Page 113 of Revenant

That I’m finally free.

The rest of the guys are waiting for us near the elevator. Not daring to linger longer than necessary and risk blowing our cover, Hicks threads our fingers together, and we head toward the others.

“How long will your gift of persuasion last?” Ellis asks Crystal when the doors to the elevator close behind us, and I’m not sure I’m breathing as I wait for her answer.

“I don’t know,” she admits a bit reluctantly. “I’ve never stayed in one place long enough to test it.”

The elevator ride is silent as we contemplate the ramifications.

I’m not sure how I feel.

Removing him from my life was almost too easy.

I don’t realize I’m trembling until the twins hug me close, their arms nearly crushing me, but I don’t protest. Jameson kisses the top of my head, while Jaceson murmurs in my ear, “Are you upset? Though he’s an asshole, the man was your father. It’s okay to mourn what you lost.”

“Mourn him?” Crystal shudders, wiping the palms of her hands against her jeans, as if to rub off the nasty feel of him. “You should be relieved.”

When I glance at her, understanding passes between us. We both faced evil, we just dealt with it in two very different ways—I fought against it with every beat of my heart and suffered for it,while Crystal bowed under the weight, doing what she had to do to survive.

I won’t ever like her, but I do understand her better.

“I’m not mourning him. I can’t miss something I never had.” I glance at my guys, my insides feeling a little broken and sad. “No, I feel like I escaped a weight that was slowly crushing me. For the first time in my life, I’m…free.”

By the time we reach the vehicles, I’m almost running, afraid I might be dragged back into my father’s clutches if I linger for a second longer. Crystal stands hesitantly on the sidewalk, looking a little lost. I open my car door, then pause. “Are you coming?”

She blinks in surprise, confusion twisting her expression, and a hint of vulnerability shimmers in her dark eyes. “I… Yes.”

Then she rushes toward the car and crawls mutely into the back seat, like she’s afraid that we will notice her and change our minds.

Hicks glances at me over the roof of the car, his expression exasperated, but a tiny smirk curls his lips. If I look close enough, I swear I see flames dancing in his eyes, and I shiver as I remember our night together.

No matter what comes, I know the guys will stand behind me.

After years of painful solitude, I finally found what I have been searching for all along—love. They don’t see my abilities as a curse, they love me for who I am…faults and all. As we drive back to our cabins, contentment settles into my very soul. With the men by my side, I’m finally home. Though we might have more battles ahead of us, we will face them together.

The end…

…or is it?

Epilogue

JAMESON

Iwill never get tired of loving Rue. I find myself searching for her in every room I enter, taking special care to never take her for granted. The rest of the guys and I clash every once in a while, but the assholes are just jealous that I’m her favorite.

Pookie tries to carve out time for each of us, but there is only one of her and five of us. It leads to some tension. To avoid fights, we set up a schedule, each of us picking a day to spend some personal time with her without the others interrupting.

I remember what day is mine.

Kind of.

Usually after the fact.

And every time, the guys remind me about boundaries and shit.

I huff and roll my eyes, able to recite their speech from memory by now.

Yadda, yadda…boundaries…something, something…schedule.

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