Page 15 of Tears of Ruin

“Was it through the farmhouse door?” Dane studied me closely, and I started to squirm.

I didn’t like attention. It never led to anything good.

I simply shrugged.

A smile spread across Dane’s handsome face. “My mind was blown wide open when I discovered it.” He waved his hand around. “One minute you’re standing in a gothic fever dream, the next, you’re outside, hearing birds and staring at a tire swing. I thought I was losing my mind.”

“I thought I’d cracked my head and hallucinated all of it,” I said before I could catch myself. The two were too easy to talk to. Maybe because they’d suffered at the hands of someone evil and I felt a tiny spark of kinship with them.

“Exactly!” Dane’s smile widened. “One minute I’m in a gothic hallway, the next, I’m knocking on the outside of the house trying to figure out if it’s real.”

“I’ve never used that door,” Kyson admitted. “I’ve always used the shimmer.” His eyes rounded as he turned to look at me. “Forget I said that.”

I had no clue what he was talking about anyway. Was Kyson referring to some underground entrance?

“This is one strange place,” I murmured, as if the walls had ears.

“There’s a mirror in Malachi’s bedroom that I swear moved the first time I saw it.”

“Dane…” Kyson said in a warning tone.

“What?” Dane asked, eyes wide, brows hiked. “He’s just easy to talk to. I like him.” He glanced at me. “Can I ask you your name?”

He was asking, not demanding. “N-Noam.”

His features softened. “There’s no need to be nervous around us, Noam. Kyson and I are harmless. We’re human, like you.”

“Dane!” Kyson appeared flustered. “Take a sip of that tea you’re spilling, because I’m not mopping up this mess.”

“I-I don’t want to c-cause any trouble.” I backed away. Richard had said I was welcome to stay, and I was seriously considered his offer, but from Kyson’s clear irritation, I was causing problems.

“It’s not you.” Kyson sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. “I’m just very protective of Giovanni. Of everyone here. They’re my family, and I couldn’t survive if anything happened to them.”

“Me either,” Dane said quietly. “Malachi is my life, as is everyone else living here.”

I would give anything for someone to feel that way about me. The only family I had was my father, but he’d been cut from a malicious cloth. I’d never understood why he was so hateful toward me. We were all each other had, but instead of being close, he took every opportunity to hurt me.

Not once in my life had I’d seen him smile. It was as if his scowl had been chiseled into his features at birth. I had no clue about my relatives, past or present, because he never talked about them.

I didn’t even know anything about my own mother—who she was, why she’d left, or if she was even alive.

Seeing unconditional love up close felt foreign to me, my mind struggling to process this unconventional family I would love to be a part of.

“I would never betray someone’s trust,” I said under my breath, “Especially since no one has ever given me theirs.”

They studied me, causing me to turn my head. I needed to go back to my room since I couldn’t seem to shut up. I’d never shared my life story with anybody before, but god, I desperately wanted a friend to confide in.

Dane nodded toward the floor. “Ever play sock-n-slide?”

The floors gleamed under my shoes, and I could see my own reflection in the shininess. “No.”

At home, our floors were wooden, dull from years of neglect. Even if they were shiny enough to slide across, Martin would call me an idiot for having a little fun.

“Shoes off.” Kyson pointed at my feet. “You’re not clumsy, are you? If you are, I’ll need to grab another pillow.”

“I don’t think so.” Excitement warred with fear at the thought of having some fun. What if I embarrassed myself?

Kyson fell while taking a single step.But they were friends, comfortable laughing at each other. I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle them making fun of me.

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