Page 85 of Shattered Souls

“You’re glowing, you know.” I have one hand resting on the peak of my bump, my favorite resting position.

“Really? Because I feel huge, and I’m hardly even thirty weeks.” My hips hurt lately, as well as my back, but overall I’m ecstatic about welcoming a tiny them.

“You’re always glowing, Rayvn.” He tucks me into his arm as we walk to the car.

Life has been simple since moving to Europe.

Synn works in a hospital. It’s honestly what he’s good at, plus it’s close enough to what he used to do. I took a job as a sexual assault hotline operator. I’m able to help girls escape similar horrors to the ones I experienced at my father’s hands. And Hayze opened his very own tattoo shop called The Inked Scarecrow.

His shop is popular in our city, but it also takes a lot of his time. I’ve been on bed rest the last few weeks after taking a nasty fall which resulted in some bleeding. While on bed rest, Hayze closed the shop and stayed with me—only reopening yesterday.

Our house is small and modest. It’s a ways off of the main city, in seclusion just as I wanted. Each room is decorated with things none of us got to have as kids or adults. I’ve filled one of the rooms with books that I usually consume within twenty-four hours.

We also turned one of the rooms into a nursery, though the room is mainly filled with still sealed boxes.

“How much longer ‘til I can hold him?” Hayze is laying between my thighs a few nights later, my arousal still coating his chin. I run my hand through his hair while I giggle.

“I want to hold him first.” Synn circles my nipple with his tongue. My breasts have swollen significantly, typically being tender and achy throughout the day. Small drops of colostrum drip from them every once in a while too. Both men found that out the hard way.

My body is littered with small tattoos now, ones that complement the meat hook and machete. Hayze has added more ravens to his skin—as well as giving Synn a few of his own. But my favorites are the twin scarecrows inked above their hearts.

“I’m holding him first, you shits.” Hayze leans forward and kisses my bare stomach. The feeling sends heat to my core and heart at once.

Synn bought us a custom bed, a Wyoming king, to accommodate our sleeping arrangements. It took one too many times of them accidentally cuddling each other for him to cave and buy something larger. But right now, I want them closer. The further this pregnancy gets, the more I want to just be held by both of them.

“Do you think we’ll be better parents?” Both sets of eyes are on me, not an ounce of judgment in either pair.

“I think the bar is extremely low right now.” Synn says. I smile, but it tastes bitter.

“I told you when we first spoke of our parents, and what they did to us, that I was happy about my vasectomy.” Hayze starts. “But after hearing you tell me you loved me, I had never hated her more. I’m not mad now, because Jett’s just as much mine as he is Synn’s, but if it was just me and you, I’d be going crazy.”

It’s crazy how close we came to having very different lives. If I'd not gone to the single night of Shattered Souls, I’d still be on the run—or in custody and serving time for my vengeance.

I think about those girls often; Allie, Eleanor, and Karla. I wonder if they’d be happy for me for ending up with both of the scare actors they were fawning over. But I also wonder if they were disgusted with me after hearing about my crime.

Rick never did notify the police about the bodies that we left—or the media never reported on them. Synn has kept a close eye on the news, ensuring that our names died back in Montana.

My case has gone cold. They never caught our plane as it fled the country. In fact, Alfie is also a permanent resident of Europe as well. He wasn’t too fond of us after our plane ride, but I’ve invited him to have dinner with us once or twice.

“You’re going to be an exceptional mom, Rayvn.” Synn leans over and kisses me. “There’s no doubt that we chose the right woman.” My chest flutters with the praise.

“Now, because you’ve hit a new milestone,” My thirtieth week. Hayze raises his brows at Synn. The latter slides out of bed and grabs my robe for me. “There’s a new surprise for you.”

“Oh, god.” I laugh, struggling to get out of bed but eventually managing. I slip into the robe and let Synn tie it closed over my belly. “Please tell me it’s not some weird sex toy again.”

“Hey,” Synn points a finger at me. “You ended up loving that toy.” I roll my eyes.

“You do have to be blindfolded.” Hayze holds my sleep mask out with a far too innocent look on his face.

“That seems like a bit much considering you were both just between my legs already.” They both smile darkly at me.

“Don’t tempt me with going down for more.” My core aches with the thought of another round.

“I promise you’ll love it, little scarecrow.” Synn motions for Hayze to slip the mask on. My heart still manages to flutter at the use of the old nickname.

Once I’m blinded, they guide me out of our room. I try and gauge where we are just from my steps, but without my vision, I’m lost. But then, my feet shift from the hardwood floor to plush carpet and my heart immediately knows where we are.

“You’ve done so much for us, Rayvn, this is our thank you.” My pulse is beating so hard in my ears I hardly process who says it. Then the blindfold is ripped off.