The implication hung heavy in the air. Lily's skin crawled at the thought.
"He wants to make an example of me," she guessed, her voice surprisingly steady despite the terror churning in her gut.
Blade nodded, his expression grim. "Public punishment. He wants the club to know what happens to those who betray him."
"Like Tim," she whispered.
"Yeah," Blade confirmed softly. "Like Tim."
Lily took a deep breath, forcing down the panic threatening to overwhelm her. Fear wouldn't help her now. Only clear thinking and preparation would.
"Then we need to be ready," she said firmly. "For whatever comes."
Blade studied her face, something like pride flickering in his eyes. "We will be," he promised. "I won't let him get to you, Lily."
"I know," she said, and was surprised to realize she meant it. Despite everything, she trusted this man. Trusted him with her life. With more than that, if she was being honest with herself.
Which was terrifying in its own way.
He checked his watch. "I need to check the perimeter, make sure our security measures are still in place. You going to be okay for a bit?"
She nodded. "I'll make breakfast."
"Your ankle?—"
"Is much better today," she interrupted. "And I need to do something useful. Please. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I’m not good at being little all the time… I’m not like the other girls."
“You don’t have to be like anyone but you, baby.”
“I’m little when I need to be, when I can be… I don’t think I could live a life like Mia or Savannah and be little all the time and let you just take care of me and do all the things.”
He studied her for a minute. “Each couple’s dynamics are different, sweetheart. We will find our own rhythm eventually. When the crisis vanishes. Maybe, you haven’t been given the chance to fully submerge yourself in the lifestyle. But, even if you can’t. That’s okay. We will find what works for us.”
“I can’t sit here and do nothing, Blade. I need to… to… do. Do something.”
He seemed to understand her need to feel productive, to maintain some semblance of control. "Alright. But take it easy."
"Yes, sir," she said, offering a mock salute.
The corner of his mouth twitched. "Brat," he murmured, but there was affection in his tone.
As he left to secure the property, Lily made her way to the kitchen, determined to prepare something substantial for breakfast. Her mind, however, kept returning to the events of the previous night. To the feeling of safety in Blade's arms. Tothe gentle kiss he'd pressed to her hair when he thought she was asleep.
This growing connection between them was dangerous. She knew that. Attachment in a crisis was a recipe for disaster. Trauma bonding, they called it. Not real feelings, just a survival mechanism.
But it felt real. It felt more real than anything had in a very long time.
She shook her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Simple things she could control while the world outside spiraled into chaos.
By the time Blade returned, she had a decent breakfast laid out on the table. Nothing fancy, but hot and filling.
"Perimeter's clear," he reported, washing his hands at the sink. "Motion sensors are all active. No signs of disturbance overnight."
"Good," she said, placing a mug of coffee in front of him as he sat down. "Though I can't decide if that's reassuring or just makes the waiting worse."
"Both," he admitted, taking a sip of coffee. "But I'd rather wait on our terms than be caught off guard."
They ate in companionable silence for a while, the simple domesticity of sharing a meal creating an illusion of normalcy. She allowed herself to think about what life with Blade would be like. What it would look like. Would they act like a regular vanilla couple? Sitting at the table and eating like this? Or would he pull her onto his lap and feed her small cut up pieces of food, while she drank her milk out of the pretty purple Sippy cup hidden away in the drawer in the room she was staying in? Would he let her cook, or would he tell her littles don’t use sharp knives?
