I nod slowly, gripping Parker’s hand tighter while Ryder keeps his warm palm over mine. “Yes,” I whisper. “Please. I need her safe. At least until we can figure something out for her.”
I replay the scene from earlier. Seeing my sister handle the situation so professionally filled me with pride. After her initial hesitation, she had pushed all her fears aside to save the life of an animal she thought she had no connection to. Then the trauma of what we actually witnessed tonight hits me. I look down at my arms and then shudder. It’s one thing to remember the blood, but it’s another to see it caked on me, clinging to my skin, seeped into my clothes.
My breath hitches, and I pull my hand from Parker’s, rubbing at a spot on my wrist, but it only flakes onto the table.
“Paige.” Ryder’s voice is steady and commanding. I drag my gaze up. His eyes have softened. with go “Go clean up. Parker will
I’ll make you some tea.” you.
I nod too quickly, because suddenly all I can think about is soap and water and scrubbing until I don’t feel like I’m wearing someone else’s pain.
Parker’s hand presses to the small of my back as he guides me out of the kitchen. I keep my eyes down, refusing to look at the red stains darkening my clothes again, afraid if I look too long the bile in my throat will win. I just hope Poppy is holding up better than me.
“You’re still worried about Poppy?” Parker asks softly as he flicks on the shower.
“I’ll always worry about her, that’s my job,” I smile weakly.
Parker takes my hand and squeezes it. “She’ll find her footing. Just like you did.”
I glance at him, my throat tight. I remember those first nights, the terror, the disbelief, the way I felt my whole life was being torn apart. He’s right. I found my way through it. Maybe she can too.
The steam begins to fill the small bathroom. I stand there, staring at the fogged mirror, my reflection hazy and fractured, and for once I don’t feel the need to hold myself together. Not here. Not with him.
Parker doesn’t push any further. Instead, he peels the stained fabric from my shoulders with gentle hands, as though he’s afraid I might break.
I step under the spray, tilting my face up as warmth crashes over me. The rush of water streaks pink where it mixes with blood. My throat burns, but then Parker is there, stepping in behind me, his hands moving slowly as he washes away the night.
By the time I turn back to him, my skin is flushed from the heat, but I feel lighter somehow, as though I’ve shed something more than just dirt and blood. Parker presses a kiss to my forehead, soft. “You’re stronger than you think, and your sister is too. She’ll get through this. You both will.”
I close my eyes, letting his words soak in the way the water does. He’s right. I have to believe he’s right.
N.O Darling
Sorry, only one chapter today as I’ve been in meetings all day. I’m curious to hear your guesses on what you think Paige may be, or if you think she is just human?
**Paige’s POV **
After my shower, I feel like a new person, ready to try to deal with everything happening now that I’m not caked in blood. I head back downstairs wrapped in one of Ryder’s oversized hoodies. The smell of camomile tea drifts through the air, calming me further. Ryder is waiting at the island, a cup steaming in front of him. His gaze lifts to me as soon as I get to the bottom of the stairs. There’s exhaustion in his eyes, but there’s also something fierce there, something unshakable that steadies me more than any words could.
I sit beside him, Parker coming to sit on my other side. I sip the tea with a sigh.
“Better?” Rye asks.
“So much,” I nod.
I feel almost relaxed until the creak of the front door makes me jump, but it’s only Remy stepping inside. He shuts the door quietly behind him, looking exhausted.
“Where’s Poppy and Callen?” I ask before he even has a chance to sit.
Remy scrubs a hand down his face. “Poppy wanted to stay with Leo at the healer’s. Callen stayed too, said she shouldn’t be alone. I doubt he would have made it back anyway. He donated a lot of blood, so he will need to rest for a while.”
My stomach twists. It makes sense, of course it does, but worry twists inside me. My little sister is in a strange place surrounded by strangers, and Callen should be resting here with us. He’s just as broken and raw as the rest of us.
“They’ll be fine,” Ryder says.
“How are they all holding up?”
“Leo’s stable, and your sister made it clear she wanted to stay. She seems to be handling it all well. Callen just needs a couple of hours’ rest, and he’ll be fine.”
I nod, though my chest still aches.
Remy finally drops into a chair, stretching his long legs out with a groan. “She’s tougher than she looks, Paige, and Callen won’t let anything happen to her. Trust me on that.”
“I know,” I force a smile.
I trust Callen, of course I do; I’m more worried about her mental state.
Parker’s warm hand brushes over mine. “You need rest,” he says softly. “We all do.”
“I can’t,” I whisper. The thought of closing my eyes, of letting my guard down, feels impossible right now.
Ryder reaches out to cup my cheek, turning my face towards him. “Yes, you can. Jaxon needs you rested. We all need you rested.” His tone leaves little room for protest. I can feel exhaustion pulling at me the same way it does them.
By the time I climb the stairs with Ryder’s hand in mine, tiredness is pulling at me even as my mind refuses to quiet. In Ryder’s room, Jaxon is already curled in the middle of the bed. He looks so tiny in this giant bed.
I slip in beside him, with Ryder sliding in on the other side, cocooning Jaxon between us. Ryder’s arm comes around both of us, wrapping us in his warmth.
I should feel safe like this, wrapped up in them, but my mind won’t stop spinning. Images of Leo, bleeding out on the floor, Jaxon’s scared eyes when we heard the gunshot, Poppy’s horror when we gave her the truth. Then there’s the thought of what Ryder and Remy went through, and how easily it could have been their blood I’d been soaked in; the ache in my chest deepens.
Ryder tightens his hold on me. “Sleep,” he murmurs. “I’ve got you.”
I close my eyes, clutching Jaxon tighter, but it doesn’t silence the storm in my head. Sleep feels out of reach tonight, and I can’t help wondering how many more nights like this we’ll have to survive.
I lie there for what feels like forever, my eyes tracing the shadows on the ceiling, every creak of the house, every movement outside setting my nerves on edge. Jaxon stirs once, kicking softly in his sleep, and I smooth a hand over his back until he sighs and settles again. “Sleep, Paige. Just for tonight, let yourself rest,” Ryder whispers, clearly sensing my struggle to process everything. “I’m not going to tell you not to worry, because that would be pointless, but rest now; everything will still be there for you to worry about tomorrow.”
He’s right; everything can wait until tomorrow. I bury my face in Jaxon’s hair, breathing in the soft, innocent scent of him. Ryder’s steady warmth surrounds us. I close my eyes and let myself imagine a life that should have been mine. I picture Jaxon as a newborn, freshly home from the hospital, cradled between his parents the way it was meant to be. Downstairs, my mum and dad sip wine to celebrate becoming grandparents, and my sister is fast asleep with a smile on her face because she’s just become an aunt. Slowly, the whirlwind of thoughts quiets. My body gives in before my mind does, exhaustion tugging me under.
The last thing I feel is Ryder’s hand sliding down to rest over mine where it clutches Jaxon close, his thumb brushing across my knuckles. I let myself believe I’m safe, and I finally sleep.
The first thing I feel is a small, insistent hand patting my cheek.
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