“Need you to promise me one thing.”
Her expression twisted in question. In the trust there was no doubt was hard for her to give.
“Next time you get scared? Next time you want to run? Promise me you’ll run to me.”
“I’m scared every single day, Jud.” Her confession was out on a pained breath.
I took her by both sides of the face. “I have you, Salem. I have you.”
I leaned in, intent on kissing the hell out of her, when the doorbell rang.
Salem pulled back to put three inches between us, though I couldn’t find it in me to let her free of my grip.
Juni raced to the window to peer out through the drape. “Oh, no, it’s your mom and dad, Gage.”
Juni cried it like it was the end of the world.
I couldn’t help but grin. “She is something, Salem. The cutest little thing.”
Tenderness ridged her lips, though her expression rippled with heartache. “I’m sorry if it hurts you, being around her,” she clarified.
My head shook, and I took her hand, kissed her knuckles. “No, baby, she’s a part of you.”
Fuck.
There I went.
Sinking in.
Deeper and deeper.
Salem froze for a beat before she seemed to shake herself out of it and stepped back far enough to break the connection. She glanced at me once as she turned then eased into the living room. I followed close behind.
Juni freed the lock and opened the door wide.
“Gage can’t goes yet, we aren’t done playing our game and he gots to stay and finish because Imma about to win. Girls rule, you know.” All of it had flooded from Juni’s mouth before anyone got the chance to say hello.
Soft affection breezed from Eden’s laughter, and she ran her hand over the top of Gage’s head as she stepped inside. “Oh, well, I’m sorry to interrupt. How about five more minutes, and then we need to get out of their hair.”
“Hair? You aren’t in our hair.” Juni squished up her nose.
So damned cute.
Eden looked our way. Kindness shined from her being.
“Eden, hi,” Salem whispered, going for her friend at the same time Eden moved her way. Eden wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight.
Trent entered behind, uneasy as usual, eyes darting around like he was assessing for a threat. That unease was shifting into a disbelieving smirk when he saw me hovering in the kitchen like I had the right to be there.
“I was worried about you,” Eden whispered to Salem as she pulled back. “Are you okay?”
Salem angled her head. “Why don’t you and Trent come into the kitchen for a cup of coffee while we wait for the kids to finish?”
Four of us piled back into the kitchen while the kids went back to their game on the floor.
Salem grabbed two new cups, poured them, while I went to the refrigerator and pulled out the creamer I’d just placed in there.
Trent pitched me a glance, scratching at his temple in speculation.
I grunted at him in response.
Yeah. I was fucked. Already knew it. No need for him to rub it in.
“How is Tessa?” Salem whispered, keeping her voice low.
Distress passed through Eden’s expression while rage tweaked every muscle in Trent’s body.
“She was more upset than anything. Worried about you,” Eden added cautiously. “That’s why we both came. To see how you are. If there’s anything we can do?”
Anger spiraled through my being.
“I’m fine. I was just…caught off guard,” Salem said. “Tessa’s not hurt, though?”
“Someone else is about to be.” Trent rumbled that below his breath.
Eden pushed out a sigh. “No. Not physically. She is hurt. Hurt that Karl would pull something like that.”
“Prick.” Another low rumble from Trent.
“Asshole get picked up?” I asked, arms crossing over my chest like it could stop the injection of violence the thought of that fucker pumped into my veins.
“Yup,” Trent grunted.
In worry, Eden chewed at the inside of her lip.
“What is it?” Salem asked.
“Tessa bailed him out this morning.” Eden rushed it like a disappointed secret.
“The hell?” I spat.
Seriously, what the hell was that girl thinking? I didn’t know Tessa all that well, but I sure as fuck knew her well enough to know she deserved better than that pompous dick.
Eden glanced between us. “Between his manipulation and the pressure from her family, I think she feels stuck. Like she doesn’t have any other choice but to stay with him.”
I stepped forward. “I say we unstick her, then.”
Trent chuckled a dark sound. “Second that.”
Eden reached out and grabbed Trent by his forearm. “You will do nothing of the sort. Tessa will be leaving him. I’ll see to it. But not at the expense of either of you.”
She looked directly between the two of us.
Eden knew it all.
The dark. The dirty. The grim.
“Promise me,” she demanded.
Frustration huffed from Trent’s nose.
Was with him.
Sometimes it was so much easier to manage things when you weren’t living on the straight and narrow.
Trent edged around behind Eden, wrapped his arm around her waist, and whispered at the shell of her ear, “Fine. I promise, Kitten.”
The look Eden gave me was hard. “No more blood, Jud.”
Razors filled my throat as that demon screamed.
All mixed with the promise I’d made myself that night.
I will never kill again.
Salem touched my arm.
So softly.
So right.
I gave Eden a tight nod. “I promise.”
A commotion broke out in the other room, and Gage and Juni came bounding our way.
The two of them burst through the archway, nothing but giggles and smiles as they fought to get in front of the other. “We finished ours game and Gage won, he saids it was fair and square, but I’m not so sure, but Mimi said it was a sneaks attack!”
“Boom, bang, kapow.” Gage did one of his wrestling moves with an adorable kick, then he went beelining for his dad. He grabbed him by the hand. He started to jump when he asked, “Dad, it’s Sunday, and you know what that means. You’re gonna teach me to ride my bike without any of the training wheels because I’m so big and ready now, right, Dad, right?”
“It is Sunday, isn’t it? Seems like that must be the plan.” Tenderness coated the ferocity that was Trent when he looked down at his son.
Squealing, Juni moved to stand in front of her mother. She threaded her fingers together in a prayer. “Mommy, do we gots enough monies that we can get my bike today so I can learns to ride with Gage? I want to learn so bad, right now.”
“Juni—” Salem hesitated.
I looked at Salem with a plea of my own, cutting off whatever reason she was going to give that it couldn’t happen right then. I took the woman’s hand in mine.
Overcome.
Unable to stop it.
Blasphemy.
This magic I couldn’t resist.
Let me come alongside you.
A war filled her expression, a line denting her forehead, her eyes full of fear and building belief.
But I saw her yielding.
When her heart gave me the go to say whatever it was I was going to say.