Chapter 22: Briar

brIAR

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," a deep voice, dripping annoyance, says from the foot of the bed. A hand tugs at my ankle.

I bolt upright at the voice, heart pounding desperately in my rib cage. Muscles tense, I brace myself for a blow. It takes my eyes a few moments to focus on the reality that it's Xander, not Patrick, at the end of the bed.

Letting out the breath I was holding in anticipation, I try to relax my muscles. They bunch up again when I remember my ribs won't be happy about my sudden movement.

When there isn't more than a twinge of pain in my side, I look down in bewilderment. Gathering up Malachi's shirt in my fist, I raise it above the gash in my side. I suck in a breath as I see how much my bruises have faded. They are a light yellow instead of an angry black and blue. They look like it's been a week since Patrick beat me, not a few days.

The jagged tear in my side doesn't look much different, maybe a little less pink. However, my ribs feel like they're simply bruised, not broken any more. That shouldn't be possible. I've never healed broken bones in a few days.

A strangled sound yanks me from my assessment. Looking up, I see Xander's intense gaze focused on my bare abdomen. That's when I realize I'm flashing him some serious underboob. At least my nips are covered. "Uh, sorry. I forgot you were here and that I'm not wearing pants," I tell him sheepishly as I quickly drop the T-shirt. I smooth my hands over the material, like that will make the moment any less awkward.

"It's fine, princess," Xander tells me gruffly.

I glare at him. "Don't call me that or Sleeping Beauty."

"Why?" he asks, cocking his head to the side.

After considering him for a moment, I realize he doesn't know my full name. "My name's Briar Rose, AKA Aurora, AKA Sleeping Beauty. I've heard just about every Sleeping Beauty joke there is growing up."

"What if I like calling you that?"

"Then you can get fucked, respectfully, sir," I respond with a smirk, trying to annoy him with a nickname.

It's not my best work. It's a little lame, but it's better than nothing.

Xander's face goes scarily blank when I finish, and I worry it annoyed him a little too much. I shift uneasily and bite my lip in uncertainty under his intense stare. After a few moments, I can't take the charged silence anymore. "What?"

"Don't call me that," Xander growls, eyes dark and narrowed on me.

"Why?" I squeak, more intimidated by his glare than I want to admit.

"Because it makes him want to fuck you!" Bastian calls from another room, tone gleeful at ratting his twin out. I freeze at Bastian's statement, eyes widening in surprise.

"I swear to God, Bastian!" Xander shouts at his brother, voice sharp with warning. I swallow uneasily at the threat in Xander's words. Boy, am I glad I'm not Bastian right now.

"Ask him if I'm lying," Bastian taunts.

I'm not really sure I want to know the answer to that, but I do as Bastian tells me to. "Is he lying?" I ask in a whisper.

Xander doesn't say anything in response. He only clenches his jaw hard, causing a vein to throb at his temple. After staring at me for a few beats, he turns around and storms out. As his footsteps fade, I hear Bastian's cackling laughter. By not denying it, Xander effectively confirmed Bastian was telling the truth.

Holy shit. Xander Wyldhart wants to fuck me.

I flop back in the bed. My wide eyes stare sightlessly at the ceiling, and my heart thumps frantically in my chest. Breathing in shallow pants, I realize I'm having the freak out I pushed off last night.

What the actual fuck am I doing? The question ricochets in my mind as I go over yesterday.

Let's see, I broke the one rule Patrick told me to follow or he'll hurt Ava. I stripped down to my bra and panties in my professor's office. I willingly went home with the Wyldharts. I slept in the same bed with and was spooned by my professors. Oh yeah, and at least one of my professors wants to bang me. I mean, the feeling's mutual, but that seems like a tremendously awful idea.

Apparently, I lost all my common sense yesterday. I just threw it all out the window and said fuck it.

My snarky inner voice screams at me. How could you be this stupid, Briar? You had one fucking job, and it sure as hell wasn't getting in bed with the Wyldharts! I hope it's worth it when Ava gets hurt because of your recklessness.

"No!" I gasp out to the empty room. I won't let Ava get hurt. I can still fix this. I just need some time to think. Feeling a scream building in my throat, I know I need to get out of here. I refuse to have a breakdown in Malachi's bed.

Frantically thinking of somewhere else to go, I remember the gym in the basement. Perfect. Running until everything hurts and each breath is a jagged knife into my lungs always helps me calm down.

Hopping up, I haphazardly yank on my uniform. I don't have any workout clothes, other than the running shoes in my bag. This will have to do. Once my tennis shoes are laced up, I rush out of Malachi's bedroom. I need to leave before any of them come back.

I hurry down the stairs and almost bump into Archie at the bottom. As I skid to a stop, I ask, "Do you know where the gym is?"

"I do, indeed, Miss Briar. Follow me." Archie strides toward the staircase leading to the basement. He doesn't ask about my wild eyes or why I was practically sprinting away from the Wyldhart brothers' bedrooms. I'm thankful for his discretion.

It doesn't take long before we reach their home gym. "Thanks, Archie," I tell him before heading inside.

"You are most welcome, Miss Briar. Please don't hesitate to find me if you need anything else."

I nod to show him I heard him, but my attention is fixed on their home gym. I scoff. Home gym my ass. Their gym is better equipped than some professional gyms. They have every workout machine imaginable. And they have two rows of treadmills, multiple weight racks, and a sparring ring.

I zero in on the treadmills and head to one on the far side. It's next to a wall of mirrors. Stripping off my uniform shirt and tank top, I fold them up and place them on a bench. I don't want to get my shirts sweaty and gross because they're all I have to wear today.

Shoving my earbuds in, I hop on the treadmill and set it as fast as I can go. "That's What You Get" blares in my ears. I smile sardonically at how fitting the song is. It doesn't take long for me to get lost in the rhythmic pounding of my feet.

I don't know how long I've been running when strong arms band around my middle and yank me off the machine. Malachi crushes my back to his front with his large arms wrapped around my middle. I'm barely able to yank out my earbuds with his arms around me. I glare at him for interrupting my run.

Before I can lay into him, he growls, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Running. What does it look like?" I snark back.

"You're supposed to be taking it easy. Look at what you did!" Malachi barks at me. Confused, I look at where he's pointing in the mirror in front of us. Running must have torn my stitches. At some point while I ran, blood gushed down my side and soaked into my uniform skirt. There's still a little red sluggishly oozing from the open wound.

Whoops.

Looking up at Malachi, I shrug. "It happens sometimes." This isn't the first time I've torn stitches while trying to outrun my panic, and it probably won't be the last. Running's my go-to stress-relieving activity.

Malachi's face turns thunderous at my response. "It happens sometimes," he repeats slowly. I nod hesitantly. He pinches his eyes shut and tries to gather himself before looking back down at me. "Why the hell would you think running right now is a good idea? Are you allergic to making smart decisions?"

I flinch at his question that's eerily similar to my own inner voice. His eyes flash with regret, but the damage is already done. Apparently, I am incapable of smart choices. Why does he think I'm down here punishing myself?

"Because I need the pain!" I shout at him, unable to keep the wobble out of my voice.

When everything gets too much, physical pain helps. It's so much better to hurt physically than emotionally. Physical pain heals. Emotional pain doesn't.

Closing my eyes, I try to stuff all my emotions down before I do something embarrassing like cry in front of him.

I'm stronger than this, goddammit.

When I'm confident my voice will stay steady, I tell him, "Why do you think I'm running? I need to get my head on straight and stop making idiotic choices."

"What are these bad decisions you're trying to outrun?" Malachi asks, his voice gentling after my outburst. His eyes are filled with understanding.

I purse my lips and look away. He probably wouldn't like hearing that everything yesterday was an ill-advised mistake. It would be great if my stupid heart agreed with my mind. It's screaming at me that nothing's ever felt as right as Malachi, Bastian, and Xander holding me last night.

Malachi lets go of me and gently turns me to face him. He winds one arm around my back. With his other hand, he tips my chin up so I'm looking at him. "I won't force you to tell me, baby girl. But come to me next time you need pain, okay?"

"What?" I ask, shocked by his demand. "No way."

"Yes."

"No."

Malachi fists one hand in my hair and grabs my hip with the other. "Why are you always so fucking stubborn?" he growls before crashing his lips onto mine.

I gasp in surprise at the feel of his soft lips. When my mouth parts, his tongue dives in, tangling with mine. After a moment of shock, I kiss him back just as hard. The kiss isn't gentle. It's an angry clashing of lips and teeth. One of my teeth nicks his lip, and I taste copper on my tongue. He bites my lip in retaliation. I whimper.

Malachi growls into my mouth before reluctantly pulling away. With his hand still fisted in my hair, I can't do much other than stare at him in a daze.

"You'll come to me when you need pain next?" With my mind still foggy from the best kiss of my life, by far, I nod. "Good girl," he rumbles, before swooping in for another kiss. Much to my disappointment, this one is little more than a peck. "Let's get you to Xander. He'll stitch you back up."

He places his hands on my thighs and hoists me up. My arms and legs automatically wrap around him as he starts walking. "I can walk, you know." I don't fight him, though. I soak up this moment of closeness. Once he puts me down, I'll have to start being smart and distancing myself from him.

"I know," Malachi tells me simply, while continuing to carry me to Xander.