Page 65 of Tangled in Knots

“I’m not policing who my scent match is friends with,” I growl. “I don’t want to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to. Safety does her no good if she feels stifled.”

I say this to Kane, Jed, and Morris as I leave to follow her, noticing the way they cringed. They’ve done a lot in the last few weeks to keep her “safe”, but all they did was deliver her into a new hell to recover from.

CHAPTER 16

ADIRA

The drive to the shelter is odd. It’s dark outside and the world is blanketed in snow. I’m still in socks, refusing any help to walk, despite the fact that I’m still very shaky and my feet are now wet.

Call me stubborn, but I don’t want to have to thank them for anything.

“I still don’t like the idea of you staying at the shelter,” Jed mutters.

“Funny, I don’t believe that I asked you,” I mumble. “I’m not asking for permission, or anything really.”

“Adira,” Morris rasps. At first I wonder if he’s already tired of my shit, because he sounds exhausted, until I realize he’s simply trying to get my attention. “We saw no other way, but we didn’t try very hard to either. We failed you in this. You can do whatever you want, just think about the consequences, okay? These are strangers.”

“So are you. Just because you’ve had your dick inside of me doesn’t mean much,” I tell him.

Harsh? Maybe. But I feel raw in so many ways. I want to curl up into a ball and sob. However, I can’t because I’m getting a chance to start over. Away from the mafia bullshit of my father and even these men.

Just because I’m tied to them biologically doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“Jesus, you’re fucking killing me,” he mutters. “There’s no way I’ll ever be able to explain to you how out of control things went. I had my blinders on, telling myself this was the only way to make sure you were safe.”

“Yes, I’m sure this all makes sense to you, but this is my body, and I take issue with it,” I growl. “The amount of fluid… ah.”

Shuddering, I gag as I remember it.

“I can’t,” I whisper. “I’ll die if I think about it.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have a weapon on you,” Kane says worriedly, turning toward me. He’s sitting next to me, and I’m stuck in between the two brothers. “I feel like you’re one memory away from doing something really fucking stupid.”

“You really think that after everything I just survived that I would kill myself?” I ask. “I know my life isn’t the only one that’s on the line. Your brother will probably be dragged down too.”

“It may be better than feeling what I feel,” Damon grunts. “When you were thinking just now, next to me, I could see the flashbacks. Adira, I can’t even imagine. I could fucking feel the tearing, and God... I just don’t know how we’ll ever be able to apologize enough.”

“He didn’t know what was planned,” Kane states. “I swear it, little rabbit. He took a pill so he wouldn’t show everyone how much it hurt him to watch everything. Even then, he almost stormed up the stairs of the stage before Jed punched him in the face.”

“So I’m not the only one to receive ill treatment. This is how you treat your family members as well. Fantastic,” I mutter. “I’m so glad to see there’s no prejudice for this.”

“That’s not what was meant, brat,” Jed grunts. “You two are tied in an inexplicable way, and because of this I was afraid he’d leak details. This only worked if you trusted us.”

“You’re not helping your case,” I sigh. “Imagine things from my point of view. Morris pretended to be nice to me for weeks and then presented me with the choice of a pill, or a syringe that would feel like fire going in. Either way, I would be rendered unconscious. How the fuck am I supposed to make that choice?”

“Both are fucked,” Kane agrees. “We couldn’t be around you anymore, knowing what was going to happen. The guilt was eating us alive, knowing that we were going to give you to the auctions.”

“All I’m hearing is that you knew it was wrong and you still decided to go through with it,” I mutter as Morris comes to a stop on what appears to be a deserted street. “Where are we?”

“Do you see the blue door under the spotlight?” Morris asks. “Apparently, the light only turns on at night to show that they are taking new residents. That’sOmega’s Haven.”

“This is where you said you wanted to go,” Jed says. “Did you change your mind?”

“No,” I say, a sliver of fear sliding through my veins. It’s interesting how the unknown can have you shivering in your socks, while there are killers in the vehicle with you. They’re the danger, not a shelter. Still, I’m scared to get out of the car.

I can’t let a little fear keep me from doing what’s right for me though. Unlike the alphas and beta in the SUV with me. Taking a deep breath, their combined scents hit me hard, reminding me of what I’m giving up.

They may have pretty words, but they’re not doing me any favors by continuing to live under their father’s thumb.

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