Chapter 13

The main house is empty when I walk in, making me frown. Then I hear laughter from outside and realize they must have taken the kids out to stretch their legs for a bit.

I go to join them when I spot Alfie’s iPad on the sofa. I hesitate for a second before I walk over to it and open it up. I find the Notes app, and after swallowing down a wave of pain, I write a letter to Alfie, expressing everything I won’t be able to say to his face. By the time I’m done, tears are running down my cheeks and dripping off my chin.

I place the iPad back on the sofa and wipe my face, taking a few deep breaths. It doesn’t stop my heart from feeling like it’s being torn in two, but my breathing is under control, and I feel strong enough to make it through the next few hours. As long as I don’t think about what I’ll have to do, I’ll be okay.

I make my way outside and follow the sound of Bella’s laughter, the joyful sound making my lips twitch. Sometimes, I swear she’s made up of sunshine to counteract all the darkness she sees.

For a minute, all I can do is watch, memorizing the perfection of the moment—something I know I’ll pull up and remember in the future with tears in my eyes and heartbreak in my soul. The pain won’t make it any less perfect. Instead, the hurt will make the memory sharper, each tiny detail etched into my brain with HD clarity. A fleeting moment in time that has I was there, written across it with invisible ink. And for this right here—Delaney’s laugh, Bella’s shrieks of joy, Noah’s quiet giggle and Alfie’s tentative smile—it will all be worth it.

A price must be paid to balance the scales. I took the kids and denied my father the future he had been striving to create. By taking them like I did and Apex thwarting them at every turn, the balance has been tipped too far in our favor.

I feel the sense of impending doom hanging over our heads like a pendulum reaching the apex of its curve before beginning its downward swing. The only thing stopping it from destroying what they’ve built here is for me to step in front of them and take the blow.

A sacrifice has to be made, and it’s me that has to make it—my happiness for theirs. It’s a price I’d willingly pay every single time.

“Hey, Lara. Come over here and hold this for me,” Zig calls out when he spots me.

Heads turn in my direction, but I keep my eyes on Zig. I’m struggling to keep my emotions in check, and right now, I can only focus on so much before I fall apart.

“Hi,” I offer when I reach him, hating how small my voice sounds. He looks at me, his eyes probing. And for a brief moment, I’m almost convinced that he can see inside my mind. Just as the first tendrils of panic start to wrap themselves around my lungs and squeeze, he lowers his head and his voice so only I can hear him.

“I don’t like those shadows in your eyes.”

“I’m okay, Zig, I promise.”

“Liar. But things will be different now. You’ll see.”

Tears prick my eyes, but I fight them back. “They already are. Look at this. Look at them. You’re changing their whole world, and it’s only been a week. Imagine what you can do in a month or a year.”

I place my hand on his wrist. “Most of them are still young enough to be able to grow up without the past haunting them. You gave them that, and I’ll never be able to repay you for it.”

“You don’t have to repay us, Lara. Jesus?—”

“Accept my thank you, Zig,” I interrupt him, my voice quiet but fierce. “Any other thanks you get will pale in comparison because, I swear to you, nobody will ever mean it more than I do right now.”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re intense when you’re being all forceful and shit?”

A startled laugh escapes me. That was such an Oz thing to say.

“There she is,” he murmurs, making me frown. Before I can ask what he means, he hands me a piece of wood. “I’m building the ladder, but I need an extra set of hands to hold shit in place while I screw it together.”

“Okay, point me to where you want me.”

He puts me to work. He’s quiet, not feeling forced to fill the silence between us, and it settles something inside me. I’ve never mastered the art of small talk, not with so few people willing to have a conversation with me. Now, when people start talking, I feel overwhelmed. Zig has eased that. I know that when I leave, I’ll need to work on it. For now, though, I can just be me.

We work in silence against a backdrop of talking and laughter. When we’re finished, the kids run over, the leash on their patience snapping. We all stand back and watch the kids just be kids, and it’s fucking glorious.

An arm wraps around my shoulders, and I look up and find Oz looking down at me with a smile on his face.

“I almost sweated my balls right off, but seeing them like this was worth it.”

I slip my arm around his waist and lean my head against him. Any lingering doubts I might have had about leaving the kids here with these people evaporate. Here they have a chance at a real life, in a real home with people who will love them in spite of their gifts, not because of them.

“Alright, who wants pizza?” Wilder walks over, his eyes moving from Oz to me. I tense, expecting him to make a snide comment about Oz being someone else’s man, though there is nothing like that between him and me. But Wilder surprises me by offering me a soft smile that almost seems like approval. But that can’t be, right?

I swear being around him and Crew has fried more brain cells than any of the vigorous testing I’ve been through over the years.

“I want an extra-large meat lovers,” Oz says.

“Same,” Zig shouts from where he’s standing.

I bite my lip, unsure because pizza isn’t something I was ever permitted to have. I think of the commercials I’ve seen over the years and decide to keep it simple.

“I’ll have a slice of pepperoni, if that’s okay?”

Wilder scowls at me playfully. “It’s illegal to order a single slice of pizza.”

I raise my eyebrow. “Really?”

He grins. “No, but it should be. Cold pizza for breakfast the next day is even better than when it arrives piping hot.”

I grimace. The thought of cold pizza does not sound appealing at all.

Wilder laughs. “Don’t knock it until you try it. Trust me.”

I press my lips together before I say anything else.

“I’ll go see what the kids want.” He hesitates before looking back at me. “Anything they can’t have?”

“Not that I know of. But they’re trying a lot of new things, so maybe just keep an eye on them.”

“Don’t worry. We have Salem if they have an allergic reaction to something.” I look up at Zig as Oz and Wilder go still.

I feel like his admitting Salem’s gift out loud is a monumental thing. I’m just unsure why.

“Thank you, but I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

The sound of crying catches our attention as Wilder walks over to the kids. I turn and see Astrid with Aries in her arms, and he’s crying his heart out.

As if on instinct, Oz, Zig, and I rush over to them both.

Astrid looks up at us and smiles. “I don’t think he’s hungry. Salem fed him right before she went for her nap. Maybe he just likes Crew more than me.”

“Where is Crew?” Zig asks as he reaches for Aries and pulls him to his chest, but the little guy keeps crying, his face rosy red.

“He had to use the bathroom.”

“Maybe he’s cutting a tooth. May I?” I hold my arms out for him and smile when Zig doesn’t hesitate to hand him to me.

“Isn’t he too young for that?” Zig asks.

I shrug. “Most babies won’t teeth this early, but then some babies are born with a tooth or two. There are always exceptions.”

As soon as Aries is in my arms, I place him so his head is resting on my shoulder and start rubbing his back. I gently soothe him, dampening the pain and sending calming waves his way. He stops crying almost immediately and falls asleep in my arms.

“Holy shit, she’s a baby whisperer,” Oz gasps, and I look at him with a grin. “You do know this means you can never leave, right?”

My smile turns brittle. Oz, just like his brother, is far too perceptive, so I look away.

“Now you know what it is, Salem will be able to heal him if it acts up again.” I keep my voice even before burying my nose against Aries’s head. I breathe him in with a sigh. “Why do babies always smell so good?” I murmur.

“Oh, trust me, this little stinker didn’t smell good at six a.m. this morning,” Zig says, making me chuckle.

I shift Aries to cradle him in my arms as I move to sit beside Astrid. Avery looks over at me and offers a tentative smile. I give her a small one in return. I’m trying not to be a petty bitch because I don’t want to leave here on bad terms, but it’s hard to forgive and forget. She was the only person here, except for the kids, that I expected to stand up for me. But when I needed her, she hesitated. Yeah, maybe I’m heaping all my past letdowns and hurts onto her, but I can’t help how I feel. I’m not mad at her anymore. In some respects, I can even understand it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still hurt by it.

“You have a gift,” Astrid states, making my head whip around to look at her, but she’s staring down at Aries with a soft smile.

I look over at Avery. She’s watching me with a frown. She knows I’m telekinetic, but has she put two and two together and figured out that I inherited my father’s gift as well as my mother’s?

Shit, I need a distraction.

“I thought we were all gifted here,” I say with a smile. Though I can feel the strain of my words, I’m hoping the others don’t notice.

“Well, the cool people are anyway.” She winks at me as Oz whines.

“That was mean, and besides, I’m so fucking cool I don’t need a gift. The world wouldn’t be able to handle all this if I was gifted too.” He waves his hand over his body, making Zig groan and cover his eyes.

“My brother, ladies and gentlemen. If he didn’t look so much like me, I would have thought he was switched at birth.”

I laugh, trying to keep my voice down so I don’t wake Aries. “Hell, I’m not even cool with a gift, so I promise you’re not missing out on anything.”

Crew comes back just as I finish talking. He frowns and looks at Oz. “She really has no fucking clue, does she?”

“No clue about what?” I growl, not liking where this is going.

He looks at me, a smile playing on his lips. “You’re fucking gorgeous, Lara.”

I suck in a sharp breath and feel my cheeks flame. Holy crap, I had not been expecting that.

“You’re loyal, brave, and kind. I don’t know why you think there’s nothing special about you when all I see is someone pretty fucking amazing.”

“Close your mouth, hon,” Astrid whispers in my ear.

My mouth snaps closed with an audible click, making her chuckle.

“Uncle Oz, Uncle Zig,” Bella calls, making the two brothers turn to look at her. “Slade and Jagger said they can do the monkey bars faster than you.”

I see the two men in question over by the monkey bars, smirking.

“Oh, it’s on like Donkey Kong,” Oz growls.

Crew sits beside me, chuckling, and I can’t help myself. I lean into him and ask quietly, “What’s Donkey Kong?”

He freezes, and I can picture the inside of his brain now flashing like a neon light. She’s seventeen, seventeen, seventeen.

“Just kidding,” I say.

He looks at me for a second before he sighs. “I deserved that.”

“You really did.” I smile, and he chuckles.

“What are the chances of me getting Aries back?”

“Not good. You left. He’s mine now.”

“Yeah, how dare I need to use the bathroom,” he says with a snort.

“You’ll know better for next time.” I smile and pat his arm.

I turn back to the monkey bars when I hear whooping and hollering.

I can’t help but laugh when Slade and Zig start whipping their T-shirts off. Greg walks over to them, waving his phone, and I realize he’s going to time them.

I spot Ev and Hawk sitting at the top of the crow’s nest, watching on with amusement while Creed gets into position to video it all.

“And to think I thought this was for the kids.”

“The first thing you should know about living here, Lara, is that they are all big kids. I don’t know how they survived before Salem came along,” Astrid admits.

“Luna,” Avery and Crew say at the same time, not taking their eyes off the action, and we both laugh before turning our attention back to Zig and Slade.

I smile as the crowd starts cheering, and both Slade and Zig take off like lightning.

“Holy crap.” I watch, mesmerized, as they move seamlessly from one bar to the next. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed.

Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. I turn to look other side of the playset just as Bella, frustrated at being unable to see, decides to climb to the top of the second crow’s nest, like Ev and Hawk, to get a better view.

My heart lodges in my throat as I watch her climb, but I don’t shout out, worried I’ll distract her and she’ll slip. Then, as if my thoughts make it reality, she loses her grip and falls.

Her scream pierces the air as she plummets to the ground. Everyone turns, and all the men run toward her, but they won’t make it in time.

I don’t stop to think. I act on instinct, throwing my free arm out and pushing as much force as I can out of it. If I had time to worry, I’d panic that she was too far away. But there is no time for panic now, which shuts out the voice of doubt in my brain.

Bella freezes in the air a few inches from the ground. The pressure of taking her weight rocks me forward. I hold Aries tightly and focus on holding Bella still. I catch my breath and gently lower her to the ground.

As soon as I release her, I feel the telltale warmth of blood running from my nose over my lips. I lift my hand to swipe my face and freeze when I realize everyone’s eyes are on me.