Page 87 of Cedarwood Cabin

Dax holds up a beer for me to take. “Yeah…she’s drunk,” he says.

“Fuck’s sake,” I mutter, shaking my head.

I see a CD case on the side table and pick it up. The song Left Outside Alone by Anastacia blares from the speakers. I show Dax the CD case and ask, “Wasn't this Mom’s?”

Nodding, Dax can’t help but chuckle and sit back on the couch, his eyes following Flora around the room. Flora holds her glass of wine, swaying to the music with a surprising grace. She starts singing, her powerful and emotional voice filling the room with the poignant words of the song.

“Left broken, empty, and in despair,” she sings, dramatically pointing a finger at Dax.

He raises an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. Flora’s performance is raw, anger mixed with sadness. Her body moves with the music as her voice cracks with emotion.

She whisks her hair and takes a long sip of her wine. My eyes flicker to the wine bottle on the floor. It’s nearly empty.

Dax leans back in his chair and takes another swig of his beer. “Damn, she's really feeling it.”

I watch Flora as she becomes more extreme and expressive. When the song’s chorus comes around, she yells out the words, her voice echoing through the cabin. Flora sings, directing her words at me and Dax.

I gently pace over to Flora, catching her on the arm as she spins around. She looks at me, her eyes all wide and glassy.

“Flora…Maybe you should sit down?” I suggest.

Her eyes blink several times and her expression changes from defiance to vulnerability.

“No! I want to forget. I want to dance,” she slurs and nudges me off her.

Part of me feels a twinge of guilt for just a moment and then I come to my senses. She is singing this song and directing it at us. I can feel the bitterness in her tone. She stumbles toward Dax and straddles his lap as the song ends.

“I hate you so much. Just let me go,” she slurs.

She leans forward, her lips brushing his in a sloppy, drunken kiss. Dax doesn't kiss back. His hands hold the tops of her arms, steadying her.

“Flower, you’re drunk. Let's get you to bed.”

She leans backward, her eyes unfocused as she sways dizzily. I see her falling back and quickly catch her before she tumbles off Dax’s lap. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her upright. “Whoa, easy there.”

I support her weight as I help her stand. Her legs wobble as she leans heavily on me for support.

“Yup…I’m taking you to bed,” I say.

Dax shakes his head and agrees. Together, we guide her towards the bedroom. She drags her feet on the floor and stumbles a couple of times. We reach the bedroom and I lay her down on the bed. She murmurs something and her eyes flutter closed as soon as her head hits the pillow. I pull the covers over her, tucking them around her.

Dax walks over to the door. “You coming, dude?” he asks.

My eyes glance at Flora and then back to him. “I’m gonna stay up and watch her. I don’t want her to choke on her own vomit.”

I move a strand of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear.

Dax nods and heads out, closing the door behind me. I lie on the blanket and position myself to study her closely. She makes an incoherent murmur. Worrying she will be sick, I reach out and gently turning her head to the side. My thoughts are a tangled mess; I feel guilt, concern, and protectiveness. She stirs once more, her brows furrowing as if discomforted.

“You’re safe,” I whisper.

The night goes on and I lose track of time. I doze off but jerk awake many times, checking that Flora is still breathing.

DAX

I sit in the living room deep in thought, the crackling fire casting a warm glow around the room. It had never been part of the plan to keep her here like this. We'd wanted it to keep her long enough so that, just maybe, over the course of these three weeks, she might come to see things our way on her own. Realize that going back to London wasn't truly what she wanted. Flora is very strong, but yet so fragile. So defiant, but so easily tamed and controlled. We can’t help ourselves. She became our obsession. Her laughs, her artistic talents, her pussy, how she fits perfectly between Lyka and me, just everything about her made me want to keep her here forever. Me and Lyka ain’t ever letting her go. We gave her a second chance in life. She owes us her life now. She needs us. We give her stability and security even if it is in a fucked way. She was adrift in the world and we gave her a place to belong. Isn't that worth something? When I first saw her lying in the forest, I thought she was a figment of my imagination. She looked so lost yet angelic. As I cradled her in my arms, she opened her eyes briefly, looking so astray and hurt. In that moment I wanted to make her mine, forever. Deep inside, I know the truth. We crossed a boundary and there's no going back. She's ours now, bound to us by so much more than mere physical ties. I want to fuck her up in so many ways. I want her to depend on us like the air she breathes, needing to survive.

TWENTY-TWO

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