Page 67 of Fighting the Darkness

Nothing may have been decided, but I feel more stable in my life than I have in forever, and I kind of love the feeling.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Freya

“That’sgreat,sunshine,”Sorencalls out. “Don’t drop your elbow like that.”

I swipe an arm over my forehead before getting back into position, making sure to not drop my elbow too far. I dodge the next hit coming my way before throwing a jab, but it’s easily blocked.

“Look for weaknesses, little one,” Griffin adds. “You’ve fought him before. Try to remember where his weaknesses are. If you can’t, then look for them.”

“Yeah, cupcake,” Wilder says with a smirk. “What are my weaknesses?”

This cocky motherfucker.

“That one’s easy,” I say with a grin, and it definitely throws him off. “It’s your big fucking mouth.”

I sweep my legs under his, and he hits the mat. I’m on him in seconds, pinning him as I try to figure out where to go from here. I can’t grapple with him—he’s too big and can easily overpower me. I have to find an opening to get him to submit.

He’s already starting to move under me and lifting his head. I dive forward, sliding my right arm under his head, grasping onto the back of his left shoulder. My left arm hooks over his right as he gets ready to shake me loose, pushing my weight into him. Making a fist, I shove it into his neck and drop my elbow to the mat before grabbing my forearm. I lean forward, bringing my weight forward and putting pressure on the hold.

He struggles against the hold, and for just a moment, I think he’s going to get free. Then he’s tapping at my side, and I release him, rolling to the side and jumping to my feet. Elation rushes through me, a smile on my face because it’s the first time I’ve been able to take any of the guys down. I’ve sparred with a few of the new guys at the gym, and been able to take them down, but my skill level is above theirs so it’s to be expected.

Cheers break out around us, not just from Griffin and Soren, but from others who have gathered around to watch me take on Wilder. Trust me when I say none of us expected me to take him down.

Soren whoops as he comes running at me, knocking me to the mat. “Hell, yes, sunshine!!! You did it!”

“I did!” I grin up at him, laughing when he leans down to press a kiss to my lips.

There’s cheering from around the gym, and we just laugh as he climbs off of me and helps me to my feet. This is far from the first time that they’ve seen me and Soren kiss, or even me and Griffin, but for some reason, they feel the need to cheer every time. What can I say? It’s like having a bunch of embarrassing older brothers around at all times.

I bring a fist to my chest as pain jolts through me, my smile long forgotten. I let my eyes fall shut as I remember the older—even if just by five minutes—brother that I did have. The one who loved me with everything he was, and who was always my number one fan. I wish he could’ve been here to see this, but I know that wherever he is, he was watching and he’s cheering me on.

“Thinking of Freyr?” Griffin asks quietly as he cups my face in the palm of his hand.

I nod, eyes falling open to stare up at him. “Just missing him, but I know he just saw me wipe the floor with his best friend.”

Wilder snorts. “Don’t go getting too cocky, cupcake. Now you have to do it again to prove it wasn’t a fluke.”

I roll my eyes, making Griffin chuckle while I flip Wilder off.

Things between the two of us are... weird.

It’s been three months since he saved my life, and we all decided to see what a relationship between multiple people would look like. Things with Soren and Griffin are going great. They’re doing amazingly as a couple. They’ve taken me out separately and together, and it’s been nice. I’d like to say it’s been more than nice, but they’ve been keeping their hands to themselves. Sure, it’s easy for them not to have sex with me because they’re boning at every opportunity. We won’t even talk about the amount of times I’ve walked in on them going at it in Griffin’s office.

I’ve decided that Griffin has an exhibition kink because he never locks the door. Which would be fine if they’d let me join in their fun, but they never do.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand why they want to take it slow. I was in a rough place three months ago. I definitely wasn’t ready for sex then—even if I kept trying to use it as a crutch to make myself feel better. It’s something that me and Dr. Matherson have been working on together. It’s hard enough being in a relationship with more than one person, but when you add in everything that was going on with me... Yeah, sex hadn’t been on the table.

But that was months ago. Dr. Matherson and I talked about it over a month ago, and we decided it would be okay for me to test out the waters and see how I felt about it. As long as I didn’t seek out sex with my partners because I was hurting or spiraling out of control, she said that it was perfectly healthy. When I shared the happy news with Soren and Griffin, I expected them to be excited. But no, they were still concerned.

It’s driving me absolutely batty.

Know what else is driving me batty? Wilder Finch. He’s been so hot and cold with me, flirting with me one second and then refusing to come near me the next. Every time I try to bring it up with him, he shuts down the conversation. I told him I’d wait for him to figure out if this was something that he wanted, but it’s starting to be too much. I don’t know how much longer I can deal with this if he can’t make up his mind.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who needs therapy in this group.

“Alright, cool down stretches, then I want all three of you in my office.” Griffin leans in, kissing the tip of my nose before stepping back.

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