Page 10 of Fatal Vengeance

I blush under his stare, and Griffin blows out a soft laugh. He grabs my chin and turns my attention his way again before whispering, “Focus, little flame. How can I make sure you have a good life if I don’t know what you want that life to look like? That’s all that matters to me.”

With a shy smile, I say, “I want a life where I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder. I want peace. I don’t really know what that’ll look like yet, but I’ll be happy for the time to finally figure that out. Maybe I’ll find something I’m passionate about, but I don’t think college is the right place for me. It was never my dream, I only went for… my mom.” And here come the tough emotions again, clogging up my throat. I would say more, but I know my words won’t come out as strong as I’d like them to.

Will I ever be able to talk about her without sobbing?

Griffin nods thoughtfully, understanding as always. He takes my hand, threading our fingers together, and murmurs, “We’ll find that peace together. Promise.”

I melt a little, dropping my head to his shoulder once more. "I'll hold you to that."

Creed chimes in, adding, “If all you want is to stay home and relax for the rest of your life after everything you’ve survived, baby, I’m good with that. I’ll be right there with you.” He pauses and smirks at his cousin, who’s trying to look like he’s not paying us any attention. “Asher can work hard to support us.”

Griffin laughs under his breath and I bite my lip to contain my own giggle. I’m expecting Asher to snap something back and make it clear that he wouldn’t lift a finger to support me, but he shocks the absolute shit out of me instead.

With an intense glance at me in the rearview mirror, Asher says as seriously as I’ve ever seen him, “If that’s what you’d need, Prudence. You’ve suffered enough in your life. I wouldn’t mind.”

My jaw literally drops while I wait for the biting just fucking kidding but it never comes. I blink a few times, shocked when Asher gives me a single nod and then focuses back on the road.

I look at Creed, but he looks just as caught off guard as I do. Happy with his cousin’s response, but shocked by it. When I turn my attention to Griffin, he gives me this look that I can’t quite interpret… But it’s almost as if he’s urging me to take Asher at his word.

My brows furrow, the car silent now as Asher’s words tumble around in my head on repeat. I know he said he wanted to truce, but this feels like so much more, and I really don't know what to do with it. And his comment about my scars being nothing? That stung, so I'd assumed he'd already slipped back into being his normal dickish self. Now I feel like I'm getting whiplash.

Asher doesn’t give me much time to say anything, turning on the radio loud enough to drown out the now weird silence and my stormy thoughts. I let it go, mostly because I don’t even know what to say, so instead, I lean into Griffin again and let him curl me in close.

With his arm banded around me and my head nestled into his shoulder, I’m able to find some kind of sleep in this damn car.

I wake to gentle hands cupping my face and a soothing voice murmuring, “Ember, baby, we’re here.”

I smile sleepily, leaning into Creed’s familiar touch and safety, mumbling back, “I don’t want to go anywhere. Lay down with me and sleep.”

Behind me, Griffin breathes out a soft laugh, and then his hands are on me too. Creed tucks my hair behind my ears while Griffin unbuckles my seatbelt and kisses my head. “We’re at your sister’s, little flame,” he tells me, quiet enough for only me to hear.

Those words snap me out of my comfortable half-sleep state and drop me into the stark, ugly reality that I don’t want to deal with. I open my eyes with a deep frown, finding Creed almost leaning over me from the back door he’s opened to get me awake. I’m in the middle seat, still cuddled into Griffin’s warm body, and between the two of them, they manage to get me out of the car despite all my grumblings. I still think lying back down for a good long nap is the better idea, but neither of them agrees.

Asher is waiting at the front of the car, arms crossed over his chest as he glares at the house before us. It’s a small cabin nestled among tall pine trees, the air clear and quiet around us. It feels homey, but in a I don’t like people, so fuck off kind of way. Maybe my sister and I have something in common, after all.

Once I’m on my feet and fully awake, my frown etched into my face and unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon, Asher rounds the car and comes to a stop right in front of me. He holds my gaze for a moment, but when I don’t say anything, he merely gives me a firm nod and then turns to lead us to the front door.

Creed takes my right side while Griffin takes my left, the two of them flanking me as if they’re expecting an army of Celestials to barge from the tree line and attack. A shiver runs up and down my spine, chilling me to the bone. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past them and now I’m watching the forest around us for the smallest sign of movement.

When we reach the front door, Asher knocks and before he’s even dropped his hand back down to his side, it swings open.

All the air rushes out of my lungs.

Holy shit. I didn’t completely believe Asher about this sister crap until this very second. It’s impossible to refute now. She looks just like me. Red hair, fair skin, hazel eyes, though hers are a bit darker than mine. She carries that same guarded, broken look in them that I do. She’s also taller than me by a few inches, slimmer too, but there’s no denying our resemblance. Jesus, my father has strong genes.

She purses her lips as she looks at Asher, not really seeming like she’s happy to see him, but then she sighs and steps aside, holding the door open wider. “Get inside,” she drawls, not wasting time on niceties. Asher must roll his eyes or something, because a second later, she snaps, “Do you want a fucking ‘hello?’ You’re being hunted, and you’ve dragged me into this mess. Now get in the house before I leave you outside to fend for yourself.”

I’m caught between feeling totally uncomfortable… and also already loving her. I’m grinning before I can even help myself. Creed notices, nudging me with his shoulder as he smiles down at me. “Looks like the Malcom charm doesn’t work on either of you,” he whispers as Asher all but stomps into the house like a toddler.

I wrinkle my nose in disgust, looking from Asher to Creed. “What charm? The man is a walking hemorrhoid on his best days."

Creed barks out a laugh, ushering me into my sister’s house.

My freaking sister’s house.

I don’t know what our relationship will look like, if we'll even have one at all, but that’s the least of my worries right now. I just want to survive. Let’s hope this really is a safe place like Asher said.

9

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