Page 17 of Knot Made to Break: Part Two

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. How could she possibly think that? This woman who’d survived hell, who’d faced down her tormentors, who had more courage in her little finger than most of my guys—was afraid she wasn’t enough?

“Kitten…” I rasped out. “Look at me.”

Slowly, she turned my way.

“You could never be weak in my eyes. Never.” I cupped her face in my hands, making sure she couldn’t look away. “You’re more than enough. You’re everything we never dared hope for. Everything we never knew we needed until you entered our lives.”

A single tear escaped, trailing down her cheek. I caught it with my thumb, wiping it away.

“But you don’t have to be perfect,” I continued. “You don’t have to be unbreakable. None of us are.”

She drew in a shaky breath. “I’m just... I’m so tired, Dimitri.”

The admission seemed to cost her, but once the words were out, something released in her. Her body sagged, as if the wire holding her upright had finally snapped.

“I can’t sleep,” she confessed in a small voice. “Every time I close my eyes, I remember how scared I was while you were gone. I see Tommy covered in blood, or feel that gun in my hands. I hear the gunshots, smell the gunpowder. And I’m afraid if I fall asleep, when I wake up, one of you will be gone.”

I gathered her into my arms, careful not to disturb Beretta too much, and pulled her against my chest. She fit perfectly there, nestled against me, and I rested my chin on top of her head.

“I know,” I murmured into her hair. “I know exactly what that feels like, Kitten.”

She trembled, and I tightened my hold, one hand moving in slow circles on her back. I’d seen this before—the aftermath of violence, how it clung to a person like smoke, staining everything.

“The first time I took a life, I couldn’t sleep for months. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him lying there, lifeless.”

She turned her face into my chest, her fingers curling into my skin. “Does it ever go away?”

“Not entirely,” I admitted, knowing she deserved honesty rather than empty comfort. “But it gets easier to carry. Especially when you don’t carry it alone.”

For several heartbeats, we sat in silence while I traced patterns across her back. Then I felt it—the slight hitch in her breathing. Her shoulders began to shake, the first sob slippingout. Tears soaked into my shirt as she nestled closer, curling in on herself, letting me hold her through the wave of emotion she’d been holding back all this time.

“That’s it, Kitten. Let it out. I’ve got you,” I soothed, placing intermittent kisses into her hair as she cried.

My purr blazed to life, the gentle vibrations moving through us both. They helped calm her, and soon her sobs turned to sniffling hiccups.

“Good girl.”

The shudder that ran through her felt like a victory. Those two little words had always made her melt, and she relaxed into my body, emotionally spent.

Beretta whined softly, nudging Kit’s arm with his nose, trying to comfort her in his own way. His brown eyes looked up at me with what almost seemed like concern.

“See that?” I murmured against her hair. “Even Beretta’s worried about you.”

A small, watery laugh escaped her. “He’s just worried I’ll stop petting him.”

“Smart dog.” I scratched behind his ears.

Kit shifted on my lap, pulling back enough that she could meet my gaze. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Kitten. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. You’re not alone. You’ve got me… My brothers. We’re right here. To stand guard when you need rest. To hold you when you need to cry. To watch over you the way you watch over us.”

She didn’t resist when I captured her chin, gently pulling her mouth to mine and sealing that promise with a kiss.

“It’s hard to let go,” she repeated, softer this time.

“You don’t have to figure it out all at once,” I promised. “Just start small. Startnow.”

Releasing a deep breath that seemed to take the rest of her tension with it, she nodded.

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