Page 34 of Claimed By Shadows

“Just warming him up. Joe too.” My eyebrows raise as he gives me a salacious wink. “I’m Johnny, by the way,” he says to Ember, holding his hand out to her.

She looks curious, but takes it anyway, giggling when he presses a light kiss on her knuckles as he bows over her hand.“Ember. I thought they didn’t mix us up? Men and women, I mean.”

“Well, I’m special,” he tells her, taking a seat and swiping a pastry off my plate. Little shit. “And I get on much better this side. Plus, I’m as gay as they come, so pose no threat to the lovely ladies here. You’re all beautiful, but lacking between the legs, no offence.”

Both Ember and I laugh at that. “Fair enough,” she replies, looking around and catching sight of the clock on the wall. “It’s time for my first session. Wish me luck.”

“You’ll be fine. Julia is lovely,” I tell her as we both get up and I give her a hug. “We’ll see you after for yoga, okay?”

“See you then. Nice to meet you, Johnny,” she says, giving him a smile before heading back towards the exit. I watch as she passes Rufus, but she doesn’t flinch away or react to his presence, which is a relief. I’ve been keeping an eye, making sure no one is bothered, and they aren’t, even if he still looks rough, pink scrubs or not.

“Friend of yours?” Johnny asks, and I turn my attention back to him.

“We went to school together. Before she went to college and I went to finishing school,” I reply, barking a laugh when his eyes widen as his head draws back.

“Hang on a fuck. Bitch, you went to finishing school?” he asks, his tone almost offended. “How did I not know about this?”

I spend the next forty-five minutes telling him all the gossip about Wyndham’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, both of us crying with laughter as I do impressions of my snooty teachers and headmistress.

Then we head to our yoga class, where we find Ember. Her eyes are red, but she gives us a weak smile and laughs when Johnny goes up to her and pulls her in for a tight hug.

“You’ve got this, hun. You are a bad bitch who will not let those cunts win, okay?” he says vehemently, pulling away enough to look into her eyes. “And you have the best fucking friends now, so you’ll never be alone.”

Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears, but she nods.

“Good. Plus, I hear you’re banging four hot guys, who are also your stepbrothers, so I will need all the dirty, juicy details soon. No holding out. I need to live vicariously through you and Iris over here until I get my own little harem going.”

She cuts me a look and I shrug my shoulders, mouthing an apology to her. She just huffs a laugh, shaking her head, letting Johnny lead us to our favourite spot by the window.

I lose myself in my practice, letting my mind empty as I work my body through the poses until I’m a hot, sweaty mess. I love it, and it’s something that I plan to continue with even once I’ve left here.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower and then head to the garden room to wait for Hunt,” I tell Ember and Johnny. “I’ll send Rufus to find you once Hunt’s here, okay?”

“You best do. I have plans,” Johnny says, kissing both my cheeks before literally skipping off toward his own room, which is on the other side of the ladies’ rooms.

“He’s really something,” Ember muses as we walk to our side of the manor, and I chuckle.

“He’s the best. Sometimes can be overwhelming, but I love it,” I tell her, my heart swelling with the thought of my new friend. “He’s like a ray of sunshine on a dark, miserable day. Stops me from getting lost in my head most days too.”

“Yeah, I can totally see that,” she answers as we walk up the staircase, Rufus trailing behind us. “So, is he one of yours?” She points to Rufus with her thumb, who snorts a laugh.

“He’s my protection and here because Hunt insists. We don’t know if Sergi will try to take me again, so better safe than sorry,”I tell her, and she pauses me at the top of the stairs, her hand on my arm. When we were eating breakfast, I told her that Sergi was the one to take me from the Shadows, that I was with him for several weeks until they got me back. I didn’t elaborate on his treatment of me, but I’m pretty sure she could tell from the way my hands trembled that he was the one to hurt me.

“If you’re in danger or if your guys need any more help, just let me know, okay? Maybe my brothers can help.”

I give her a smile, placing my hand on top of hers and giving it a small squeeze. “Thank you, Ember. I’m sorry you’re here, but I’m also so fucking happy to see you again.”

“Me too, Iris,” she says, and we continue down the hall. We get to my room first, and she gives me a quick hug before she makes her way to her room down the hall.

“I’ll be quick,” I tell Rufus, who gives me a nod and settles opposite my door, his hand clasped together in front of him, his legs in a wide stance. “Could you be any more of a bodyguard?”

As I turn and open my door with the key I was given the first day here, he laughs, and I shut it softly behind me. My heart skips a beat as I think about seeing Hunter again, even though I just saw him yesterday. It really is the highlight of my day, even better when one twin comes along too.

A flare of heat lights up my core, thinking about my own plans for this visit. I’ve been talking to Julia, telling her that some of my dreams aren’t bad. Some are, in fact, very good and involve the men whose touch I’ve been missing. She suggested that if I felt ready, I could gently experiment with what kinds of touch I might be able to handle. That I could try focusing on the differences between my men and Sergi, which also may help me reclaim that part of myself.

But first, a shower is needed.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

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