Page 49 of Fixation of the Mind

“As you can already tell, my uncle has a hard time making nice with others. He has a superiority complex that doesn't rub the others the right way.”

When the council had announced Rion as successor, my uncle went into a fit of rage, breaking everything in the house. The joy of that moment still filled me whenever I thought about it. “They’re also big on tradition, and since our father was the last head, they wanted to keep that direct line going. The final nail in the coffin was when Rion came out with that face-scrubbing software. It gave him the advantage since our uncle hadn’t provided anything big for Foedus, and they’re big about council members ‘proving’ they’re worth the seat.”

Glancing over at her, she was rubbing her temples as she whined, “God, there’re so many fucking rules and politics. It makes a girl’s head spin.”

Huffing out a laugh, I recognized the turn-off into our secluded neighborhood. “If you have more questions, Rion can answer them. He’s super good with the rules and stuff like that.”

She was staring out the window, eyes glazed over, and I knew what she was thinking about.

As soon as we got through the gate, Rion and Roux were outside waiting for us. I’d barely jerked to a stop before Roux tore the door open, unbuckled Rin, and lifted her into his arms.

“You need to eat,” was all he said as he carted her into the house.

Rion waited for me to catch up, his eyes on her as he asked, “How was the drive?”

I knew what he really wanted to hear—how she was doing. I shrugged, keeping my voice low since we were following behind them. “She had a good cry when we left, and it was timed perfectly. I think it had more to do with Roux rescuing the girl, relieving her of that guilt, than it was about the actual killing.”

Remembering the emotionless face she had given me, I stopped Rion. “Something has changed in her. She’s…”

“Less naive.” Rion’s comment was so predictable that I rolled my eyes.

“No. It's more like when she goes into survival mode, but now it doesn't take much to trigger that part of herself.” Rion’s eyes widened as he looked back at where Roux was trying to feed her ravioli. Italian food, nice! It was the best comfort food, and the fact that he’d perched her right on top of the island was comical enough that it had to lighten her mood a tiny bit.

“Let's keep an eye on her.”

This time, I looked at him, raising my eyebrow. “Like we don't already?”

“You know what I mean.” He glared at me until we heard her giggle. Both of us turned to her like moths to a flame.

“No! I’m already chewing one. You can’t stuff more into my mouth. That’s not how eating works.” She tried to scold Roux, but even I knew that was a losing battle.

“That’s actually the definition of eating.” He had another ravioli primed and ready on a fork. “You put one in your mouth and eat it before the next one goes in your mouth. Eating. Would you like for me to spell it?” She playfully punched him in the arm before taking the second bite. I was just glad she was eating.

“I feel like I should tell you that I told her about our first kills.” Rion stiffened, looking at me like how-could-you, but I didn't care. It was the only right choice for the moment, so I told him just that. “She needed it. She needed to not feel like she was the only one that had to do something like that. In fact, I think it helped her connect with us a little more, seeing us as humans instead of obsessive, crazy monsters.”

“But we are,” was his response, and I cracked a smile.

“Yeah, but now we’re all monsters.”

“She’s not a monster. She is perfect!” Rion spat out his motto like I’d never heard it before.

“I know, I know. But she thinks she is, and now she thinks we can be monsters together. She needed to hear it. Also, it made her more ready to be on our side in helping us take the Ambros seat once she passes.”

He glared at me from the side of his eyes. “But we don't need her to do that. She should just stay here and be pampered all day.”

“Yeah, I don't know if our girl is going to like that. Seems like she appreciates honesty and being clued in more. Just trust me.” He eyed me up and down before he gave a sharp nod and turned away, done with me. Prick.

After we ate, she stood up and thanked each of us for helping her. We assured her we would do it a thousand times over, and she gave a sad smile. Then she asked something I had thought was off the table.

“Is there… Is there any way one of you could sleep next to me tonight?” The clanging of dropped forks echoed as all of us looked at her. “I don't think I’ll have a good night tonight, and I was hoping for some help with the… nightmares.”

We all volunteered, already trying to work out shifts, but she solved that problem. With a smirk, she informed us that the California king in her room could fit everyone, and we weren’t going to turn down that offer.

That was the fastest I’d ever undressed. When she opened her door, dressed down in sleep shorts and a tank-top, my nether regions tingled.

That night, nothing much happened, but I was able to hold my girl in my arms and soothe her worries. Splitting that time between my brothers, we all got the best sleep of our lives. It didn’t matter that she had nightmares; what mattered was the fact that we were there to fight them off for her.

It was the best night of my life.

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