Chapter 19 Kaylor
KAYLOR
If someone told me a week ago that I’d be moving into the Corvos’ estate again, I would have laughed in their face.
And yet, here I was, gathering my shit and leaving the comfort of my cousin’s house for the cold grandeur of Donovan’s domain.
And doing my best to pretend I wasn’t about sick to my stomach about it.
Speaking of my cousin, Brock took the news about as well as I’d expected, which was to say not well at all. He swore, punched the wall, and vowed to destroy Donovan if he didn’t hold up his end of the deal. Typical Brock, but it was nice to know how much he cared, and I owed him my life.
Mason and Maddox showed up twenty minutes later in one of the Corvo SUVs, music blaring from the open windows, looking far too glum for guys going home.
You would think they would be happy to sleep in their own beds.
Kreed asked the twins to help me with my bags and drive me to the Willows, where he would meet me.
Donovan wasn’t home. Convenient? Regardless, I was grateful for his absence.
I still needed to adjust to the idea of living in his house again, and it would be easier to do so if he were never there.
“Damn, menace,” Maddox said as he leaned against the door frame, surveying the guest room I’d been staying in. “How the fuck is it possible you collected so much shit?”
“I’m a girl,” I retorted, tightening the straps on one of the duffels. “This is just a few essentials.”
“Essentials,” Mason echoed dryly, lifting one of the bags with a grunt. “If your essentials weigh this much, I’m scared to see what your nonessentials look like.”
“Shoes are essential,” I countered.
“Debatable,” Maddox said, slinging another bag over his shoulder. “Last time I checked, you had two feet. Why do you need six pairs? How do you have six pairs?”
“Fashion, Maddox. Ever heard of it?”
He grinned. “And yet you choose to live in Kreed’s hoodies.” He plucked at the corner of my shoulder, lifting the black fabric.
I rolled my eyes despite how accurate his statement was. Could I help it if they were the most comfortable thing I’d worn? And right now, I needed comfort over fashion. “You and your brother have two brain cells between you, and they’re constantly fighting for custody.”
Mason snorted. “She’s definitely been spending too much time around Kreed.”
That earned him a playful shove from me. “Trust me, I’ve had enough of your brother’s brooding to last a lifetime.”
“Impossible,” Maddox said, his grin widening. “You’re addicted. We all see it. You’ve got it bad.”
Shit. Had Kreed told them what I said? That I’d blurted out my undying love? “Did he say something?” I didn’t care if I suddenly sounded paranoid. I felt paranoid.
Maddox’s brows furrowed as he eyed me. “Like what?”
Okay, so that meant they didn’t know about my embarrassing confession. I ignored him and stuffed another hoodie into an open duffel, pretending I hadn’t just turned scarlet. “Do you ever shut up?”
“Not when I’m right,” Maddox said, flashing that trademark Corvo smirk.
I rolled my eyes.
The drive back to Willows Estate felt interminably long, each mile stretching into eternity despite the speed Maddox maintained. My stomach was a tight knot of nerves, and every turn of the winding road the knot tightened.
“You gonna be sick?” Mason asked from the passenger seat, twisting around to look at me with genuine concern creasing his forehead. “You’re looking a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” I lied, pressing one hand against my churning stomach.
Maddox caught my gaze in the rearview mirror. “You don’t have to pretend. Not with us.”
“We already know how brave you are, but you don’t have anything to prove to us.” Mason winked at me. “You’re family now. And we protect our own even from each other.”
The knot wound around my heart loosened slightly. He had no idea how much it meant to hear them say I was family. Knowing how far we’d come, it meant something to me.
By the time we pulled through the imposing gates, I had to actively remind myself to draw breath, to keep oxygen moving through my lungs.
As we passed through the rows of willows, my pulse quickened at the sprawling mansion, a patchwork of shadow and light under the clouded afternoon sky, and I was struck all over again by how it managed to be simultaneously beautiful and intimidating.
The building stood grand, cold, and masculinely beautiful.
Its stone exterior gleamed faintly under the weak afternoon light.
Maddox killed the engine, and the sudden silence felt oppressive. For a moment, none of us moved.
“You ready for this?” Mason asked quietly, his usual humor absent.
“No,” I admitted. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be ready, so we might as well get it over with.”
“Feels weird being back, huh?” Mason said quietly as he opened the back door, waiting for me to climb out.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “Weird and…I don’t know. Heavy.”
Maddox nodded from behind the wheel. “It’ll take some getting used to again, but it’s short-term. This isn’t permanent. Not for you.”
“Comforting,” I muttered. The wind sweeping across the circular drive still carried the distinctive scent I remembered: pine from the surrounding trees mixed with something metallic, like iron or old pennies.
Mason slung his arm over my shoulder when I stepped out of the car. “I can’t imagine this place without you and Kreed next year. What the fuck are we going to do without you, my little kitten?”
It was weird to think about next year. I’d been so focused on getting through tomorrow that I hadn’t let myself imagine what happened next. “Actually go to school.”
Mason snorted, slinging two duffel bags over his broad shoulders like they weighed nothing.
Inside, the mansion was eerily quiet. Maddox carried the heaviest bag, his biceps straining slightly. I clutched the small box of personal items with my toothbrush, brushes, and tampons.
When Mason shouldered open the door to what had been my room during my previous stay, I braced myself for the inevitable flood of memories, late nights spent staring at the ceiling, the twins arguing through walls, and stolen glances across the hallway at a boy I was supposed to hate.
But instead of nostalgia, I froze for an entirely different reason.
There was someone sitting cross-legged on my bed.
“Poppy?” I gasped.
Her head snapped up at my voice, sending familiar dark red braids falling around her shoulders.
Those wide gold eyes I’d know anywhere went even wider as she took out the earbuds and made this high, disbelieving squeal.
“Oh my god, Kaylor! You’re really fucking here.
I nearly didn’t believe Kreed when he texted me.
And then a car showed up at my house. The next thing I knew, I was here.
Now you’re here. You’re really here! Holy shit.
” The words rushed out of her mouth so fast that I was pretty sure she hadn’t taken a breath.
The next thing I knew, she was flying off the bed, and I was dropping my box onto the nearest surface and moving toward her. My throat went tight, vision blurring as tears I hadn’t expected gathered.
We collided in the middle of the room, arms immediately locking around each other in a desperate embrace. Her shoulders shook against mine; she was crying too, both of us trembling with the force of emotions we’d been holding back.
“I was so scared I’d never see you again,” she said between hiccupping sniffles. “When you left—I thought—”
“I’m sorry,” I cut her off gently, not wanting her to voice the worst-case scenarios that had probably kept her up at night. “I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. If you’re pissed at me, I’d totally understand.”
She laughed through her tears, black mascara smearing at the corner of her eyes. “I’m just freaking happy you’re here and alive. Well, maybe not here in this particular house, but here, you know what I mean.” There she went off rambling again, and I loved every second.
“God, Poppy, you have absolutely no idea how good it is to see your face right now.” Especially here. Especially today. Having her at the Willows took away a chunk of my anxiety. Her energy alone could do that.
She interlocked our fingers and started leading me to the bed. “We have so much to catch up on. Like how the hell you ended up back in this house with the Corvos. Not that I’m surprised.”
I let her pull me down onto the plush mattress. Behind us, Mason and Maddox moved around, setting down boxes with careful thuds, trying to give us this moment while still unloading my shit from the car.
“Hey, Pops,” Mason greeted, and the shithead grin gracing his lips had me worried. I didn’t need him screwing with the only friend I had at Public.
I gave him a pointed look.
He only grinned wider, and if I’d been closer to him, I would have sent my elbow into his gut.
“Kick rocks, Mason,” Poppy replied, squinting at him.
He just laughed.
Maddox’s gaze landed on me. “You need anything, menace?”
I shook my head. “I’m good. Better than good.” They had no idea what it meant to have Poppy here.
“You know where to find us if you need muscle or bail money,” Mason joked. At least I hoped it was a joke.
My eyes rolled as their footsteps retreated down the hallway, gradually fading until silence reclaimed the space.
As soon as we were alone, Poppy launched straight into rapid-fire updates, words tumbling out of her like she’d been holding them in for days. School drama, cafeteria disasters, and a teacher meltdown—normal stuff. Blessedly normal.
My mouth stretched into a real smile, one that didn’t wobble on its way up. Just listening to her ramble eased the tight achiness in my chest. My body actually unwound, sinking into the mattress.
She didn’t push. Didn’t ask about the obvious gaping hole in my last two weeks. The kidnapping. The auction. The bruises still hiding beneath my sleeves. She gave me soft-landing topics, ones I could hold without breaking. God, I loved her for that.