Page 174 of Broken Dreams

Washing my hair, I think about the things I’ve learned, and how little it bothered me to stab Riley and her goon. Is torture such a big leap? Would it bother me to watch or participate?

“Penny for your thoughts? Or do I need to account for inflation?” Linus teases me as he pulls me under the rainfall of the water to rinse out my hair.

“Thinking about everything beyond the door,” I murmur, turning to kiss his cheek. “That sounds dramatic, huh?”

“Not at all,” Linus grunts. “Will you promise me something?”

I’m worried it may have to do with my ability to speak. I’ve been living in a bubble in our nest, where my stressors are limited.

“If I can,” I say honestly.

“I don’t know what flipped in your mind to make it easier to speak to us, but I love hearing your voice,” he says, holding me tighter. “Don’t pull back. It’s normal to feel as if your mind and voice are frozen when scary shit happens.”

“It’s as if my tongue swells,” I rasp. “I feel dumb, and don’t like my weaknesses being known.”

“Be weak with me,” Linus says, kissing me. “I’ve seen you at your best and worst, baby girl. If someone is pissing you off and you can’t find your words, stabbing them is pretty satisfying.”

Smirking against his lips, I reply, “One little knife wound, and now you’re a hit man. I suppose we should go see if Bret is being a baby about his injuries.”

“What are we going to do about Christian?” Linus asks, sobering. “A part of me wants to take care of him because he’s been shot, while another part feels more violent.”

“You didn’t hear him during his speech,” I say. “I don’t think any of us are the same anymore.”

“Are you saying we should get to know this side of him?” Linus grumbles. It’s so petulant, I can feel my cheeks beginning to hurt from my grin.

“We play it by ear, baby,” I decide, shutting off the water. “Let’s go face the day.”

Linus makes a face at me but pushes open the glass door and grabs towels for both of us. I feel more awake now, and a little hopeful as well. All I can do is see how the day goes.

Opening the door to our nest shows that Christian isn’t in it anymore. Linus and I shrug at each other because there has to be a reason he’s gone now.

Linus and I get dressed quickly, and I decide on a pair of shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt with fluffy socks. Seems odd, but I find different parts of my body tend to get chilled faster than others in an air conditioned room.

Linus pulls on a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, showing that I’m not the only one searching for comfort. A quick brushing of my teeth completes getting ready, and I take a deep breath as I walk into the hallway with Linus.

It feels as if we’re leaving our bubble of happiness amidst the chaos of the world.

Squeezing my hand, Linus leads me downstairs, following the smell of food. We’re both hungry, and I can hear a lot of people in the kitchen.

“There they are,” Duncan says, flipping pancakes at the stove.

Our kitchen is full. Pack Dresmond is here, while Cian sips coffee at the island.

“Ah, what’s going on?” I ask, eyes wide.

“I kept Bret alive for you,” Kane says excitedly. He’s like a very dangerous golden retriever. “I also have been playing with some torture techniques.”

Kane carefully holds his hands over the baby’s ears while he says this, careful of the doll’s sensibilities.

Adira opens her mouth to say something before shutting it with an audible click as her teeth hit each other. Today, he's wearing a baby doll in some kind of baby carrier, and it helps to temper his words just a little.

Fuck it, I can indulge in a little torture, even if I’m unsure of what time it is.

“Tell me,” I find myself saying as Callum hands me a cup of coffee. If there’s caffeine, then it doesn’t really matter what time it is, because I’ll be up for a while.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Jed grumbles. “He was fucking around with wax and oil.”

“In a kinky way?” I ask, confused.

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