Chapter Twenty-Five

Flame

Entering our house after finally being allowed to come home, I release a breath I didn't realize I"d been holding. I'm so glad to be back here. Part of me I didn't want to acknowledge at the time was worried I'd never see this place again. I'd never see the people I love most in this world. I was worried I'd end up dead before I could make it home due to the damage Thing One and Two were inflicting on my body. I make my way to the sofa, slowly sitting down before patting the cushion next to me for Wrath to sit. I just want some time with him after everything.

He comes over and sits with me, but he doesn't speak. I know he spent time with Thing One and Two, but he hasn"t told me what he did to them, and he doesn't seem to want to yet, which is fine; he"ll tell me everything in his own time.

Deciding right now might be best to ask him about Jasmine, as I was taken before he got to tell me anything about her or what he found out.

"So, what happened with Jasmine the other day?"I ask to start the conversation.

"She seems sweet. Nothing like Claire, as far as I can tell. The shit she told me that happened to her after she tried to save Cam made me feel sick. Claire had her raped and beaten in front of her and laughed about it. Then threatened her life. Who does that to their own flesh and blood?"Wrath starts telling me, and yeah, I feel sick. That"s just wrong on so many levels.

"She also told me about how Claire"s endgame was always to kill both you and Shadow in front of me, so even though you were taken, I knew you were still alive. Jasmine asked for protection because Claire"s been having her watched for years and probably knew she was here and talking, so I granted it to her; she's staying here for now. She also told me originally that Cam was going to be her weapon to kill us, but that changed the more he started to look like me as he got older."

Fucking hell. Talk about fucked up. The more I learn, the more I know the world will be a much better and safer place without Claire.

"How was she with Cam?"

"They haven"t spent a great deal of time together. Everything that happened with you being taken—all Cam could focus on was you being gone. The time they did spend together was short. Cam felt wary around a woman, and he didn't want to push himself too much. I think we"re going to have to get him someone to talk to; he"s got to go back to school eventually, and we both know there will be women there." Wrath explains.

"I'm glad everything went okay between them. I'm looking forward to meeting her. I agree with us finding him someone to talk to. Maybe we can find someone to do it virtually so he can start sooner rather than later and still be safe here at The Compound."

"Yeah, I like that idea. I"ll search for someone and then talk to Cam. I don"t want him to feel like we"re forcing him into something he doesn"t want to do, but I think it really is the best thing for him."

Lapsing into silence, we just sit next to each other, enjoying each other"s company after so long apart. I can feel my eyes growing heavy, and I start to slump towards Wrath's shoulder. Wrath gently helps me lie with my head in his lap and strokes my hair while whispering, "Get some sleep." Slowly, I feel my eyes close and my body relax, knowing I"m safe in Wrath"s lap. Soon enough, I'm out for the count.

When I wake up, I'm on the sofa alone, with a blanket over me. Looking around the room from my position, I see Cam on the chair with a laptop on his knee. Where the hell is Wrath? How the hell did he move me without waking me? Fuck, I must"ve really been out of it.

"Hey Cam."I croak out, fuck my throat is dry.

"Hey Papa, need some water?"He asks, and I just nod.

Quickly putting his laptop down, he shoots into the kitchen. He"s back within seconds with a bottle of water for me; he undoes the top and hands it over. I greedily drink down the whole bottle. I definitely needed that.

"Thank you; my throat was as dry as a desert."

Cam laughs, "I could tell by your voice."

"Where's your Dad?"I ask, wondering where he"s disappeared too.

"He said he needed to spend some more time with his guests; I'm guessing he meant the guys they brought back when they saved you,"Cam says with confidence.

"Yeah, that's probably what he meant, but he didn't want to tell you that because you don"t need the details of what your Dad is doing with them,"I explain to him gently.

"Yeah, I know Papa. The only reason I know about them being here at all is because I overheard Uncle Shadow telling Grandfather. Wanna watch some TV while we wait for Dad to come home?"He asks with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, you pick something. I have no idea what"s good to watch; I can"t remember the last time I watched TV, if I"m being honest."I reply with a smile of my own.

Cam goes straight to flicking through the channels for something that interests him and stops on a show about restoring vintage cars and bikes. This shouldn"t be too bad to watch; at least it"s something I can actually sink into and watch with interest.

A few hours later, I hear the front door open and close before Wrath and Shadow walk into the living room. I'm lying on the sofa watching some random show, now that what we were watching before has finished. I couldn"t be bothered to find something else to watch.

"Had fun?"I ask with a smirk.

Wrath looks like the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders. His body"s missing the tension that"s been lingering ever since I got back. Whatever he"s done to Thing One and Thing Two certainly did him some good.

"Yeah, definitely; I needed that."Wrath replies with an evil grin.

He seems much more settled now that he"s worked out his aggression on Thing One and Two. I"m relieved. I hate seeing him out of sorts.

"Are they still breathing?"

I can"t help but wonder what"s become of them.

"They were when we left, but they won"t last much longer. Fuck, I forgot how brutal Wrath can be. We left them to die slowly; no point in ending their pain quickly."Shadow informs me.

"Sounds good to me. They don"t deserve a quick death. What"re we doing for food tonight anyway? Apparently spending all day on the sofa is hungry work."

"Up to you, babe, we can either order takeout or go over to The Clubhouse and eat with everyone else. I don"t think you"ll be cooking us any delicious meals for the time being, so these are your options for now."Wrath states.

"Takeout tonight; I can"t be bothered to move; I"m comfy,"I say with a chuckle.

"What you feeling then?"Wrath asks.

"Pizza."

"Alright, let me go upstairs and check with Cam what he wants on his, then I"ll order."Wrath says as he starts to make his way upstairs.

Shadow stays with me, so I quietly ask, "How bad was it?"

I really need to know what level Wrath ended up going to in his head when he dealt out their punishment.

"He was brutal; he did some of the worst things I"ve ever witnessed done to another person, but he needed it. He really struggled when they had you. I think this has given him his sense of control back. He"s back to his normal self now. You don"t need to worry."

I"m beyond relieved to hear that. I know Shadow would never lie to me about this.

Wrath comes back, telling us that food will be here within thirty minutes, and it was. We all enjoyed a relaxing night after that, and I honestly believe it's what we all needed after recent events. Well, I say we. Shadow disappeared somewhere once he"d finished his pizza. We all struggled in our own ways, and I wasn"t going to complain if Shadow was going out and dealing with everything that had happened that way. For the rest of us, spending time together seemed to reset our minds and reassure us that all was back right in our world.