Page 92 of Hide Little Traitor

“You need to start taking this seriously, bro. He wasn’t bluffing on the marriage thing. I heard him talking to Neil last week about it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he snaps.

“Because Neil talked him out of the idea, saying it would be senseless to have two unfulfilled arranged marriages hanging over the family unnecessarily. Chloe is safe until I marry Mikayla, and by then you two can get hitched or whatever.”

The idea of them getting married makes my chest clench for reasons I decide not to analyze as I take a step back and position myself at one corner of the mat.

“Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you’ve already taken a hit,” I challenge, but my mind keeps wandering to my own nuptials.

I’ve known most of my life that I would marry someone I didn’t love. I just never expected to have to watch my brother marry the person I did.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

CHLOE

NOW

Acramp slices through my stomach, and I throw a hand out to catch myself on the counter before my legs can buckle beneath me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathe through another agonizing cramp that almost takes me to my knees, but somehow I manage to stay standing.

What’s the date?

I’ve spent years meticulously tracking every single day of my cycle because I like to know what symptoms to expect on any given day, but I know for sure it hasn’t been four weeks since I was locked up in the cellar.

Strong arms wrap around me from behind, carefully lifting me from my feet and carrying me to the couch without a word. It’s not until they lay me down that I realize it’s Ronan. Worry etches into his brow as he brushes his thumb over my cheek.

“It’s too soon for your period,” he says softly. “Does your IUD fuck with your cycle like the implant did?”

I shake my head, tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. How does he remember that? When I was first diagnosed with endometriosis at sixteen, the OB-GYN suggested I try the implant to settle some of the symptoms, but all it did was cause more chaos in my body. Two weeklong periods, followed by none for months, and then two in the same cycle. There was no tracking it, and after the first year I had it removed, choosing to take the pill instead.

Ronan glances at the kitchen where Damon is doing the dishes, something that surprised all of us, but none of us commented on in fear he might stop. “I saw a hot water bottle in the bottom of the pantry. I’ll get that for you, okay?”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

Before he gets the chance to stand, Ryker appears with his brow dipped low in concern. I have no idea where he came from, because the last I checked, he was outside with Kingston, and there was no gust of cold air when the door opened, but I’m distracted by another cramp tearing through my abdomen.

“Siren?”

“I’m okay,” I assure him, earning me a hard stare from Ronan.

“She’s not okay. She’s either ovulating or having a flare. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter given how much stress she’s been under the last month.”

Ryker’s eyes widen as he drops to his knees beside my head, brushing tattooed fingers through my hair. “You never told me why you disappeared for a few days every month. Is this it?” He pulls his phone out before I can reply, his eyes darting across the screen. “No, those days are always four weeks apart, so it has to be something else.”

Ronan and I stare at him in surprise, but I can’t help but laugh at the fact the big, burly serial killer has been tracking my periods without even realizing it.

He turns to look at Ronan, his brow dipped in concern. “Will you teach me how to take care of her?”

“I’ll go over everything with you, but first I want to find her some pain relief and a hot water bottle to make her more comfortable.”

Ryker jumps to his feet without another word, moving through the kitchen with a determination that’s as amusing as it is terrifying.

Ronan drops a soft kiss to my forehead before trailing after him.

Watching them move around the kitchen together makes my heart clench in a way it hasn’t since I was eighteen.

It’s far too soon to feel something so deep for Ryker, but if I’m honest with myself, maybe that doesn’t matter. He’s constantly proven to me that he’s dedicated to keeping me safe, constantly showing me that I’m his priority, and it doesn’t hurt that he has no problem sharing my affections.