Chapter 28

Everlee

If looks could kill, Dad would be dead on the floor right now. I love the man, I really do, but I do not like him right now. In fact, I'm teetering on the edge of loathing him, something I've never felt for him before. And my brothers, each are lining up behind Dad, walking a thin line, barely balancing on my ‘like' meter.

It's been ten days since they found me and none of them have relented on letting me go find Wild Man. I never expected they'd let me go on my own, but I was hoping they'd eventually agree if one or more went with me. I truly understand their refusal. Their reasons are valid. But I'll be damned if they'll stop me from going, so their wisest choice would be to let me go with an escort, because if they don't, I'll find a way to go on my own.

"You can hate it all you want," I tell Dad, straightening my spine and putting steel in my voice. "But you won't stop me. I will be going. Nothing other than death will keep me from finding him."

From over to my left, Mad takes a step toward me. I swing my gaze his way and point my finger at him. "You stay the hell away from me."

He stops, his brows raising at my aggressive tone and the fire spewing from my eyes. I'm still pissed at him and Spencer for holding me down on the bed that day.

They. Fucking. Drugged. Me.

Like I was a mentally unstable patient in a hospital.

"This right here goes to show how foolish you're being, Ever," Dad says, and I whip my gaze back to him. "For you to think, even for a moment, that I would allow you anywhere near that man again. You're not in your right goddamn mind."

"Allow me to?" My tone is deceptively calm when on the inside, I'm fuming so hot I feel the flames of my rage heating my skin. I am so fucking over them keeping me from doing this. "And how exactly are you going to stop me? Tie me to my bed? Lock me in my room? Put bars on my windows?" I lean forward. "Hold me down and force a needle in my arm again? Keep me drugged and imprisoned? That would make you worse than Wild Man."

Something flickers in his eyes. They skitter from me for a brief moment before coming back. I've never doubted Dad's love, and I don't now, so I know what he did bothers him. Just not enough to let me go. And I'm not sure if it's enough to not do it again. I want to say he wouldn't, but I wouldn't have thought he would do it the first time either.

"I won't apologize for what I did," he says unrepentantly. "You needed to calm down and that was the fastest and safest way to do it."

I ignore that. Not because I believe it's true, but because it's a moot point. The deed has been done and nothing either of us can say will change it. All it proves is what Dad and my brothers are capable of.

All of a sudden, my anger and animosity drains out of me. I deflate and the weight on my shoulders feels too heavy for me to carry. The stress of the last week has drained so much of my energy. My thoughts of Wild Man and the condition he's in—if he's even alive—has consumed my every waking moment. And the longer I don't know the answer, the bigger the hole in my heart gets. Anytime my brain tells me there's a real possibility he's dead, I snap the doors closed to those thoughts, refusing to entertain the idea. He can't be dead. He's lived in the wild for over twenty years, fought deadly animals much stronger than my family, survived two rattlesnake bites and a cougar attack at a young age. He has to be alive.

"I love him, Daddy," I say, my voice much lower now that the strength has left my body. "I love him so much that it feels like my soul is shriveling up and dying and my life force is fading. I know you can't understand that, but it's the truth."

"You can't love him."

"Why not? Because you say so?" My smile is flat and lifeless. "You may be the smartest man I know, but right now you're incredibly stupid. You know love works in mysterious ways. It doesn't let you pick who you or I choose. It picks you and matches you with the person who's perfect for you. Wild Man may not be the typical man and our time may have started out rough, but there is no other man out there that I would choose over him. He's the only man I would ever choose."

"He raped you, Ever." It takes a lot for Dad to say that out loud. I can hear the struggle in his voice.

"In the beginning, yes," I admit. As much as it paints a very nasty picture of Wild Man, I won't deny what he did.

"How can you stand there and openly admit that and still think I would be okay with you going back to the man who forced himself on you? Who held you captive and kept you naked for six fucking weeks? Who left marks on you that you're still healing from." At that remark, the spot on my neck that Wild Man always likes to bite and suck tingles. The mark is almost gone and that makes me incredibly sad. "Our lives were hell. Utter fucking hell, Everlee. I've never felt so goddamn helpless in my life when I couldn't find you. Can you not understand why I'd sooner saw off my limbs before I let you anywhere near him?"

"I do understand. I can't imagine how hard it was for you." I look at each of my brothers, all with their dour expressions and tense stances. They look like they want to shake some sense into me. My gaze lands on Rika, who's sitting on the couch to my left. She hasn't left my house since the first time I woke up to her sitting beside my bed. She had a better understanding of my feelings, but I know she still doesn't fully grasp them. There's no way she could. I look back at Dad. "But you're not understanding me. I was the one who was taken. It was me who endured something horrific and fought to get back to you all. I suffered. I screamed and cried, begged and fought so damn hard. Some days I felt like I'd never get free. Some moments, I even thought death would have been a better alternative. For a time, all I felt for Wild Man was hatred."

I pull in a shaky breath. Tears have long since gathered in my eyes and have found their way down my cheeks.

"I lived through all that, and I still love him. Even though our beginning was a nightmare, I still fell in love. And what's more, I know he loves me too. I know he does because he made me feel it. He made me feel cherished and protected and adored. Like I was the most important and precious thing in his life." I plead with my eyes for him to understand. "I get that it's hard for you to believe and goes against every protective bone in your body. If it weren't for our beginning, wouldn't you want someone like that for me? Someone who would treat me like the most treasured gift? Who would give anything just to see me smile and laugh. Someone who made all those terrible feelings worth it because, in the end, the joy and happiness I felt far outweighed those bad times."

Dad's voice is rough when he says, "I'd give anything for you to have that, Ever. But I can't forget that beginning."

My legs feel like Jell-O as I walk to him. I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on the center of his chest. He's well over six feet, so my ear lays perfectly over his steadily-beating heart. He wraps me up and hugs me tight, like he'll never let me go again. I've always felt so safe and loved in Dad's arms.

I pull back moments later and tip my head up to look at him. My dad, despite being in his late fifties, is still very handsome, and because of his daily workout regimen that he rarely misses, he's stacked with muscles and has the body of a man in his early forties.

"I don't expect you to forget it," I tell him quietly. "I never will because, even painful, it's a part of our story. But what you must do is accept my decision. You don't have to like it, but you have to learn to live with it."

"Ever—"

I lean up to kiss his cheek, cutting him off. "I'll always be your little girl and will always be okay with your need to protect me, but your little girl can make big girl decisions. And this is one thing I don't need your protection for. I'm safe with Wild Man. He would protect me just as fiercely as you or the others would. You have to let me do this."

"But he's hurt you."

"He's also protected me."

His jaw clenches and I can tell he wants to say more, but he keeps his mouth closed. For once, sensing that no matter what he says, my mind will not be changed. I feel the restless energy coming from my brothers and know they want to continue the argument, but they won't go against Dad. Well, Maddox might, just because he's a big asshole and doesn't know when to stop.

The tense moment is interrupted when there's a knock at the door. I step back from Dad and go to the entryway. I don't doubt for a moment this conversation isn't over, but for the moment, Dad seems to be on the verge of relenting. I just need to keep working at him. He'll never fully be on board with me finding Wild Man, but I don't need him to be. I just need one toe.

I feel eyes following me to the front door, but ignore the stares. I'm honestly surprised they're letting me answer the door. A couple of reporters have shown up over the last few days, wanting the gossip from the girl who was held captive by a savage wild man. My only guess is that their thoughts are too consumed by the possibility of Dad letting me seek out Wild Man and trying to come up with other reasons why he shouldn't.

I look through the peephole and see a woman on the other side. I can't see much of her through the warped hole, but just by the shirt she's wearing, she doesn't appear to be a reporter. I flip the deadbolt and pull open the door.

The woman startles, like she didn't expect me to actually open the door. She looks to be several years older than me, closer to Maddox's age. She has long, wavy dark hair and midnight-blue eyes. She's taller than the average woman, standing several inches above me. Her clothes, which still makes me believe she's not a reporter now that I can see her full outfit, is a t-shirt with a rock band logo and a pair of worn jeans with holes in the knees.

"Hi. Can I help you?" I ask.

A line forms between her eyes as she looks me over. Not in a weird judgmental way, just with curiosity. Her teeth latch onto her bottom lip like she's contemplating what to say.

"Are you Everlee Adair?" she inquires, her voice hesitant.

I feel someone walk up behind me, probably Dad or one of my brothers. Her gaze moves behind me before they come back.

"I am. And you are?"

I can visibly see the flash of relief enter her eyes. "My name is Camille Salone. I'm looking for my brother."

"Your brother?" My brows furrow, not comprehending why she would be here looking for him.

"Yes. His name is Phenix. He's been missing since he was five years old."

"Why would—" My words trail off, and I swear my world tips upside down. I grab the door jam when I feel like I might list over sideways. A hand grabs my waist, helping to support me.

"Oh Jesus," I mumble.

The woman steps forward and my eyes dart back to her.

Her expression is filled with concern when she asks. "Are you okay?"

I can't answer. My brain is overflowing, trying to fathom the impossibility.

Fey.

Could it mean Phenix?

Wild Man never mentioned he had a sister. Only that his mother was pregnant when they went to stay in the wilderness for one last foray.

I look at the woman in front of me. Really look at her. Hair dark enough that it looks like there's a hint of blue. Eyes so dark, they almost look black. And they're slightly slanted, just like Wild Man. While Wild Man had a full beard, his full red lips always caught my eye because they were such a contrast to the darkness of the hair on his face. This woman has the same lips.

"H-he never said he had a sister," I say, barely getting the words past my dry throat.

Sadness enters the woman's eyes and she looks down at her hands. She's twisting them together. "It's been over twenty years and he was so young when he went missing. I'm not surprised he didn't remember me." She looks up and a world of pain is in her gaze. "I wasn't home much the last couple of years before our parents took him on their adventure. I had an autoimmune disease that had me in the hospital more often than I was at home."

Something in my chest fractures, splits right down the middle, and I suck in a sharp breath, hoping to relieve the pain.

I reach out and grab one of her hands. "Please, come in."

I tug Camille inside and turn to the rest of the room. It must have been Dad who was behind me because he's standing close by. My brothers are scattered throughout the room, eyeing the newcomer as if they aren't sure what to make of her. All except Maddox. He looks like he may want to kick the woman out. I glower at him, daring him to even try, and I pull Camille over to the couch. Rika scoots to the end, making room for me to sit. Camille sits on the other end.

"How old were you when they left?" I ask, turning my body to face her.

I'm still having trouble believing this woman is Wild Man's sister, but the evidence is right in front of me. They look too much alike for it not to be true. I'm surprised I didn't notice it when I first opened the door, because it surely smacks me in the face now.

"Seven."

"And they just left a sick seven-year-old girl in the hospital while they went gallivanting in the forest? Sounds like great parents to me," Ethan says with a hostile tone.

"Ethan!" I snap, not believing my brother could be so heartless. I'd expect this behavior from Maddox, but not Ethan. It's a good thing he's across the room, or I'd leave my handprint on his face. "How dare you!"

I glare at him, but his eyes are focused on Camille.

"You really believe this woman?" he asks, switching his gaze to me.

"I do actually," I say. "If you saw Wild Man, you'd believe her too. They look too much alike not to be related. And besides, why in the world would she lie?"

"Media attention. Fame. Money. Those are just a few reasons."

"Jesus, brother. Not everyone is jaded like you." I shoot him a hard look. "Either keep your trap shut and play nice or get out of my house."

Camille touching my hand pulls my attention back to her.

"It's okay." Her eyes slide sideways to Ethan before coming back to me. "Really."

"No, it certainly is not. This is my house and while people are in it, they won't be assholes to my guests."

Ethan wisely clamps his lips shut, but doesn't lose the animosity in his eyes.

"Now," I pat the top of Camille's hand. "Tell me more."

I'm ridiculously curious to learn more of Wild Man and his life before he and his parents went into the wilderness.