Page 146

The final door opens, and there they are, standing tall. All four of them, waiting and watching, and my heart almost explodes from my chest at the sight of them. I laugh to myself. When did I become this sappy girl?

When you finally found the people who make you feel safe.

“Three minutes,” Clay says. “Impressive.”

My smile couldn’t get any bigger.

“Tell me it was you in the funhouse gap,” I say to Vero.

He nods. “You ran into me, so technically it was your fault.”

Vero crosses the room, and his arms come around me, then he lifts me off the floor and spins me around.

“You passed!” Vero cheers.

“It wasn’t a test.” Brawley crowds into our space, then steals me from Vero, and his arms squeeze me tight. “We wanted you to see your worth. To remind you of who you are, not who you were. You’re the missing piece.”

I don’t say anything as I hug him back. But when I pull back, Ares is waiting, and he takes my face in his hands, his thumbs moving along my jaw. “You make me feel,” he whispers, and I understand how huge that is for him. I press up on my toes as he leans down and kisses me.

Clay is last, waiting silently and giving me his best uninterested look. “I guess you’re okay,” he says.

“So I’m not yours?” I taunt him.

He crosses the space and picks me up to throw me over his shoulder. I laugh as he smacks my ass. “Oh, you’re mine all right.”

And I’m happy to be called his, as not everyone is comfortable with the L-word. Vero may wear his heart on his sleeve, but the others each show how they care for me in their own way. Clay claiming me, Ares admitting I make him feel, and that I am Brawley’s missing piece. That’s enough, because they all complete me in ways I never imagined possible.

Chapter Fourteen

Brawley

My body is still wired; sleep isn’t an option I have right now. After every episode Vero experiences, I take weeks to get back into a good sleeping pattern. Add in what happened to Kayla, plus now the cops are sniffing around, and I find myself still awake at two in the morning.

I have been lying in the dark for a few hours. My body is tired—I can feel the fatigue weighing me down—but my brain won’t shut off. I need to make sure they are both okay, as it’s my job to protect them.

Rolling out of bed, I’m careful not to wake Vero. He is finally sleeping properly again. Resigning myself to another sleepless night, I creep downstairs and turn on the coffee machine, making myself a cup. When I’m done, I notice the back porch light is on, but when I go outside to see if Vero just forgot to turn it off, I find Kayla sitting on the top step. She is wrapped in a blanket and staring out toward the cliff.

I stand in the doorway and just admire her. I’m struck by how lucky we are that she is here, as I never imagined someone could love Vero the way I do. Her love may not be as obsessive as mine, but while I may not be able to say the words out loud, she can, and the way she is with him makes me fall for her more every day. Vero needs a softer touch, too, and as much as I’ve tried, I can’t be everything he needs.

“You should be asleep,” I murmur into the quiet night.

She glances back at me with a half-smile. “So should you.”

I step through the doorway and sit beside her, and she shifts over slightly to make room for me.

“How long have you been out here?” I ask.

“A while,” she says, pulling the blanket tighter around her body. “My brain won’t stop thinking.”

“About what?”

She leans her head against my shoulder. “Just replaying things. The usual after something traumatic happens.”

I nod, knowing the feeling well.

We sit in silence for a while before she turns to face me. “When did you sleep last?”

I shrug—there is no point in lying. Looking out at the cliff, I try to remember the last time I actually slept, and I really can’t remember. “Not since what happened to you, at least.”