26. 26

26

Ember

E than was telling them everything, and I knew my dads were biding their time, waiting to strike. He might think they’re listening and trying to understand, but I know them better. They’re just letting him dig a hole, and I don’t want them to bury him in it.

“Okay, so there was wrong on both sides. Can you all please leave now?”

Dad Dory looked at me sadly.

“Emb… Em, we can’t just leave you here with him. I appreciate we’re not the best people to dispute what he did, but harming you isn’t something we can just forgive, just like you shouldn’t.”

“But mum should?” I turned to Blaze. “And Anneka should? Some rule applies to them, but not me? I asked him to help me. I asked him to be with me. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be a fucking eighteen year old virgin, who’s so afraid to be touched, that she thinks she’ll freak out, but desperately wants to be normal? Do you have any idea what it’s like to be an eighteen year old GIRL, who just wants to be touched, kissed, to make love, to be loved? None of you have a damn clue, and mum wouldn’t understand either. I’m not like any of you. I didn’t get over the things that happened to me, no matter how hard I tried, but Ethan has made more impact on me, and helped me heal in ways that nobody else could. Should I just walk away, and lose that?”

“This isn’t the way, sweetheart. We can get you help again. We can give you anything you want-”

“Well, I want Ethan. Alive, well, and with me.” My dads exchanged a look, seeming to have a whole conversation with just their eyes, and Blaze was still playing with that damn razor blade, flicking his unhurt thumb over the blade as he eyed Ethan. What would it take to make them go away, and leave us to ourselves?

Dad Gray cleared his throat. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. We’re all leaving here, and we’re doing it right now. This place is trashed, and it’s crappy, and no daughter of ours is shacking up in this kind of hovel. We do have another place in mind, so we’re going to set you up there, and give you a week. If you can’t prove to us that this is making you better instead of worse at that point, we kill him.”

“A month,” I countered, not even querying where they were sending us, because I knew my family had investment properties dotted all over the place. It was why they didn’t do day jobs.

They seemed to confer again, finally sighing in sync with each other.

“One month, but we get a weekly check in, just to make sure he’s not hurting you, and if I see one single fucking mark on you, he dies in so much pain, he’ll beg for death.”

Holy shit. I nodded rapidly, because a month with Ethan would be a dream, even if our first time together had been harrowing and traumatic, it could only get better, right?

“I’ll need art supplies, and we’ll need-”

“We’ll take care of everything. Let’s just get you settled. Former Teach, we’re not giving you an option here. You get that, right? It’s help our daughter, or fucking die right now. And don’t try doing a runner, once we leave you there. We’ll know the second you try, and you’ll die that same day.”

Holy shit, somehow, don’t ask me how, but somehow I think I just won against my dads. They’re the most stubborn men you can possibly imagine, and I just got them to back down. I mean, it was the most important conversation of my life, because if I got it wrong, Ethan would die, and I didn’t want that. I couldn’t live without him, but I needed to make him see that too, so that he wouldn’t keep trying to push me away again.

“I need to secure this place,” Ethan said firmly, suddenly on more steady ground, and determined to fix the damage done to his cousin’s property.

Blaze sighed, standing up and digging out his phone.

“Give me the keys. I’ll get the repairs done, and make sure it’s secure before I leave.”

“Thank you, Blaze,” I said as I got up again, wanting this to happen, so they’d all leave us in peace again. We had so much to work out between us, but I felt like suddenly we had a chance. We wouldn’t be on the run, I wouldn’t be isolated from my family, and we’d be able to just be whoever we are together.

“Former Teach, get your shit together. You have five minutes,” dad Gray muttered, striding out of the house, and leaving us staring at my other dad warily.

He groaned, standing up too, jabbing a finger in Ethan’s direction.

“Just give me a fucking reason, got it? She so much as sheds a single tear, and you die.”

After he left, and while Blaze was already negotiating with someone for the repairs, I led Ethan up to get our things.

“How the fuck did I just survive that?” He asked, dropping heavily onto the bed with his head in his hands. I sat beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder, and realised I could feel him trembling. He really understood that he'd survived by the skin of his teeth.

“I think they understand that you matter to me, Ethan. They’ll be watching you like a hawk though. We can get through this together.”

He lifted his head, his face troubled, exhausted, making him look older than normal.

“Em, I shouldn’t have done what I did last night, and I can’t ever undo that, but I promise I’ll never touch you like that again.”

What the hell?

Ethan

SHE LOOKED SO MUCH like her brother Blaze, as she suddenly stood up and towered over me with her hands on her hips; even with the black hair, I could see it. I briefly wondered how she’d look with her hair blonde like her brother, because I knew it was naturally that colour.

“Are you shitting me?”

I stood up too, because I was done with people towering over me, and trying to intimidate me, especially any member of the Cross family.

“Em, what I did was unconscionable. I’m an asshole for fucking you, especially when you were crying like that. I hope you realise just how much it hurt me to hurt you. It’s not-”

“You’re a stupid fucker, aren’t you?” Blaze said from the doorway, arms folded as he glared at me.

Fuck. “Yeah, I heard every word. So you really forced her, did you? I figured you guys meant it wasn’t as bad as that, but you’re saying my baby sister was crying, and begging you to stop, and you ignored her?” He unfolded his arms, cracking his knuckles menacingly at me.

“Blaze! Go away, this isn’t your business.”

He sent a sad look in her direction.

“Chill, Em. It’s not your fault you don’t realise how evil that was, because you’ve been sheltered ever since you realised what assholes teenage boys could be. Men are no better, trust me. We’re all animals at heart. All evil. All willing to take what we want, no matter the consequences. People get hurt, and we just don’t even give a fuck.”

“I do give a fuck, you twisted piece of-” Em’s hand over my mouth silenced me, until I pushed her away. “I do give a fuck. I’ve lost so many pieces of myself since I first met your family, and now I’m just as bad as the rest of you.”

Blaze stepped further into the room, looking so deadly and unnerving for someone a few inches shorter than me, and smaller in build than me. I had a feeling those advantages wouldn’t gain me more than a second in a fight with him.

“You think you’re like us? What, just because you’re feeling a bit out of sorts lately? You’re not unhinged like me, or like my dads. You’re not hiding a body count, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love, even if that protection hurts them. You’re not the one who’ll kill anyone who even looks at his woman, or baby. You’re not the one who-”

I rolled my eyes, faking courage I really didn’t possess.

“Okay okay, I get it. You’re the tough guy, and I’m just some pussy. Fine. Whatever . Getting tired of hearing your voice, Blaze.”

I should have died for that, but he laughed, shaking his head as he turned and headed for the door, his parting shot spoken as he left.

“You’re not so bad, Former Teach. Pity you’re a bit of a wuss though.”

The uncomfortable drive to this ‘house’ we’d be staying in took maybe an hour, but it was a nice place. It was definitely nicer than the place we’d been in, but now it would be my prison, rather than somewhere I could leave at any time. Being locked in there with Ember was really the only saving grace.

“What do you mean we don’t get a fucking key? Why not?”

Gray turned those savage blue eyes on me, and practically snarled his response.

“Because I don’t fucking like you, that’s why.”

“Gray. Look, we said you get a month, but that’s a month under our fucking thumbs. We will know where you are every damn minute. Em, let me show you around,” Dory said, leading her out of the room, while Gray stayed behind with me, because clearly I wasn’t getting the tour.

“Look, Gray, I-”

“Nothing you say will change what I think of you, prick. You’ll always be the fucker who deflowered my little girl. The fact that you tell it like she begged you to stop, just makes me all the more determined to gut you like a fish, and watch you bleed out. But then you see, I kinda want to see your skin crack and peel as you burn to death too, so it’s a catch twenty-two for me. So many options, so little life in you.”

Disturbing fucker. Still the fire fantasy made sense, since all their kids had fire names. Obviously it was Gray’s influence, wasn’t it?

“I tried not to hurt her, Gray. Whatever else you think of me, I tried so fucking hard.”

He stepped closer, his fists clenched at his sides.

“I know you think you’re saying the right things, but you’re not. I get that I’m not a good guy either, but I’m a guy who’d do anything to keep my family safe. You’re a predator. You’re a threat to them, and whether you’re still a better, more decent guy than me or not, I don’t give a fuck. One word from my daughter, and I’ll make sure you suffer. Trust me when I say I can’t fucking wait.”

“Dad!” Em was back and putting herself between us. What a man I was, standing behind an eighteen year old girl, while she faced off against my enemy. Jesus. Did I really think I had a future with this family, when this is how I felt about her dads?

“You’ll be going now then?” I asked irritably, wondering why the fuck they were still lingering.

“Ground rules first, fuckhead.”

Dory rolled his eyes, pointing to the front door and windows.

“Impenetrable. Don’t even try. If you damage this place, I’ll beat your ass. My daughter stays happy, and gets happier. You fuck that up, and Gray gets to have his fun. Weekly check-ins will be at a time we choose, and you won’t know when it’s coming. If we don’t get to talk to our daughter, without you hovering over her shoulder, we cut this short. If she’s in any way injured, or upset, or doesn’t seem like she’s in a better place than she is right now, we cut you short. Any questions?” Well, that about covers it, right?

“Yeah, when are you both leaving?”

They both chuckled, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound.

“Food delivery is on its way, as are art supplies, as soon as we’ve taken delivery, we’re gone. You two might want to get your stuff up to your rooms or whatever.”

Great. Those deliveries can’t come soon enough for me.