Page 30 of Wicked Revenge

We climb the black metal-framed stairs past the living room. On this level, we each have our own bedrooms with adjoining bathroom suites, as well as a guest room that we currently use as an office. Another set of stairs takes you to the rooftop loft, an open space three stories high, overlooking Grimm River. On the rare occasion, we get to relax, that is where we go.

Coming to the first bedroom on the right, Maddox steps inside his room and turns back to me. “I’m going to get out of these soggy clothes before we find her. You should, too.”

He continues on to his room and I head to mine across the hall. These clothes are heavy and stiff now, but my socks are soggy in my boots. I need a shower and some whiskey after the night we’ve had.

Making quick work of my boots and rain-soiled clothes, I step into my oversized walk-in shower, hitting the digital panel to turn on the shower heads. The water pours down my aching body from the overhead rainforest sprayer, reminding me that I literally jumped off a cliff tonight.

My muscles in my upper back and shoulders are burning from the hyperextension when I climbed down the tree roots, and my leg muscles are tight from chasing my dark Angel through the forest before that.

Dark Angel. I like that.

It seems fitting for the little shadow dressed in all-black who turned me and my brothers inside out tonight in a matter of hours.

This shower is fucking phenomenal. The scalding hot water sprays from every direction, giving me a full massage as it washes away the forest dirt and tension out of my body. I want nothing more than to just go find my girl and brothers, curl up for the rest of this morning, and sleep all day long in a cocoon of ignorant bliss. But that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

I’ve got to figure out what to do with Doc, then figure out how to find an untraceable hunter before they make their next kill, and King takes it out on Emma.

Finishing up in the shower, I shut the sprayers off and grab a towel from the warming rack. The warmth of the tile floors hit my bare wet feet as I step out of the shower and make my way into my room, drying my body as I go.

“Well hello there, big boy,” Maddox says from his spot in the middle of my bed, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

He’s reclined back on my pillows with his hands behind his head, his hair wet and messy from his own shower. His tattoos on full display, covering almost every inch of his body, disappearing down into his low slung gray sweats.

My favorite tattoo now stands out on his side. What was once a rose, dripping with blood, and three thorns, now has four. One thorn for each brother, and now the stab wound that our Angel created.

He must be enjoying the show because I can see the imprint of his pierced dick growing bigger by the second. Rolling my eyes, I grab my sweats from the dresser, adjusting my own cock as it decides it likes his playful attention. But like always, I ignore the fucker. We don’t have time for this right now.

“Let’s go find our girl,” I tell him, walking out of the room and heading down the hall to Alek’s room. I can hear Maddox quickly following behind me.

Alek’s door is slightly open but dark inside. Pushing it open, I am surprised to see them both in bed. I figured he would have insisted on taking the couch because he is a fucking gentleman like that. But considering I know what it feels like when she pulls you in and doesn’t seem to be able to let go, I guess it’s not that surprising.

It was extremely hard for me to let her go earlier to get her injuries tended to. She might not know us yet, but she seems to subconsciously understand that she wants us close. She trusts us even if she doesn’t realize it yet.

Alek is laying on his back with Raena almost on top of him. She is curled around his body like a little spider monkey, holding on for dear life. He opens his eyes when he hears the door hinge creaking, looking up at me as I move to stand next to his bed. He is still fully dressed except for his shoes and mask.

“How is she doing?” Maddox whispers as he comes up on the opposite side of the bed, both of us taking a seat on the edges and touching her. He plays with the ends of her flaming red curls, and I gently trail my finger up her arm on Alek’s chest.

“She is doing okay, considering. She doesn’t understand what’s happening right now anymore than we do, but she told me she feels safe.” Alek stares at her head as he speaks, a look of unconditional devotion on his face.

We all just stare at her for a few moments, taking in the weight of her words. She feels safe with us, even after everything she has been through. It makes my heart beat erratically in my chest because on one hand, I’m terrified.

This is just another person I have to protect. But on the other hand, nothing has ever felt so right in my entire goddamn life.

I have lived my life putting everyone’s needs above my own, pushing away my own desires so I can protect the people I love. I won’t do that here. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. My soul called out to hers and laid its claim on this girl the minute I laid eyes on her, down at the bottom of that rocky cliff. She doesn't even know it yet, but she is our whole world now.

We’ve never had a woman like this. Sure, we’ve had sex before, but there were no feelings involved, and definitely no one who would inspire three possessive alpha men to share them. I haven’t been with anyone since Emma was taken from us. And, though I’m not positive, I don’t think my brothers have either.

Finding Emma has been more important than chasing a temporary release for a few fleeting moments. Not to mention, anyone we bring into our fucked up world will have a target on their backs.

She might not like it very much, but she is going to have to stay hidden until we can deal with this hunter, find Em, and deal with King. I won’t lose her when we just found her. If I have to tie her to my bed, keeping her blissed out on orgasms, I will.

“Why don’t you go grab a shower and then we can talk. We’ll stay with her,” I tell him.

He looks as if he wants to protest. If this Angel was clinging to me like she is him, I wouldn’t want to move a single muscle either. After a few moments, he kisses the top of her head and nods. “Okay, help me lie her down, I don’t want to wake her up.”

We maneuver her off of his massive body as gently as we can. Rolling her back into Maddox, she twists her body and buries her face into his chest. She pulls him into her, leaving enough room for Alek to get up. She doesn’t even wake up when Maddox lifts her onto his body so he can lie down completely.

Alek stares back at her for a heartbeat or two before heading to his bathroom. He doesn’t bother shutting the door, and I know it’s because he doesn’t want to lose sight of his Baby Girl in his bed.

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