Chapter 25: Damion

"I know we aren't…close, like me and Callyx are, but what was going on in here?"

Zain takes a deep breath and looks over to Vincent and Amri talking across the room. "It's…complicated."

"Well, uncomplicate it."

Vincent and Amri walk over to us, Vincent's arm around her waist. Zain looks to them as he rubs the back of his neck, sighing.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, Zain." Amri pipes up from beside us. Except I don't agree with her. We're mates, a team now. He needs to be honest with us.

"No, you should both know."

Thank God.

"I am into men, but only in…certain times."

"What do you mean?"

"Vincent and I only get together when I feel the need to be dominated, when I need to relinquish control."

The lightbulb clicks in my head. That's why he was on the bottom. That's why he didn't finish.

"Is it a punishment to yourself?"

Zain shudders, clenching his fists a few times before nodding. I don't know what he needs to punish himself for but understanding dawns in Amri's eyes.

"You feel guilty, don't you? For killing her?"

Zain nods, "She was still my mother."

Now I understand, too. The insanity plea, the reason he got institutionalized in the first place. It was for killing his mother.

"Well, if you ever…need that, and Vincent is away, I'm here."

I know it's a very forward offer, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to Zain. Hell, he and Callyx look the exact same. Zain's personality is just…different. I don't even know how to explain it. He's dominant, but he doesn't want to own you like Callyx does. He's softer, showing his emotions more than his counterpart, and he doesn't seem afraid of doing so. And he's smart as hell.

Zain chuckles, smirking at me as he shoots me a look filled with heat. "Are you saying you'd like to fuck me, Mr. Nurse Man?"

I stare at him, not letting my voice waver, or my body tremble. "Yes."

Zain nods, "I may let you."

Amri leans in, sticking her head in the space between me and Zain's bodies. "I think it would be hot."

A laugh escapes me, and I shake my head at her utter disregard of the tension surrounding us right now.

Vincent nods from beside her. "It would be hot."

I'm so busy staring at the two of them and laughing that I don't see him approaching me until he's in my face, pushing me back into the wall and kissing me so hard I can't help but groan from the pain.

He pulls away, leaning his forehead against mine, "Thank you, for not judging my brother. You have no idea how much that bothers him."

I look up into Callyx's eyes, one crystal blue and one beautiful hazel, and I shake my head. "We all have a trauma that sticks with us, and that's fine. It means we're not emotionless monsters. There's nothing to judge."

Waking up beside Amri is a dream. I know I could get fired for this, or worse, but it doesn't stop the need to feel her, to see her sleeping soundly beside me. Luckily, Jyl covers the cameras, and we're so short-staffed here that barely anyone realizes how close I am to Zain and Amri, or if they do, management doesn't want to do anything because that'll mean they'll lose yet another nurse.

Melford used to not be like this. Melford was once the best mental institution in the state, but a few years ago when they started accepting the insanity pleas and the really bad cases, they got some bad publicity. I always wondered why they started taking those cases, but now I think I know. It's like Marissa said. Friends in high places. Except the money isn't being funneled into the facility, it's being funneled into her pocket.

I shake my head, leaving Amri to get dressed as I go collect Zain from his room. He doesn't say a word to me when I get there, but I feel his hand graze against mine while we walk down the hallway. A small gesture, but it means the world to me. It means he's accepting me. Us.

We get Amri from her room and walk together to the cafeteria, none of us saying a word but the air around us feels comfortable. Happy.

"Waffles today."

No one responds to Zain's comment, but I hear Amri hum beside me as she picks up her plate and starts to load down a waffle in chocolate chips and syrup from the toppings bar.

Zain and I follow suit, me piling my plate with butter and syrup, his with syrup and fruit. All three of us walk to our normal table in the back and sit down, again, not saying a word as we dig into our meals. A few minutes go by where all I hear is the murmur of people in the background and the occasional moan from Amri when she gets a lot of chocolate in with her waffle.

"Well, aren't you all a quiet group this morning. Long night?" I turn to see Jyl pulling up a seat beside me with a smirk on her face. She knows damn well how my night went, considering I had to text her to loop the camera to Amri's room as soon as I walked in.

Amri smiles at my sister, and I chuckle at the chocolate lining her teeth. "Good morning, Jyl."

Jyl smiles back and motions toward her teeth. "You got a little somethin'."

Amri's eyes go wide as she closes her mouth and I see the imprint of her tongue as she runs it across her teeth.

"Better?" Amri smiles, and Jyl nods to her, confirming that the chocolate is gone.

I was worried Jyl wouldn't like Amri, considering Amri is a patient here with some…questionable beliefs, but I shouldn't have worried. I know my sister always has my ba ck, and as soon as I told her the truth, Amri's story and how I believed her, my sister believed me. Not once has she called me crazy for believing a mental patient, or entering a relationship with not one, but two of them. She didn't even call me crazy when I told her I, too, saw the Grim Reaper. Or when she saw me covered in Callyx's love marks. All she did was smirk and tell me, "You sure look like you had a fun time."

"Thank you for the cameras again, Jyl." I take a bite of my waffle, watching as my sister raises her eyebrow at me.

"Sooner or later, I'm going to require financial compensation instead of a simple ‘thank you', little brother."

I roll my eyes. She says that but I know she's joking. She confirms that thought with a smile breaking across her face.

"Idiot." She murmurs, rolling her eyes.

A chuckle sounds from behind me, and I watch as Amri's face drains of color.

"Little brother, huh. I didn't know you had a sister that worked here, Damion."

I push my chair back from the table and stand up, turning to face Royce behind me.

"It's Mr. Blide to you, Royce. And stay away from my sister, like you're supposed to be staying away from Amri right now."

Royce's face lights up. "Amri. How's all that karate kid shit going? Feel better about being so weak yet?"

I clench my fists, willing them to stay down instead of flying up and punching him right in his jaw. It would do me no good to hit him. It would do Amri no good. Then his path to her would be wide open. I doubt management would have done anything about him if I hadn't had been there to cause a scene.

I move in front of Amri so his line of sight to her is broken. I look over to the guards standing by the door and find them already watching but looking too scared to do anything. Imbeciles.

"Guards. This patient has strict orders to stay away from the ones under my care. Please escort him out of the cafeteria."

I don't even know how he got in here, his mealtime is supposed to be different than Amri's. The guards were probably too scared of him to try anything. They give Zain the same look they give him, but I know Zain is different. Royce wants to hurt people. Specifically, my mate.

The guards walk over, and each grab an arm, but Royce shoves them off as he begins to walk backwards, toward the door and away from us.

"I wonder which one you care about more, Damion, your whore of a girl, or your whore of a sister."

I start toward him, but a hand on my wrist stops me. A strong hand.

"It's not worth it. He only wants a rise out of us." Zain mimics my earlier thoughts and pulls me back to the table.

I know what Royce was doing, but I hate that it was working.