Page 93 of Intertwined Souls

“Fuck,” Ryker groans as he lays on his stomach and presses his face into the blankets.

“Yeah,” I sigh and run a hand down my face. “Today was something.”

“It doesn’t really feel real. Like we’ve talked about this stuff for so long, and now it’s really happening, but it just didn’t feel like we did that today,” Grayson comments.

Cade rolls onto his side, facing me and scooping all of my wet hair out from under my head before laying it on the pillow above me.

“I really need to braid it or I’m going to regret it when I wake up,” I grumble.

“I’m going to learn how to braid hair,” Cade says so low I doubt even Ryker or Grayson heard, but it brings a small grin to my lips.

“I can do it!” Ryker sits up on his knees and wiggles his brows at me.

“Can you actually?” I ask skeptically.

He scrunches his lips. “Not really, no. Well, I can, but it never turns out right. But for some reason I mastered a fishtail braid super quickly. So I can do it. Sit up,” he demands.

As I sit up slowly, Ryker stands on the bed and steps over me so he is behind me before plopping down and spreading his legs on either side of me.

“Ry, you just put your butt directly in my face. Did you have to do it that way?” Grayson groans, trying not to laugh.

“You love the view, don’t lie,” Ryker snarks and then runs his fingers through my hair.

“Where did you learn to do a fishtail braid? My mom never did that kind of braid, and I’ve never learned it either,” I ask as he begins.

Ryker shrugs. “I used to play with my aunt’s hair when she was sad. It kept me focused enough to behave and made her feel better. I taught myself by watching some videos.” He chuckles.

“That’s adorable.” I grin.

Cade snorts as I feel a sharp tug on my hair, making my head tip back until Ryker can look down at my face. “Say that again. I dare you.”

“You’re adorable? You are.” I grin up at him as I reach up and tap the tip of his nose. “You don’t scare me.”

Ryker snarls at me and then yanks slightly harder on my hair, exposing my neck to him where he leans down and bites hard. I yelp and slap his head while Cade and Grayson laugh next to us.

“You asshole,” I grumble, biting my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing.

He finally gets back to braiding my messy wet hair, and the room falls into silence for a few minutes before Grayson asks, “Is everyone truly feeling okay after today?”

“I feel pretty good. I was worried about you guys, but it just felt right, honestly,” Ryker responds first.

“I had moments where I felt like I might crumble, but then I’d get to look at one of you and calm myself or just remind myself that we are saving innocent people. I didn’t feel uncomfortable with going in or anything,” I add.

“You did amazing today,” Grayson praises. “You were the woman that those girls needed. You showed them what strength looks like when they felt hopeless and lost.”

Smiling at Grayson, I kiss the back of his hand that I’m holding in my lap.

“Thank you,” I respond, blinking away the tears that threaten to fall. There’s so many—too many feelings from everything today, so I glance over at Cade and move the conversation away from me. “What about you?”

“Everything felt good. Right, even. I honestly felt like I finally found an outlet for my darkness that means something. A way to turn…” He pauses, and none of us speak, giving him the time to collect his thoughts. “A way to take the evil my father created within me and manipulate it into what I want. To do something better. Be better.”

Be better. That’s what we all want in the end. To be better and do better than the people who hurt us. Who manipulated us or turned us evil.

The next morning, we all get up and quickly get ready for the day so we can head over to the club for breakfast and a big discussion about yesterday before people start heading home.

As I finish putting my hair up into a ponytail, Cade appears in the doorway. He leans against the door in his tight-fitted t-shirt and jeans that outline his thick thighs perfectly.

It’s very tempting to ask him to turn around so I can check out his—

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