Page 25 of Wicked Vengeance

Pulling my focus back, I clear the emotion clogging my throat and reach for a plate. “Thank you, Snow. Can you make it for her when we bring her home?”

Compassion fills her glassy eyes as she heaps on an ungodly amount of dessert, “Of course.”

Silence falls over the cottage as she serves each of us our girl’s favorite dessert, emotions seeping into the quiet as we eat our fill in her honor.

When our bellies are full and our plates empty, we gather around the fireplace to continue building our plans. Dax and Ronan head out to swap out with security, letting them come in and eat a hot meal.

“I’ve finished re-vetting our men. I’ve called them in, so they’ll be here first thing in the morning. We’ll set up a schedule for patrol duty,” Alek tells Gage, taking a seat at the table next to him.

“I’ll do my own vetting if that’s okay. I don’t have a good history of playing well with others. I’ll choose my team and they’ll answer to me.” His gaze never leaves his steaming bowl of stew as he responds, and his spoon pauses in the air as he waits for an answer.

“Not a problem. I’ll get you a list. You can vet them yourself in the morning.”

A grunt in response is all he provides as he resumes devouring the decadent stew. His brother beside him is much more friendly and more talkative, giving Snow all the praise she deserves for preparing such an excellent meal.

“It’s an honor to help,” she says kindly, and if I didn’t know her history, I’d never guess her ivory skin– pale as the winter snow, had ever been stained in crimson blood like mine. She’s pure, kind-hearted, and light. You’d never know her past bathed her in its wicked darkness.

Her face is the mask of a polite host, even though she’s our guest here. But I can see the exhaustion, the stress, hidden beneath. She begins clearing away the dishes, pushing past that bone-deep tiredness in her eyes. I’m on my feet, nudging my brothers on the way to her with a silent command.

“You cooked for us. The least we can do is clean up after ourselves,” I tell her, taking the stack of dishes from her hands and depositing them in the sink behind me. “You and your family take the master bedroom. Get some rest. The real work begins in the morning.”

She looks as if she wants to protest, but when my brothers join me in cleaning up the mess from dinner, she gives a grateful nod and squeezes my arm before retreating into the bedroom.

Gage and August finish eating and wash their dishes before returning to their posts outside.

Once the kitchen is back in its pristine condition, every dish put away and the counters gleaming in the dim light, Maddox finally speaks, quieter than I’ve ever heard him.

“I need both of you to keep me in check. I won’t be able to control myself. We need information out of Jackson, and I will kill him before he gives it to us.”

Maddox's back is to me as he faces Alek, his head hanging in defeat. Alek's eyes dart to mine over our brother's bowed head with a question, a plea..

With the answer in my eyes, we cage him in, not leaving a single sliver of space between our bodies. Alek lifts his chin as my hand closes around his muscular throat, pressing firmly enough to feel his thunderous heartbeat and his Adam's apple shift as he swallows.

“I am proud of you, Maddox, for coming to us– telling us your concerns. We will always have your back. We trust you. Now you need to trust yourself,” Alek soothes, his golden brown eyes never leaving him.

Squeezing his throat, I feel his breath catch, and he shudders against me when my words whisper across his skin. “We’ve got you, Pet.”

Before everyone starts arriving and the house and surrounding forest are filled with our men and allies, there’s one thing we need to do.

Snow is in the kitchen when we walk out of the cottage, making enough breakfast to feed an army, which I suppose is fitting since that’s ultimately what we’re building today– an army to slay a wicked king and rescue our Queen.

The view of Grimm River from this cottage has always been my favorite. Even as a boy struggling to bear the weight of my mother’s addiction, these boulders and rocky banks were my safe place. The early morning sunlight dances with the rushing waters, shining glimpses on the river bed of life fluttering under the surface. I used to envy that lifelong freedom. Going wherever the current flows. Now, as a man, I know that life is what you make it. It can be as freeing as the river flowing through the veins of this land…or as stifling as a stagnant pond.

My brothers follow behind me, their footsteps crunching on the rocks as we near my favorite spot— a large group of boulders that sit overlooking the water. The years have not changed much about this place. Maybe the stones are a little easier to climb now since I’m a lot bigger than when I sat here as an eight-year-old boy, waiting on this rock while the police carried the bodies out— my mom and baby sister.

Alek and Maddox climb up with me, positioning themselves at my sides. None of us speak for a moment. We just watch life flow beneath the Grimm River– the freedom we are fighting for. For Em. For Raena. Our family. Shadow Forest. For the eight-year-old boy who sat on this rock with the weight of the world on his shoulders, grief and relief in equal measure, drowning him.

Pulling out the burner phone from my pocket, I call the only person who can give us the hope we need right now. Ella’s face fills the screen a moment later.

“She’s okay. Sleeping,” she whispers, turning the phone to let us see Em sleeping peacefully in the bed, curled up next to her. Her little white horse tucked under her chin.

“How are things there?” I ask softly after a few minutes of staring at Em’s beautiful little face–the face of her mother. Ella slips from the bed, and I hear a door close a moment later.

“It’s good. This place is a fucking fortress. She’s safe here.” She swings the camera to show the two armed guards stationed on either side of the door she just exited.

“Thank you. It will never be enough. For what you’re doing for us.” Alek says, sliding his hand into mine. Maddox places his hand on my knee, giving it a squeeze.

“Don’t flatter yourselves. I mean, you’re cute and all,” She winks, trying to lighten the mood with her sass before it fizzles out as her eyes go distant, worry and guilt plaguing her. “Rae would do the same for me. This is for her. I couldn’t protect her. Not the first time– not this time. I won’t make that mistake again. Just bring her home. I’ve got this here.”

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