roar of her motorcycle’s engine coming to life and zipping away was all I needed to know it was safe to breathe again.
Sighing, Spencer slammed the hood of her project closed. “I guess now is as good a time as any to head home.”
“Looks like our girl needs some cheering up.” Leo licked her lips and she put an arm around my shoulders, guiding me toward the garage door.
I should have been scared to find out what they had in store for me, but in truth — despite Dom’s shitty attitude — all that was left was excitement.
33
KIERA
I couldn’t stop thinkingabout the dog on the drive home, backpacking Leo as she drove us back to Dom’s mansion.
I wasn’t sure when I’d started calling it ‘home’. Somewhere between the cult ritual and the art studio.
When we got inside, Leo and Spencer brought me back to my room and told me to get a swimsuit. I raided my stash, not thrilled about any of my options. I wasn’t big into beach days, especially with Gabriel who would just make shitty comments about how my body looked in a bathing suit.
Trying to ignore the voice in my head, I grabbed a black gingham patterned bikini and slipped it on. At this point, I knew Spencer and Leo would love whatever I wore— even if I had a hard time believing that.
Once I was dressed, I stepped out of my room and toward the staircase. My bare feet padded against the hardwood floors, signalling my entrance to my two captors waiting at the top of the stairs.
Without a second thought, Leo swiped her arm under my legs and scooped me into her arms. “No stairs for my princess.”
I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t relieved, my body aching from a few active days. Leo and I had been talking more about the Ehlers Danlos Syndrome stuff lately. But the more we talked about it, the more worried I became that if I gave in to the pain that I’d lose the muscle I’d built up from just living.
I didn’t have very long to get lost in the thought, something I’d been keeping to myself for a while. Leo pushed open the pool door, the humidity of the salinated water hitting my face. The heat had turned on in the house a couple weeks ago and it was drying out my skin like crazy.
So much so that Spencer had brought me a humidifier for my room.
“Time to cheer our girl up.” Spencer clapped her hands together as Leo placed me gently on the cool stone floors.
A strange cognitive dissonance washed over me as I looked out onto the lawn through the pristine windows that overlooked the property. Outside, leaves had completely fallen from the trees, bare branches left behind. The grass had started to dull as the cold night swept through Valemont.
And here I was, standing in my skimpy bikini.
My brain wanted to convince me that I was freezing cold, but I was certain it was at least 75 degrees in here.
Spencer didn’t wait, didn’t even bother grabbing a towel from the stack of clean ones by the door, instead rushing to the edge of the pool and folding her body up into a cannonball as she leapt into the air.
