Chapter Eleven
Clove
I didn’t realize how many people were watching me until I stopped moving.
The moment we crossed into the clubhouse, it was like the world slowed down just enough for me to feel it. Not in a threatening way, in a thank God she’s here way.
Mom never let go of my arm. Her fingers stayed curled around my forearm like if she loosened her grip, I might evaporate into thin air. Every time someone stepped too close, she shifted instinctively, her body angling between me and the room.
It was a lot.
But I didn’t pull away.
They’d thought I was dead.
That realization kept coming back in waves, knocking the air out of my chest all over again. Somewhere between the woods and the road and Ender’s arms, the club had already begun grieving me. Somewhere in that space, my mom had imagined a future without me in it.
So if she needed to keep touching me, needed to keep me within reach? I understood.
People gathered slowly at first, hesitant, like they didn’t want to overwhelm me. That lasted maybe thirty seconds before restraint gave way to relief.
Karmen hugged me gently, careful like I might break. “I’m so glad you’re home,” she whispered. Her voice shook just enough to tell me how close she’d come to losing it.
Nikki was next, buzzing, amped, vibrating with leftover adrenaline that had nowhere to go now that the crisis had passed.
“I swear,” she said, gripping my shoulders, “I was ready to burn the whole damn state down.” She stopped herself, then laughed breathlessly.
“But you’re here. You’re actually here.”
Alice bounced in after that, her grin wide and unapologetic. “I mean,” she said, eyes flicking over my dirt-streaked face and tangled hair, “you really know how to make an entrance. Kidnapped, dramatic escape, motorcycles? Ten out of ten.”
A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. It surprised both of us.
Eden stepped forward next, twisting her fingers together. Her eyes were red. “I–I’m s-sorry,” she said, the words catching and stalling the way they always did when she was emotional. “I w-wasn’t th-there f-for you.”
My heart cracked open. “No,” I said immediately, reaching for her hands. “No, Eden. You don’t need to be sorry. None of this was your fault.”
She nodded, tears spilling over as she squeezed my hands once before stepping back.
Wendy hovered close, and her presence was solid. Aunt. Family. Someone who’d known me my entire life and didn’t need explanations.
Raven stepped in next, her mouth already curved into a grin. “I told them,” she said. “I said there was no way you weren’t out there fighting like hell. You’re a badass bitch, Clove.”
I snorted, the sound wet and broken and real.
Basil and Dad stayed on the edges of the room.
Basil tried to pretend he wasn’t hovering, leaning against the wall with forced casualness, but his eyes never left me. He cracked a joke under his breath about me owing him for worrying him sick, and I saw the way his shoulders loosened when I rolled my eyes at him.
Dad didn’t say much. He didn’t need to. I felt his gaze on me constantly, like he was counting breaths and memorizing proof that I was alive.
Eventually, the noise softened. Conversations broke into smaller clusters. The energy shifted from panic to relief.
“I think I want to shower,” I said quietly. “And put on clean clothes.”
Mom nodded instantly. “I’ll finish dinner and bring you a plate.”
She kissed my temple like she used to when I was little, her lips lingering there a second longer than necessary. “Use the room at the end of the hallway. I put clean sheets on it when I heard you were on the way back.”
The room at the end of the hallway didn’t belong to anyone.
That made it perfect.
It looked like the others. The bed was neatly made, the dresser, the TV mounted on the wall, the couch along one wall, and a bathroom with a full shower. I sat on the edge of the bed and closed my eyes.
“Boo.”
I screamed. Loud. My chest locked up instantly, and my breath sliced off as panic flared so fast it made me dizzy.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry!” Alice blurted immediately, hands flying up. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I swear.”
I pressed my hand to my chest, breathing hard, fighting the urge to bolt. “It’s okay,” I said, even though my body hadn’t caught up to that yet.
She winced. “Your mom asked me to bring you some clothes.” She set them on the dresser then hesitated. “Sorry. Again.”
“It’s fine,” I repeated because I didn’t want her to feel bad for something that wasn’t her fault.
“Just let me know if you need anything, okay?” She left quietly and pulled the door shut behind her.
I sat on the edge of the bed again and stared at my hands. They were shaking. Not violently, just enough to remind me that my body hadn’t gotten the memo yet. That I wasn’t running anymore. That I was safe.
I tried to slow my breathing. In through my nose. Out through my mouth.
“Clove.”
My head snapped up.
Ender stood in the doorway.
He hadn’t announced himself. He hadn’t knocked. He was just… there. Solid. Steady, and instantly, my breathing eased.
The frantic buzzing in my veins quieted the same way it had when he’d wrapped his arms around me on the side of the road.
“Can you stay?” I whispered. I didn’t want the feeling of being safe to go away. I didn’t want him to go away.
He nodded without hesitation.
“Just while I shower,” I added quickly. “I just… I just—”
“You don’t need to explain anything,” he said gently. “I’m here.”
I grabbed the clothes Alice had brought me and stepped into the bathroom, leaving the door open. Ender stayed just outside it, turned enough that I knew he couldn’t see in, but close enough that I knew he was there.
I peeled off my clothes slowly, every movement deliberate. Dirt flaked onto the tile. My skin was scraped and bruised, marked with proof of everything I’d survived.
I turned the water as hot as it would go and stepped under the spray.
The heat hit me like a wave.
My shoulders dropped for the first time since I’d been taken. My head bowed as the water pounded against my back, steam filling the room.
I closed my eyes.
And finally, finally, I let myself feel it.
The fear. The exhaustion. The relief.
My breath shuddered as I rested my forehead against the cool tile, letting the water wash over me.
I was safe.
Ender was right there.
And for now… that was enough.