Page 93 of Wicked Revenge

“I guess you have a library now for all your dirty books,” Ella snickers as I turn the handles and push both doors open. We gasp in awe as we take in the sight before us.

The space opens into a semi-circle, with an open glass wall that looks like the forest and Grimm River are inside the room with us. Curved shelves scale up two stories, with metal frame spiral stairs and sliding ladders sporadically placed to assist in reaching the upper levels of shelves. On the second story, in front of the glass window, is a reading nook. It looks like something out of a fairytale.

“Holy. Fucking. Shit,” She says, as we step inside, both of us spin in a slow circle trying to take in the enchanting space in its entirety. There are books on some of the shelves, but for the most part, they are waiting to be filled.

“I could get lost here for hours on end. Days, even,” I say breathlessly, coming around to face Ella again.

“So could I,” she says, finally returning her eyes back to me. “But I’ve been worried sick all night. What is going on, Rae? What’s the emergency?”

Grabbing her hand, I walk us over to a couch positioned next to the glass wall and take a seat. I take both of her hands in mine between us, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to prepare for everything I’m about to tell her.

“Oh, Ella… I should have told you sooner– I just didn’t know how,” I say when I finally open my eyes.

“You’re scaring me, Rae. Tell me what?”

“Okay. Don’t freak out. Please just let me get it all out first,” I tell her. She nods back at me eagerly.

“I have a daughter…” I start, still unable to fully process that she is alive after all this time believing she was dead. “King let me believe he killed her, but after all this time, she is alive. He didn’t kill her, Ella. He took her, and she is the sister the Shadows have been looking for.”

“What in the actual fuck?” Ella whispers in shock, her eyes as wide as saucers, before she pulls out of her trance with renewed vigor. “Holy shit, Rae. You have a daughter? King is her father? She’s their sister? I’m not going to freak out, but I’m going to need the full story behind this.”

So that's exactly what I tell her.

I start at the very beginning– the doctor’s monthly visits, the brutal attacks that followed, and then how they stopped when he figured out I was pregnant.

I tell her the horror story of Emera’s birth, the time I got to spend with her, and how I finally snapped the day King told me she was dead. I explain what happened yesterday with the guys, how we figured out Em is Emera, and that she is very much alive and in danger.

She sits there and listens intently, asking questions and squeezing my hands in support when my voice starts to break. I feel better now that she knows everything. She is my best friend in the entire world, and I needed to share this with her.

“So what do we do? How do we find her?” She asks when we’ve both had a minute to process my massive trauma dump.

“I’ve called in some friends. You remember the people who helped me in White Harbor?” I ask, and she nods her head back at me. “They are coming to help us locate her. They are really good at what they do. I know they can help.”

“Good. That’s really good, Rae. We will find her. Don’t worry,” she reassures me, hugging me tightly. I cling to her support as memories of everything King has done play like movie clips in my head, turning my thoughts dark.

“I’m going to enjoy every second of his death. He turned me into a monster. Now, he’s going to know what it feels like when the monster he created rips his world apart.”

“Death is a mercy he doesn’t deserve. Don’t make it too quick. Make it hurt,” she says with fire in her eyes.

“Oh, it won’t be quick. And it’s definitely going to hurt,” Maddox startles both of us out of our little bubble from the library doorway.

He pushes off the frame, stalking towards us wearing only a pair of sweats, something I am learning all the guys wear around the house and look absolutely delectable in.

“Come on, ladies. Breakfast is ready,” he says, picking me up from the couch and cradling me bridal style. I don’t even protest this time. It’s pointless, anyway.

“Oh, goodie. Do I get to watch ‘Big Daddy’ feed her again?” Ella snickers, following us out of the library.

“I fucking hope so,” Maddox laughs as we enter the dining room.

Royal and Alek are already at the table, but at least they have shirts on now. Being in a room with all three of them without melting into a goddamn puddle is nearly impossible as it is without the extra eye candy of their defined muscles and dark ink on display.

Besides, Ella is here and Snow will be here soon. I’d hate for them all to see my jealousy on display as well.

“Delivery for ‘Big Daddy’. One very hungry, very insatiable Baby Girl, sans panties,” Maddox says, smirking in that adorable feral kitten kind of way, as he sits me onto Alek’s waiting lap.

Alek looks down at me, like I’m his entire world wrapped in his brother's shirt, before leaning his mouth down to my ear.

“No panties, huh?”

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