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I licked my lips nervously and hazard a glance in Mom’s direction. She had a pensive furrow to her brows as she cradled her tea between her slender fingers.
“I understand what you’re saying,” she said slowly after a moment. “There is a lot we can’t all agree on.”
“Your brother, Paloma?”
Mom winced. “Well, maybe not—”
“I would never look at Oz that way. I would never ... ugh! The very thought.” A thick hand shot up and waved in my direction. “Could you imagine Adeline and Rhys doingsomething so unholy? What would you do? Accept them like it’s fine? Celebrate their depravity and welcome them into the family? People who crave their own flesh and blood will go on to hurt their children.”
Mom chuckled quietly. “Well, I don’t think I have to worry about that.”
I would never hurt my children, and I know Rhys wouldn’t either, but maybe Iris was right about everything else. Maybe there is something wrong with us. Maybe we are sick and twisted.
But when Rhys dips his head and brushes a kiss to my temple in his sleep, I can’t imagine this feeling of bliss being wrong.
CHAPTER NINE
RHYS
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Something’s wrong.
It’s not glaring, but a feeling in the pit of my stomach, a knot I can’t unravel. We’re still passionate and she’s still vocal and open with what she likes, but afterwards, even as she curls up in my arms, she’s not there. Her mind seems to leave her body and I’m just holding half of her.
“Addie?” I brush a lock of hair off her temple, trailing my fingers down her downy cheek to slip beneath her chin. I tilt it up, forcing her green eyes up to mine. “What’s wrong?”
She hesitates. Her lashes flutter down but flip up when I nudge her chin again. Only there’s tears in her eyes and the sight of them swarm me with panic and concern.
“Addie?”
I start to push up onto my elbow, but she shakes her head and catches my arm.
“I’m scared.” She licks her lips before sucking the bottom one between her teeth. “I can’t lose Mom and Oz.”
“They love us, Addie. They would never—”
She shakes her head rapidly. “Not for this. Not their children doing this. What if they’re disgusted?”
I pull her closer, refusing to give her space to fall into. She’s toeing the edge, and I will not let her slip.
“I don’t care.” I put my finger lightly over her trembling lips. “I love you, Addie.” I hear her sharp inhale, feel her lips part, but I push on. “I love you so much. I will always love you. I will fight the world for you. I will burn it to the ground for you.”
Her mouth crashing over mine tastes so sweet tinged with her tears. Her arms close around my neck and she melts into my chest.
“I love you, too,” she whispers. “I love you so much, Rhys.”
We didn’t solve anything. The week we have ends too quickly and still we are no closer to figuring out what we’re going to do back in the real world.
“One day at a time,” I tell Addie as we stand next to her parked car on the final morning.
Neither of us slept much the night before. After supper, Addie helped me dismantle my equipment and pack it into the trunk of her car. I took down the cameras and made sure nothing was out of place.
We also washed all the linens and disinfected every place we fucked.
There was a lot.
I wanted to give Giselle no reason to regret her favor to me.
