She whined, whether because she was happy or because she was upset with having to leave, I wasn't sure. I scrubbed her neck and back, and she did her best to crawl on top of me. Shewhacked my bruised left side, and I cried out, so Knox rushed forward to pull her off of me. By that point, Pumpkin had joined the fray, and I bent down to kiss her wooly head while she jumped onto the couch to join me.
"God damn," Knox grunted, trying to control Mini. "Why didn't you just get a show pony? She's the same fucking size."
"She's just excited," I cooed in baby talk, squishing Mini's drool-soaked face before reaching over to give Pumpkin extra loves too. "I missed you, lovelies. Mommy will never leave you again. I promise."
"That's a lie," Knox drawled. "Mom and Dad will definitely be escaping for weekends away, thank you very much."
I covered Mini's enormous, pointy ears. "Timing, you brute."
The doorbell from the elevator entrance downstairs sounded through the space, and Knox looked around like he'd just remembered something. "Oh. Yeah. Hey, so Emma is here, but also, there's a guy named Ghost who brought her. Apparently."
I frowned at him. "What?"
"Never mind. You have visitors." He went to the card pad outside the elevator and swiped our house key, which would allow them access. "Unless you're not up for it."
"No, I am," I assured him. I was wearing one of his college hoodies, which was enormous on me, and I'd put on my comfiest sweatpants. Somehow, I still felt naked—exposed. I didn't know how long that feeling would last, but it was eerie. At odd times throughout the morning, I had smelled cigarette smoke, and even when Knox had removed my IV and helped me dress, I'd flinched at his touch. I hated it. But it had just happened last night, and I knew it would take time to recover.
I settled myself comfortably on the tan couch, pulling a knit throw over my legs like extra armor, and Mini and Pumpkin snuggled me on either side. With Knox standing behind me, I literally couldn't be safer. The elevator doors opened, and Ilooked over my shoulder to find Emma and a tall, handsome man next to her. Emma surged through the door, her enormous, luminous blue eyes finding me and her bronze-tinted lips popping open in shock. "Gemma, oh myGod."
She hurried over to me, and I could tell she'd been in a rush to get ready before she'd left. Her beautiful, hourglass figure had been draped in an oversized coat, and her flaming ginger hair had been pulled into a hasty half-up. She came to join me in the living room, sitting on the adjacent sofa and putting her pale hands to her lips. "I couldn't believe it when your lawyer called me last night."
I grimaced apologetically. "I'm sorry for pulling you into this. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Yes," she assured me emphatically. "God, yes. I left that asshole months ago because," she paused, glancing at Knox and the man who had come to stand by her couch with his arms folded, "no offense, but fuck men."
That was the Emma I knew and loved. She'd pretty much made "fuck men" into a personality type. The other man, Ghost, I assumed, had dark hair streaked through with gray, but his face looked somewhat young. He was strikingly handsome, with eyes like Knox's—arctic wolf blue. He also looked a little scary, to be honest. Like he would snap someone's neck at a moment's notice. He was wearing a black canvas jacket over a white T-shirt where tattoos peeked out from the collar, and the muscles on his folded arms bulged.
I gave him a nervous look, and he smiled without mirth. "None taken. I'm Kael."
"I thought you were Ghost," Knox said with a suspicious glance.
The two men sized each other up. Kael lifted one brow. "Azura gave you my old code name? That's cute."
"Code name?" I asked before pouting mistrustfully.
He waved a hand without unfolding his arms. "Forget it. I run errands for Azura's spoiled ass from time to time."
That was incredibly sus. "Okay," I replied slowly, trying to log that weird fact away to process later.
"I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea… I mean I never imagined he would do that." Emma pressed her hands to her mouth again.
I shook my head. "It's not your fault. And I'm okay, really. I'm just glad he didn't hurt you."
"From the look of it, Rook did plenty of hurting in return," Kael said with a sideways glance at Knox.
Knox cleared his throat. "Self-defense."
"Never happened," Kael corrected. "Trust me. I made sure of it. He'd taken a house-sitting job for an older couple, but we swept the place clean and removed him. He won't be bothering you—or anyone—again. You have my word."
"Sorry,whoare you again?" I demanded.
"A house husband, actually," Kael grinned crookedly. "I spend most of my time making fancy food my wife won't eat."
Baffled, I returned my attention to Emma. "Well, are you doing okay? Tell me where you've been."
"Yes, really, I'm fine. Dain started to get weird—obviously—so I left him like three months ago. I found the coolest little apartment…"
As Emma and I talked, I relaxed, buffeted on either side by my animals and supported from behind by Knox's presence. I was safe. I was comfortable. I had a home, and most importantly, Knox and I had finally found an understanding free of pretense or the barrier of anyone else's nefarious schemes. It was the most sublime form of refuge to be free to love, free to feel, and free to plan for the future.
