When I was washed, I headed to his closet, tossing my damp towel in the direction of the laundry basket – and missing – before pulling on some grey silk underwear, a white crop top and a pair of high waisted jeans.
Then I headed to the balcony, about to call out to them to say my quarantine period was up when I spotted them all standing at the foot of the stairs. Blake rested his shoulder against Kyan’s while Saint clutched the railing, his knuckles turning white with how tight he gripped it.
My heart juddered and my lips parted, but I quickly schooled my expression before they read my emotions from my face. They looked worried, hopeful, desperate. And the craziest part of me wanted to rush down into their arms. For an eternal moment, I ached to be surrounded by their flesh and muscles, like a wolf re-joining its pack after getting lost in the forest.
I shook off that lucid fantasy and folded my arms, gazing coolly between them, recalling each of their crimes and ignoring the one, hugely redeeming thing they’d done for me. One good deed didn’t cancel out a thousand bad ones. These men were wicked to the bone. And their reasons for helping me could only be born of sin.
“You want me to stay here,” I stated, because it was obvious from their possessive expressions even if I hadn’t overheard Saint and Blake talking. I tried to keep the anger from my voice, but it slid into it like poison.
“All I want right now is for you to come the fuck downstairs, baby,” Kyan growled, his eyes hungry and demanding.
My throat tightened as my gaze trailed down to his bare, inked chest before sliding onto Blake and the way his muscles flexed against his tight T-shirt, then to Saint whose short-sleeved button down and black jeans made him look like hell’s version of an Abercrombie and Fitch model.
“Don’t keep us waiting, Cinders,” Blake said, his voice rough, his gaze penetrating.
My teeth dug into my bottom lip as I hung suspended in the aching tension building between all four of us. I found a piece of my soul longing for the fifth member of our blood-bound party. I hadn’t seen Monroe since the night it had happened, but he’d texted every day to check I wasn’t sick. Beyond that, I had no idea what he was thinking. And I desperately needed to know. He’d answered my questions with simple responses which meant nothing at all. I’m fine. I’m good. Just rest and let me know if anything changes.
I took a step down the stairs and they all shifted, muscles bunching, fingers flexing like they were trying to restrain themselves from coming closer. Though they could have. They knew I wasn’t sick. But they were letting me call the shots for some reason. Which meant one thing and one thing only: the power levels between us all had altered. Though I wasn’t quite sure how yet. So I had to tread lightly. But I was sure as hell going to work it to my advantage. However long this may last.
“So I suppose you all want things to just go back to the way they were?” I asked, letting a healthy measure of ice slide into my tone as I remained above them on the stairs.
“What did you expect?” Saint asked frostily.
“She knows things have changed,” Blake growled. “Don’t you, Tatum? You can feel it.”
My throat thickened as the hairs rose on the back of my neck. For a second, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the golden boy with his darkest green eyes like two lakes of liquid emeralds.
I can feel it alright.
But what I was feeling exactly, I couldn’t be sure. It felt like my soul was floating from my body and I wondered whether it was about to be accepted into heaven or hell.
Maybe I underestimated them. Maybe they do care for me. Maybe things really will change…
“Yeah,” I confirmed and Saint’s spine straightened.
“You’re still ours,” he said in a voice that was powerful and rang right through to the core of my being.
I let that fact settle over me and one simple answer shone clearly in my mind. Something I was entirely sure was true and yet seemed impossible at the same time.
“I know,” I said, lifting my chin. “But you’re all mine now, too.”
None of them denied it and I let a twisted smile spread across my lips at confirming it.
“Come down here,” Kyan demanded, his expression telling me he was about to come and get me himself if I didn’t move.
I tried to quiet my rampant heartbeat as I padded downstairs barefoot, the kiss of the cool wood against my feet sending a shiver through me.
I reached the ground floor and was surprised when Saint stepped towards me. His arm wrapped around my waist and he tugged me into his hard body, his mouth falling against my ear and making every part of my flesh tingle with fear and pulse with excitement.
“Welcome back, Barbie.” There was something
