Page 29 of Saviors

Time seemed to blend together. I didn’t know if it was a minute or an hour when Reid came up the stairs, following the same path I had earlier. He stopped short when you saw us.

“What’s going on?”

“Not sure.” I shrugged, but the longer we stood here, the less casual I felt. “Mav’s worried about Violet.”

“What is she doing?”

“Showering.” He grumbled.

If I strained to listen, there was a faint sound of the water running. It did nothing to soothe the anxiety flowing through my veins.

“Don’t you think it’s a little creepy to stand outside her door?” Reid’s look of disapproval didn’t dispel Maverick. He just made a noncommittal noise.

We waited a few more minutes. My heart started to beat an uneasy rhythm. I stared at the wood, waiting for it to open. I thought about what I’d be doing if I was her. If I’d lost everything.

It wasn’t hard to imagine. I’d once been as low as her. Completely alone in the world and not sure how it had all come crashing down. And that void had lived in me until I’d met my brothers. Sometimes it was still there, maybe not a gaping chasm anymore. But a tiny hole in my heart that would stay empty forever.

I remembered the crazy thoughts that had gone through my mind when I’d lost my family. I felt the emotions again, like it had happened yesterday. The rage. The disbelief. The injustice. Then the agony.

I would’ve done anything to get rid of that pain.

My stomach dropped to my knees. “Mav, how long has she been in there?”

“Too long.”

I pictured Violet when we’d left her parents. The vacant look in her eyes. Soon it would be filled with all those emotions she couldn’t control.

My body shot forward, deciding before I had. “She’s hurting herself.”

“You don’t know that,” Reid said from behind me. I barely heard him.

“I know what I feel.”

“You don’t want to scare her.” I looked back to see Maverick running a hand over his jaw, but I was already opening the door.

“This isn’t a good idea.” Reid protested, but followed me as I stepped into her room. “She’s going to freak out.”

“Better than her being fucking dead.”

It was dark, with only the faint glow of the setting sun coming in through the windows. My eyes immediately went to the closed bathroom door. Our footsteps were silent on the plush carpet as I moved towards it.

That’s when I heard it. A sharp cry. Like a trapped animal.

“Violet?” I knocked, but the only response was more sobs.

I grasped the metal handle, but the lock caught. Of course, she’d locked it. I pounded on the wood again, louder this time.

“Can you let us in, little bloom?” All I could hear were her whimpers of pain. The worry tightened my chest. I looked at my brothers and I saw it all over their faces.

Fuck this. I gripped the knob tight and pulled, ripping it right off the door. It flew open.

Steam swirled around the room. It fogged the air, making it difficult to see. But the layout was the same as our. I made it to the shower without a problem.

Yanking back the curtain, I found her. Violet didn’t seem to notice us as the water beat down on her. Her knees pressed to her naked chest as she sat curled up on the tile floor. Her hand was still running a cloth over her body.

She wasn’t just washing herself. She was scrubbing at her skin, turning it red and raw. Or maybe it was the scorching heat of the shower. Tears flowed freely off her cheeks, mixing with the water as it circled down the drain.

I leaned forward, flicking the temperature to cool. I stuck my hand out, reaching for her. “Come on. Up.”

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