Page 23 of These Dangerous Fates

“This isn’t just for fun or training anymore. We have to keep her safe. We can’t let Sam get his hands on her …” Kai pauses before adding, “or anyone else.” He glances at me. “Is this going to impact your job? I don’t want you to get involved in this if it does.”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t think I have a choice.”

“What about your mom and sister?” he asks.

Fear hits my system like a freight train. Fuck, I didn’t think about that. I take a deep breath and run my hand down my face. “I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I’ll have to play it by ear. But I can’t walk away now.”

Kai nods in understanding. “Okay, but if you need to step back, do it. Don’t risk them.”

I appreciate his words, but they give me no comfort. How the hell do I choose between my family or Ellis? It should be an easy choice. My family should always come before someone I just met, but I can’t bring myself to say the words. It feels wrong, making my skin itch just thinking about it.

“Cade, can you lay some extra wards in my room?” Kai asks. “No more staying in the library. I want her to be comfortable here.”

I nod and glance at Ellis. She’s smiling through her tears, soft laughter filtering through the silence to us. I guess that is the magic of a best friend. I glance at mine and think they would be the only ones to pull me out of something dark like that. In fact, they have done it in the past. I look at Ellis again, and think maybe I’ll be able to add someone else to that list, too.

Ellis

I can’t believe I just told three strangers about my life. I’ve never even really told Allie everything. She just assumed and I never confirmed or denied her suspicions. But tonight, I just spilled it all. I couldn’t stop once I started. It was like someone reached inside of me and grabbed all that ugliness and pulled it out. If I’m being honest, I feel a little lighter having shared one of the darkest secrets of my life.

There’s something about Cade that I find comforting. I don’t really know him, but I feel safe with him near. And Malakai and Sterling have had plenty of opportunities to hurt me but they haven’t. As hard as it is for me, I think I may be able to trust them. I sure as hell hope I can, after everything I shared with them.

Being able to talk to Allie helped lift my spirits as well. Hearing her voice and letting her know I’m safe-ish took a load off me. I can always count on her to make me laugh, even in the middle of a crisis.

As soon as I set Cade’s phone on the coffee table, all three guys come back to the sitting area. Malakai kneels in front of me and places his hands on my thighs. Red rims the pupils of his gray irises, and his black lashes fan across his pale cheekbones as he closes his eyes.

His voice is low and soothing when he speaks. “I know you don’t trust us, and you have no reason to, but I will say it as many times as I need to until you believe me.”

He opens his eyes, and I suck in a breath. Something travels through my body, something I can’t explain. It’s a subtle warmth spreading from my chest outward, but goosebumps break out on my arms and legs, and I lean forward without realizing I even moved.

“I will never hurt you,” Malakai continues. “The three of us will never hurt you. We are going to do everything we can to keep you safe.”

Swallowing thickly, I nod my head. I believe him. There is sincerity in his gaze and truth ringing in his words. Maybe I’ll regret it later, but I’m running out of options. I need something or someone to hold on to. So far, they have kept me safe and treated me well. I have to believe they will keep doing that. If Sam is really taking part in this contest, having these guys as my champions might be the only thing that saves me.

Malakai stays kneeling in front of me for a moment longer, our gazes locked on each other, before he gently squeezes my thighs and stands. “Obviously, Sam will be our biggest threat. Anyone else on that list we need to prepare for?” Malakai asks Sterling as he reclaims his spot on the other end of the couch.

Cade sits next to me, and I lean into him. It’s a pull in my middle that makes me do it. Nerves flutter in my belly, but I tell myself I can always move away if I need to. His arm comes around me immediately, and those butterflies return.

“A few could be problematic,” Sterling says, running his fingers through his tangled hair. “Uriah and Josh are both powerful shifters; panther and wolf. Carson is … well, you know.” He shrugs and falls silent.

“Carson is a dick. I want to rip his fangs out every time he opens his damn mouth,” Malakai growls.

I try to stay awake as the guys continue talking strategy. I really do. But the events of the past day and night are catching up with me, not to mention how emotionally draining it was to share my story. My eyelids get heavy and each blink takes longer for me to open them again. Cade is like a warm blanket wrapped around me, further lulling me to sleep. I can’t remember the last time I felt relaxed in someone’s arms. His scent, like cedar and lilac, settles my nerves, and it doesn’t take long before I fall asleep.

* * *

Quiet voices wake me. I stretch and quickly realize I am not on the couch I fell asleep on. Panic sends me bolting upright. Black sheets pool around my waist and I almost knock heads with Cade, who leans back with wide eyes.

“Whoa,” he says gently. “It’s okay. We moved you to Kai’s room. Figured the bed was more comfortable than that couch.”

Glancing around calms my heart’s frantic rhythm in my chest. I recognize the room from when Cade brought me here to shower. It's minimally furnished with a couple of black leather chairs, a small cart with bottles of alcohol, a window seat, and the enormous bed I’m currently laying in. The bed. I almost groan at how comfortable it is. Like sleeping on a cloud. I run my hands over the black silk sheets and it’s like my hands are skimming over water.

A silvery moon glows in the dark sky behind Malakai sitting on the window seat. It gilds his black hair and makes the dark strands shimmer. Either I haven’t slept long, or slept through the day into the next night.

I brush my wayward curls out of my face and glance at Cade. “What time is it?”

He gives me his classic sweet smile. “It’s almost 9:30. You slept all day.”

I guess it doesn’t really surprise me. The past couple of days and nights have taken a toll on me. And some part of me must have recognized the safety offered by these guys, because it feels like the first full night's sleep I’ve had in years. Even my own bed in my own home was never truly safe. But I’m more rested and ready to face whatever challenges await us.

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