She doesn’t object or fight this time, despite the fact there are other fae milling about as we’ve gotten closer to town. She hops onto his back, locking her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. She just stares off unseeingly, lost in her own world.
Now that we have to pass through the center of town, there’s no point even attempting to get her to talk. Despite the late hour, there are still plenty of fae milling about, the streets lit with glowing lamps in various colors. Our house is on the far outskirts on the opposite side of the city, as far away from the castle as physically possible while still living in the town.
“The little Lark got her wings clipped, how cute,” someone snipes on their way into a building.
“Didn’t expect her to come back this time. Why the Queen allows her to live is beyond me,” another man scoffs.
Cambria just closes her eyes as Atlas carries her home. Nearly an hour later we finally get there and Atlas looks ready to explode and rehash the shit we just went through, but Lucien puts a hand on his shoulder while helping Cambria to her feet.
“Don’t. Not right now, Atlas,” Lucien states, mirroring Cambria’s sentiments.
She just looks too raw to handle any more. She already lived it once, she shouldn’t have to do it again. The way they spoke to her, treated her. I just want to kill them myself so that she doesn’t have to.
“I’m gonna’ call it a night, I’m pretty tired,” she announces while taking off her dress and walking towards her room. “Thanks for coming with me, guys.”
“Night, Cambria.”
She pauses before turning to look over her shoulder, eyes shining with unshed tears. “I know we didn’t get a chance to buy any more beds, so you guys are welcome to squish in with me if you’re sick of the floor. If you want, I mean.”
“Honestly, after that whole thing I’m a little freaked out. I’d rather not sleep alone, if you’re offering,” I toss out there for her benefit.
She nods once sharply, extending a hand behind her towards me. “Don’t worry, my young ward. I’ll take care of you,” she soothes with false confidence.
I feel the faintest smile ghost across my lips. “I know you will, because you’re a badass delight.” I cross the distance, undoing the buttons at my wrists before taking her hand.
She sniffs, leaving her dress in the hallway and clad only in a pair of panties, topless and not caring in the slightest. “I am, aren’t I?” she asks, sounding a little bit stronger.
“Sure are, beautiful,” Atlas replies, following behind us.
The three of us climb into bed, Cambria sandwiched between us as we try to fit on the small mattress. How Lucien is going to squeeze in is beyond me, but you snooze you lose. She rests her head on Atlas’ chest and I trail a hand up and down her spine, until she eventually falls asleep.
“That was messed up,” Atlas hisses on a whisper.
I sigh. “To say the least. With what her mother can do, it’s no wonder she’s scared to attempt anything. If she tried to retaliate, she’d have a small window to act. And if the three of us are there, it just makes it seem more impossible.”
Atlas grinds his teeth. “We can’t just keep going on like this for the rest of our lives; I’m not going to be able to stand it. To just sit there and say nothing while they treated her like that? Fuckin’ torture! Something needs to change.”
“Completely agree. Even the ear plugs she gave me didn’t shield me from her abilities this time, so it’s not like we can just pop them in and go in guns blazing while she distracts them.”
I sigh. “Change isn’t easy or happens overnight, and nine times out of ten, it takes a sacrifice to accomplish. We just need to get her on board. They’ve fucked with her head her entire life, and the three of us have barely seen anything of this world yet. We shouldn’t rush in halfcocked and make things worse for her. We need to plan.”
