Page 74 of Unmasking Her Shadow

She quirks a grin. “Come eat before your parents and sister get here.”

I freeze. “I thought this could remain our secret. They’re going to freak out.”

“They were contacted within minutes of you being reported missing. Ryker talked to them while we were in the hospital and made them agree not to come visit you until today so you could rest.”

“They don’t need to know all the details. I was taken, and I was found. End of story. Give me some gloves to wear.”

“Yeah, because that isn’t suspicious.”

“Ki,” I whine. “I don’t want to continue talking about it.”

“I’ll tell them, but that doesn’t mean they will listen. If it gets to be too much, let me know and I’ll make them leave.”

I don’t want them to be disappointed in me. Like somehow this was all my fault. They would never make me feel that way, but it’s a nagging thought in my mind I’m trying to bury. It was partly my fault. Not Kioni’s for poking the monster. Me for feeding his black soul. But…if I never submitted to the monster, I would have never found my queen, my devil, the keeper of my heart. It’s all a fucked up web of sins and shadows. If you sever one grim tendril, you’d also destroy all the lovely ones that branch off of it.

She holds out my robe for me to slip my arms into and ties it around my waist. I sit at the dining table, and she puts a plate of avocado toast in front of me with a little bowl of fruit next to it, all finger foods, and a large cup of coffee. She made sure I wouldn’t need to use a fork. Warmth flutters through me, and I tilt my head back to make her lean down and kiss me.

“Where’s my baby?” I ask, fully aware that she’s absent, or she would have been my shadow since my feet touched the floor.

“Ryker,” she pauses. “He took her to training. If you’re mad, be mad at him. I said to ask you first.”

“What do you mean training? She doesn’t even like him.”

“Oh, I’m aware, but he’s determined to win her over. It’s K9 training. We’re competitive; this isn’t new information. Nyx can outshine every other K9 we have without training, and he’s bound to prove it. Show her off. If she listens to him.”

“I want to watch her!” Of course, she’s amazing. She’s mine.

“After your parents leave, I’ll take you if they’re still there.”

The door flings open with no warning and Taylor sprints towards me, brushing past Ki and strangling me with a hug. A wave of panic washes over me and I lightly touch her arm.

“Okay,” Ki states, noticing my discomfort and tapping her shoulder, signaling for her to let go.

“Sweetie,” my mom cries. I’m able to stand up this time. Her hug is strong but mindful, unlike Taylor’s. Dad clears his throat, unable to speak, and gives me a gentle bear hug. He lifts my hands in his with care. He stares at the bandages before kissing each one. That was always his medicine growing up. He’d kiss it and make it all better. I smile and take my seat again with them gathered around. Kioni brings them all a cup of coffee, then takes the open seat diagonally from me.

I give them what information I’m comfortable with. My parents were worried that my abduction had something to do with Kioni being a police officer. That I wasn’t safe anymore. When I told them it was my ex-boyfriend, they apologized for being overprotective. All of them were stunned at the news of Nyx saving the night with Ki. Dad said he’s getting her a doggy tiara because she is royalty and will be treated as such. They stay for an hour until my mom orders them all to leave so I can rest. Kioni assures them she’s got me and each one of them gives her a warm hug, lingering for several heartbeats before releasing her. Forever grateful they will be to her for saving their little girl.

“Ryker sent me a video,” Ki says, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

I watch the scene play out on the screen, and my hand lifts to my mouth. Nyx attacked a man running in a padded suit, and when the camera person walked over to him on the ground, it was Ryker under all the cushions. He mumbles, “Ow,” and laughter surrounds him before the video ended.

“She really is a beast,” I agree with her for once. “A magnificent beast that is also my baby,” I correct. I smile wider. Tyler didn’t have padding. He felt everything. Good.

“He’s getting ready to leave. We’ll watch her next time if you’re okay with her continuing to go.” When she sits on the couch, I straddle her. Her hands go to my hips.

“Erase him. Remove his touch and replace it with yours.”

Her hands caress my thighs as she contemplates my words. “Don’t rush this. You can take however long you need.”

“I don’t want the memory of the last person’s mouth and hands to be on me, being of someone else.”

She removes my clip and slides her fingers up the nape of my neck, through my hair, and pulls, tilting my head back. Her lips brush against my neck, and her other hand slips beneath the waistband of my shorts. I move my hips, chasing her touch, but it doesn’t come.

“Green,” I whisper. “It’s always green when it comes to you.”

She’s trying to be careful with me, not push me too far too fast, but I need her. I’m not fragile, just a bit off balance, and I need her to steady me. Her fingers slip inside me and she breathes against my ear, “I love you.”

“I love you,” I reply with a moan as she rubs my clit with her wet fingers before thrusting them back inside me again. She abandons my hair to lift my shirt and sucks a nipple into her mouth, dragging her teeth across the sensitive skin before doing it to the other.