Page 89 of Captured

“You're ours, Lilly,” he says simply. I feel a warmth at my back when Loki steps up to me, his hands coming to my waist.

“We're right here, and we're not going anywhere. None of us,” Loki says into my ear, his voice serious. “Lilly, we need you. We need your light to temper our darkness and make us believe we're worthy. That we're not completely bad. That we're not just monsters.”

“Loki…” I reach a hand back around his neck and pull him closer. “You've done bad things, do bad things because you have to. And I don't care if you're monsters, as long as you'remymonsters.”

“We're yours,” Jax rumbles out, fingers pressing hard into my soft flesh.

“You're ours,” Loki purrs behind me. I can feel them both hard again, pressed into my stomach and lower back. “Let's clean you up,” he says softly, placing a gentle kiss on my shoulder.

I need these guys, and no matter what they've done or what they’ll do, they're good guys.

Who of us isn't a little bit of a monster too?

We gently untangle ourselves, then Loki and Jax wash me so tenderly, so reverently, that fresh tears spring to my eyes. They wrap me up in a huge, fluffy towel, shepherding me out of the bathroom, where we see Ash and Kai sitting on the sofa, who look up as we exit.

Ash gets up and walks towards us, then stops short in front of me. He looks torn, torment churning in his grey eyes. Before he can say a word, I step forward and wrap my arms around his waist, nuzzling my nose into his neck and taking a deep breath in.

His spicy ginger scent floods my senses as he hesitates for a beat, then wraps his own arms tightly around me. I can hear his heart pounding in his chest, and his body is shaking all over.

“I'm so sorry, Ash,” I whisper, feeling him stiffen in my arms. “I was wrong that night, and I just got scared and ran. But I shouldn't have.” I can feel more tears stinging my eyes again. Crying is all I seem to do tonight.

He pulls back to look into my eyes, his own full of a thousand emotions.

“This life is so fucked up, Lilly, it's not safe, and now we've dragged you into it too,” he replies. He looks desolate and full of guilt, his jaw tight. “We should have stayed away from you. We shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place.” He hangs his head, and my heart stutters.

Does he regret being with me?

Taking a deep breath, he looks back up at me. One hand cups the side of my face, his thumb gently caressing my cheek.

“I'm sorry, Princess,” he murmurs, leaning down and pressing his lips to mine in a bittersweet kiss before stepping out of my arms, turning his back on me, and walking away.

I feel sick and numb, my heart so sore I'm surprised it's still beating. I hear Loki, Jax, and Kai in the background arguing, but all I can do is watch as Ash walks out the door.

A sob escapes me, my hand covering my lips when Kai steps in front of me, his hands capturing my face.

“Hey, Lilly, he just needs time,” he says gently, and I look into his eyes. “He's hurting and feels like he's failed you tonight.”

“Kai, I've lost him.” My voice is small and lost. Fresh tears track down my cheeks, which Kai brushes away with his thumbs.

“Not forever,” he says back, pulling me into his embrace, holding me whilst I gently cry into his chest, my tears wetting his t-shirt. His hands are soothing down my back, and his lips place gentle kisses on my head until a wave of exhaustion washes over me.

The events of tonight have wrung me out until I feel like a damp rag. Boneless, and like there's no more tears left.

He must feel my body droop because he scoops me up and carries me upstairs, taking me to Loki's room. I hear the others come in as Kai carefully sets me on my feet, removing my towel and picking me up again, then lying me down in Loki's bed.

He tenderly kisses my forehead before straightening up. I crack my eyes open a slit to see Loki and Jax climb in naked on either side of me, the bed dipping with their weight.

“Sleep now, Pretty Girl,” Loki mumbles, pulling me close to him, my back to his chest. “It'll all be okay.”

Before I can utter a word of protest, darkness overtakes me, and I fall into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

JAX

Iwatch as sleep overtakes Lilly’s beautiful features, a deep furrow in between her brows that I hate seeing there.

Loki told Lilly it'll be okay, but how can it be? That cunt, that dead man fucking walking, touched her. He hurt her, tried to take what didn't belong to him. She's fucking ours, and no one, no motherfucking one, gets to lay a finger on her but us.

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