Page 81 of Their Dark Rose

He’s not replying to Thorn, nothing as subtle. In a fit of rage, Finn flings my phone across the room so violently it smashes into the wall next to the door.

Almost hitting Falk on his way in. He dodges it last minute, staring down at the broken device at his feet, then at Finn.

A frown mars his perfect features. His green eyes are feral, almost as dark as the black T-shirt he’s donning.

He, too, understands what’s going on.

But unlike other times, he doesn’t stew in his feelings. He has to see the panic on my face, how the others are huddled around me.

And he comes for me.

“What did she say?” He climbs on the bed to Mason’s side.

I’m quiet, working on reconciling how my aunt and step-cousin flipped on me like this. They were the sweetest in their texts. In the blink of an eye, they became spiteful assholes. They showed their true faces.

“Her usual fucked up demands.” Finn shifts my body until my head lies in his lap. His fingers are soft as he runs them through my hair. His voice, on the other hand, is the sharpest razor. “She wants money. The usual demand.”

“Usual?” I stare up at him.

Falk bends to grab my feet, dragging them to his lap and massaging them.

“Yes, little rose.” I swear Finn’s tattoos come to life, primed to kill at their owner’s command. “That was one of the reasons we never let her around. She doesn’t deserve a cent of what’s yours.”

Mason strokes my bare thighs, the blue in his eyes ice cold. Violent. He directs them at Falk, talking to him over my head. The air in the room crackles as they fuel each other’s rage.

“She threatened her.” Mason’s fury takes shape in the form of words. “She’s done waiting, Falk. It’s just a matter of time.”

I place my hands on the bed, attempting to sit up. Finn pushes me back down, sheltering me against the things I might find out if I raise my voice.

“Stop it, all of you.” I glare at him, then at the other two. “You promised me honesty. You said you told me everything you have on Mallie. And you haven’t. Tell me everything and tell me right the fuck now.”

This time, they don’t give me the whole you’ll-learn-to-behave spiel.

Their gazes are grave. Their silence is thick and haunting.

I’m beyond relieved when Mason starts talking eventually. “You know we’ve been protecting you, right, flower? From the moment you were born, we’ve been there.”

My heart swells, emotions feeding it until it’s so large I can hardly stand their magnitude.

“Yes,” I whisper, relaxing into their touches. “I know.”

“We might not have been easy on you.” Mason furrows his brow, and I wonder how badly he regrets that life forced them to treat me that way. “Or the nicest. But it’s vital you remember that right after we stopped grieving, we’ve always done so for you.”

“Always.” Finn pinches my nose. Even when mad, he’s being playful and sweet.

“I understand.” Sucking in a deep inhale, I confess, “For years, I’d missed the people you were before you took me in. That was why I antagonized you, why I was trying to get under your skin. You were so cold, and I needed a reaction. Anything.”

“We sensed this was why you acted like it. Unfortunately, there’d been no other way to handle the situation.” Falk bends to kiss my toes one after the other, his eyes never leaving mine. “We’re so sorry that you suffered, princess.”

“We wish things could’ve been different.” Goosebumps spread across my thighs where Mason touches. “To both protect you and to be where we are today without hurting you.”

“We’ll spend a lifetime making it up to you, little rose.”

I gaze up at Finn. At the slightly psychotic smirk and the sincerity in his hazel eyes.

“I was mad.” More silly emotions drudge up. I snivel, upset at how I let my memories affect me. “Mad and frustrated and sad.”

In one smooth movement, Mason swoops me into straddling him. His hands are on my hips, the others’ are everywhere. I’m not sure how they do it, but they do. Cocooning me in their muscular, heated nest.

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