Page 60 of Tempest’s Torment

The church room door opens, and conversation filters back into the clubhouse before the men do. Venom's voice reaches us first.

"...that's because you're wrong."

"I wasn't wrong," Savage replies, sounding harassed.

"You absolutely were."

The rest of them spill into the main room a second later. Tempest catches my eye almost immediately. He doesn't come over; he just gives me a small nod, like he's checking I'm alright. I nod back. Satisfied, he lets himself get dragged into whatever Savage is saying.

Natalia notices. "So," she says, wrapping both hands around her mug. "How'd we do?"

I blink. "What?"

She smiles. "Still think we're terrifying?"

I look around the room, Venom's stealing something off Ghost's plate, Ghost doesn't even look up before taking it straight back, Rogue says something that makes Sniper snort into his drink, someone at the far end tells Venom to stop hovering if he's not going to help.

The whole place feels... comfortable.

"I've been frightened of enough real things," I say quietly. "This doesn't feel like one of them."

Natalia's smile softens. "I was hoping you'd say that." She glances toward Tempest. "He's been worried you'd hate it here."

I look over and see Tempest's listening to Savage, but now and then, his eyes flick back toward us, just for a second, just long enough to make sure I'm okay. “He keeps checking on me."

Natalia smiles into her tea. "That's Tempest."

Before I can ask what she means, Venom appears beside the table. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Good." He claps his hands once. "Ruin!"

A voice carries from somewhere behind us. "What?"

"We've got another victim."

Ruin appears from the kitchen doorway, drying his hands on a tea towel, he looks at me. "You eaten?"

"Not since breakfast."

He nods once. "Come on then."

Ruin doesn't ask what I want; he fills a plate, hands it to me, then points at the long dining table. "Sit."

I do as I’m told and take a seat, Tempest appearing a second later with two glasses of water, setting one beside my plate before taking the chair next to me.

"You didn't have to do that," I say.

He shrugs. "Already getting mine."

The table fills quickly, and I notice that the women that were cooking aren’t here. I make a note to ask Tempest about them later as Venom drops into the seat opposite us, followed by Savage, who immediately steals a fry from his plate. "I wasn't finished with that."

Savage shrugs. "You weren't eating it."

Venom splutters in protest. "I was about to."

Savage doesn’t care; he sits back into his chair and crosses his arms. "You were talking."