Page 69 of Grotesque Love

Jas and Mal nod in solemn agreement, their expressions mirroring the gravity of the situation. It’s a silent vow, a promise to stand together, to stand with me, no matter the cost.

“We won’t let him hurt you,” Mal growls. I look between my three silent guardians, their stony forms a stark contrast to the fear pulsing through my veins.

Carver’s return changes everything.

Sax’s stoic demeanour cracks, his sorrowful eyes speaking volumes without uttering a word as he places his large hands on my knees.

Jas and Mal, usually so resolute, are gentle with their comforting touches as they take up positions on either side of me. Their solidarity is a balm to my frayed nerves, but it does little to quell the rising panic clawing at my chest.

The room that only hours ago had been a safe space, filled with desire and desperate touches becomes a suffocating cocoon. Each breath feels like a struggle with the anticipation of what’s to come.

With a heavy heart, I know what I must do. The safety of the gargoyle tower offers little solace now. I can’t hide away here forever, its stone walls are no match for my step-father.

Standing, I cross to the open window – the one they flew me through earlier – and gaze out. Headlights cut through the darkness like twin beacons of dread, shining across the sprawlinglawns. Carver’s car finally pulls into sight and parks outside the front of the house.

Hands wrap around my waist and a chin rests on my shoulder as Jas kisses my neck sweetly. Together, we watch Carver stepping out, his silhouette a menacing presence against the moonlit night.

He rounds the car to open the passenger door, and my breath catches.

Carver never brings anyone home. We never have visitors. I haven’t seen anyone besides my doctor and the groundskeeper in months. He says I’m too sick, it makes me a liability.

So why is there a blonde lady climbing out of the car to stand beside him? A bitter taste lingers in my mouth. From here, in the dark, she almost resembles my mother except her hair is more of a buttery, bottle blonde.

My stomach clenches as I watch them approach the front door, appearing to be laughing and joking with one another. The woman places a hand on Carver’s arm and throws her head back with a throaty laugh.

I turn away from the window and face my guardians. We all know that when the sun rises, they will be cursed to stand in silent vigil over me, trapped in their stone forms.

And one of the first things Carver will do as the morning breaks, is come looking for me like he always does.

“I have to go back,” I sigh, rebraiding my hair. The sky has begun to fade into shades of orange and red as a mist from the sea rolls in across the gardens. If I don’t leave soon, I’ll be trapped in the tower and Carver will tear it down trying to get to me. This room has quickly become important to me, I don’t want Carver anywhere near it.

“Ari…” Jas whispers, but I shrug off his touch. It hurts too much right now to let them comfort me. I need to build up my walls, take a step back. If I don’t, it will only devastate me more when my mind finally catches up to the hallucinations.

“Reality has come calling.” The sharp laugh that bubbles upmy throat is like acid, burning me and filling my ears with a horrible noise. I wanted them to stay with me, to be by my side…but I should have known better.

Sax scoops me into his arms, letting me bury my face in his neck. “You’re not alone, little love. You never were.”

That’s where he’s wrong.

I’m always alone.

I was alone when my mother died.

Alone when Carver brought me here.

Alone inside my own head for so long.

These three monstrous lovers of mine are just figments created to keep the loneliness at bay. Except a storm is coming, and the barricades won’t hold.

MAL

It’s bullshit. The whole thing is fucking stupid.

Ari isours. She belongs with us, where she feels safe and loved. Seeing her retreat into herself made my chest ache in a way I hadn’t felt in centuries. It was like she was closing a door between us, leaving my brothers and I outside in the cold, forcing us to listen to her sobbing through the door.

Sax had flown her back to her room, the Lord of the Manor and his guest nowhere to be seen. Once we settled her into her own bed, we nestled in around her, lavishing her with gentle kisses and soft touches until she fell asleep.

Our family is wherever she is, and if that means one beautiful woman, a gargoyle and two grotesques curled into a small bed in silence, so be it. We will do whatever it takes for her to realise that we’re real and we’re unequivocally hers. Nothing will ever tear me away from her – no matter how much she likes to punish me, no matter how much my little hellion challenges me. She’s ours.

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