Page 12 of Riot

“You want me to check under it?” I tease, but I watch her closely as I say it.

The banter is part of our relationship, and it’s familiar enough that it might help her open up to me.

Her forehead wrinkles as she drags her gaze back to her daughter. “Monsters don’t live under the bed, Riot. They don’t hide.”

“You don’t need to worry about monsters, Vee.”

Not ever.I swear to fuck I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt her again.

Ivy’s finger strokes Seren’s cheek as she suckles. I’ve seen her feed the baby more times than I can count, but something about it tonight stirs a primal possessiveness deep in my soul. I want to wrap them both in my protection, though I don’t know what I’m keeping them safe from. There’s no threat to Ivy or Seren, not anymore.

“Right.” Her voice is quiet, but I hear the doubt buried in it.

“I mean it.” The words are sharp like cut glass and strong as iron. “Nothin’ will touch you again.”

She finally lifts her head, slow and hesitant. I can’t read her expression, and that realisation sits like lead in my gut.

“I’m tired. Do you mind?”

The dismissal stings, but if she wants space, I’ll give her the whole fucking world. “You change your mind about the movie, you let me know.”

“Night, Riot.”

The wall slams down between us. Immovable. Permanent.

“Night, darlin’.”

I give her a lingering look before I close the door behind me.

Maybe she’s just tired. Seren’s awake more than she’s asleep, so maybe this is nothing to worry about.

Maybe I need to sleep myself.

The strain of club politics is pressing on my shoulders so hard, my knees want to buckle. There’s so much at stake, and not just with the club itself. This revolution we’re staging could come back on the people we love. Ivy, Seren, Maylie, Toby… they could all be caught in the crossfire of this shit.

But that ain’t in my thoughts as I step back into the living room. The TV is off and there’s no sign of Toby. At least he did what I asked without argument.

I sink onto the couch and grab the remote. Ivy ain’t coping and I know why. She’s scared, and why wouldn’t she be? She thinks she’s not safe. She thinks her monster—her ex—is hiding in the shadows.

But he’s gone, and he’s never coming back.

She deserves to know that, to understand she and Seren are safe.

My thoughts are scattered, the show playing in the background forgotten, and by the time I hear Maylie and Mace come in, that discomfort in my chest has hardened into a ball of pain.

“Everything okay?” Maylie drops her bag on the carpet, pressing her hands to the small of her back. I love my sister-in-law like she’s blood, but I don’t agree with how she’s handling this. It’s getting harder to justify the lies. Her head lifts at my silence, concern rippling across her face. “Riot?”

My foster brother is there instantly, his hands resting on her shoulders. He’s an unshakeable shield at her back, bracing for the bomb he suspects I’m about to drop.

“Ivy…” I break off.

How do I explain this without exposing things she would rather keep hidden?

“Are her and Seren okay?” She cups the barely noticeable swell of her belly, her skin pale. The weight of her fear crushes the air between us.

I might not agree with her decisions, but there’s no denying how much she loves her siblings. Maylie gave up everything to keep her family together, and that takes a solid strength that most people don’t possess.

“She seems tired.” It’s not what I want to say, but I can’t admit I watched her cry.

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