Page 52 of Fixation of the Mind

What I didn't expect was two bodies landing on either side of me. The boys kissed me, telling me how amazing I was and how well I’d taken them. That they were so happy to have me in their lives. Well, it was really Ravi who’d said all the things, but Roux had grunted in agreement.

After a few minutes of lingering in our euphoria, Rion clapped his hands at the other two, telling them they needed to move, then he grabbed me while barking at them to start a bath.

They took care of me afterward, cleaning me up in the bath, drying me and putting me in some of their cloths. They smelt like them, so I didn't mind. Then they picked me up, put me on the couch and brought me food, turning on a movie they knew I would enjoy. I felt so cherished and taken care of that I was speechless, my heart feeling so incredibly full.

I couldn't believe how perfect it felt just sitting on the couch with Ravi on the floor, his head in my lap, my fingers running through his hair. Rion sitting to my right, so close he kept brushing up against my thigh, and Roux claimed my left side, his arm around my back.

Surrounded by them, I finally found clarity in my muddled mind.

Yes, I had a right to be angry. Yes, they had manipulated me. Yes, what they had done had hurt my heart, but sitting here with them now, all those pieces of my heart they smashed were being sewn back together. All of those excuses and reasons I gave myself couldn’t negate the fact that I wanted these men—more than friends, more than just adults scratching an itch. No, actually, I needed them.

I didn’t care if these men were killers, psychos, obsessive stalkers. I’d been on my own for so long, and I was tired of it. Right then I decided, I wasn't going to give this up, not for anything.

They were mine.

Chapter 19

The last two weeks had been the best of my life. The guys never left my side, and we stayed in our paradise bubble for as long as we could. Then a phone call from Maria brought reality crashing down around us.

“The test is scheduled for ten am tomorrow. Don’t be late.”

Rion glared at the phone before shoving it into his pocket. Worry lines marred his beautiful forehead, and I reached up to rub them away. “It's okay. We knew it was coming.”

His hand caught mine. Pulling my fingers to his mouth, he kissed the tips, staring into my eyes with the full force of his attention. My knees got weak, and I forced myself to stay standing, not wanting to look like a fool.

“I can do better than a few kisses on your fingers,” Ravi said as he slid next to me. Lifting my free hand, he turned it around and bent his head toward my wrist, looking up at me with a devious smirk that spoke of all the naughty things he wanted to do to me. My breath hitched when his tongue flicked along my vein, making my heart beat ten times faster.

Looking up to Roux, hoping he would help me out of this situation, I realized that was wishful thinking. He just rolled his eyes at his brothers before he winked at me.

“It's not a contest, brother. Grow up.” Rion’s voice became menacing at the end, and he glared at his brother kissing up my arm.

Ravi giggled, shooting up to give me a quick peck before sauntering over to the refrigerator. “It's not a contest, brother,” he threw over his shoulder as he grabbed a water, “but if it was, I would definitely be the winner.”

My serious prince’s face got red, his nostrils flared. He was looking at Ravi like he could barbecue him with just his eyes.

Roux’s voice finally broke the tension. “Quit it. We need to talk about the worst-case scenario.” Knowing he was right, I sighed and grabbed a seat.

Both Ravi and Rion followed suit, and all of us stared at the table until Rion spoke. “We know they won’t kill her if she doesn’t pass, which leaves two paths for them. They either take her by force and lock her up to produce an heir…” A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of that horrible fate. “Or they make plans to insert suitors into her life to ensure the continuation of the line. Either way, if she doesn’t pass, their plan will be to get her pregnant as soon as possible.”

While I hated both of those choices, the boys looked worse than I felt—faces pale, jaws clenched, and their heads down. Ravi mumbled something, but every other word was a curse.

“Obviously, I don't want any of that, so what do we do?” I needed them to think about solutions, not focus on the problem.

Rion folded his hands together, brows furrowed as he looked down at the table. “Since you are the last of your line, they’re going to try to control you without you realizing you’re being controlled.” He exhaled into the silence. “The only positive I can see is that they’ll take their time making a decision. This is the first time in history this has happened, and they won’t want to make a mistake. It won't be right away if you don't pass, which will give us time to make moves.”

Roux’s rumble of a voice promised, “We won’t let them take you.”

Ravi and Rion nodded before the latter’s eyes closed, his lip lifting in a scowl as he spoke. “It also doesn't hurt that you’ve already made ‘friends’ with Cinzia and Elio Ricci. Maria will have to worry about keeping them happy, and the other council members won’t want to anger her if they can help it.”

I flinched, eyes pulling tight when I asked, “Are they really powerful enough to make the council members change their minds?”

Ravi chuckled. “They’re just the most unstable, and it being those two…” He paused, leaning forward. “Cinzia is second to Rion in the tech department, able to take down governments if she wanted to, and Elio… He has no problem blowing shit up for fun.”

“Needless to say, they will want to tread carefully in order to keep from creating dissension in the younger ranks,” Rion finished for Ravi.

Mr. Angry added his final words. “They might take their time, but don’t think that means they won’t easily find a way to get you in manipulative ways. Always be on guard.”

Well, duh. I was already going to do that, but something else was needling me. “And when they finally decide on a plan and I’m unable to refuse them? What then?”

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