Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
NOVA
Leaning against the wall outside the living room, I eavesdrop on Aiden and Ryder’s conversation while they play video games and smoke.
“That’s a damn shame,” Aiden says. “I’m a little jealous you got some action while I’m over here unable to bring anyone home because my sister will chase them off.”
What?
“Why is she chasing them off?” Ryder asks.
“Beats me,” Aiden says, sounding bored with the conversation. “If I can’t come soon, I’ll lose my mind. I swear my dick is about to fall off from neglect.”
“Why can’t you just jack off like a normal person?” Ryder mumbles.
“Because,” Aiden says with a huff. “Nova always interrupts. She keeps wanting me to take her out. Or she needs the shower. Or God forbid we have a thunderstorm at night. She runs into my room and dives into my bed because she’s scared.
Do you know how awkward it is to have your dick out, then your grown-ass sister barrels into your room? I can’t have a moment of peace.”
My stomach sours, and I pinch my lips together to hold back the sick feeling in my gut. I close my eyes and breathe through my nose. He doesn’t mean any of it and is likely just trying to cover, but it still stings.
“Isn’t she twenty?” Ryder says.
“Yes!”
“And she’s scared of thunderstorms?”
“Yeah. I don’t get it,” Aiden mumbles.
I’ve heard enough. It’s my fault for being nosy and eavesdropping on their conversation.
Keeping my steps light, I retreat upstairs to my bedroom and pace the room. What Aiden said echoes in my head, and I pick it apart, word for word, needing to know why he would say those things.
Is he really that bothered by my fear of thunderstorms? All the times he held me and murmured in my ear that he has me, was it all for nothing? Was he really thinking I need to grow up?
I reach for the baby hairs on my nape and pull at the strands.
It’s been a week since Hellfire Night, and I thought I’d get more time with Aiden now that it’s over. However, that’s not the case. He’s always gone. Always having to respond to emergencies and do cleanups involving burning bodies.
And now this. I just have to hope there was no truth to what he said.
I would distract myself by gaming with Brandon, but my interest has waned.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love to play, and I chat with him every now and again, but my focus has shifted to Aiden.
I can’t ignore the weird tug in my chest or the butterflies in my stomach when I’m around him.
Plus, I enjoy his hands-on lessons, though I don’t think I’ll ever use what I’ve learned on Brandon.
I throw off the duvet before I get out of bed. Stretching my arms above my head, I groan as joints pop and settle back into place after lying in bed waiting for sleep to come.
I’ve been having to take more naps than usual, all thanks to Aiden and him keeping me up all night. Not that I’m complaining about it.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
I love his attention. Especially the type he now gives me that involves whimpered praises in my ear as he makes me come.
Now that he spends the night with me, it’s hard to sleep without him being here.
I thought I could take a quick nap, but my body refuses to relax.
I fix the black ribbons in my hair and look over myself in the mirror, ensuring that my outfit looks good. Aiden doesn’t mind if I look a little roughed up, but I do. After fixing my clothes in place, I leave my bedroom for the living room on the first floor.
“Aiden, I can’t sleep,” I say. “Can you come cu—” I stop walking, my gaze flicking to Ryder and widening in mock surprise. I can’t let on that I was listening in earlier. “Oh, hey, Ryder. What are you doing here?”
He shrugs. “Killing time.”
Aiden pauses the game and peers over the back of the couch. His gaze darkens and rakes over me, drinking in the black top and a pink plaid miniskirt with sheer white stockings and a garter belt. I added the black ribbons to my pigtails just for him.
“What do you need?” he says, his voice soft.
I peek at Ryder, who’s watching the interaction with a weird look, then turn my gaze to Aiden. A blush warms my cheeks, and I nibble my bottom lip. “N-nothing. It’s not important.”
Aiden turns around and lets out a long, heavy sigh as he runs his fingers through his hair. “You know you can tell me anything.”
I shift my weight and peek at Ryder again, feeling like a bug under a microscope from how hard he’s staring at me.
Tires squeal outside, growing louder as the sound moves toward the front of the house. I jump and scramble backward as the living-room window shatters and shards of glass rain down on the floor. The car’s engine screams as the vehicle speeds away.
Ryder and Aiden are already halfway to the front door when my brother shouts over his shoulder for me to stay here.
My pulse pounds like a drum in my ears, but it’s not enough to make me unhear the shattering glass. It’s the same sound I hear in my night terrors. The sound of the tornado ripping apart my childhood home and killing my mom.
I jump as my back bumps into a cold, solid wall.
I’m not sure how long I stand frozen, rapidly blinking and fighting off the panic and memories.
Aiden rushes through the open front door, his narrowed eyes landing on me and flaring in concern.
He closes the space between us in wide strides and gathers me in his arms, holding me against his chest. I bury my face in his throat and cling to him, needing his comfort.
He kisses the top of my head and buries his fingers in my hair, and I don’t care that he’s messing up my pigtails.
“What was that?” I whimper.
“Don’t know yet. Are you okay?” he murmurs.
“Just shaken up.” It’s more than that. I’m barely holding on. I’m fighting a panic attack, but I’m too scared to ask for his help. Not after what he said earlier about not having a moment of peace.
Aiden wraps his arms around me and pulls me close, offering as much comfort as he can with Ryder nearby. My legs wrap around his waist when I’m unable to stand, and he sits on the couch, comforting me.
“Who would do that?” I ask.
Aiden says something about staying in my room tonight, but I don’t have time to answer the question before he growls, “What the fuck is that?”
I jump at the change in his voice and glance behind me. Ryder straightens from crouching beside the broken glass, a brick in his hand. As he turns it over, the contents of my stomach curdle.
“Is that . . . is that a hand?” I screech. My stomach curdles at its disgustingly waxy appearance.
Ryder holds the appendage with a blank look, unbothered by that fact. Meanwhile, my breakfast is about to make a reappearance.
Aiden’s muscles bunch, and he leans back to look at me with a hardened expression. “Hey, why don’t you go up to your room for a bit, yeah?”
There’s no way I’m leaving him here. What if the people who chucked that through the window come back and kill him?
“No! I’m staying—”
“That wasn’t a suggestion, sis. Go to your room.” Aiden lowers his voice to a growl and jerks his chin toward the staircase.
Gritting my teeth, I stomp out of the room and up to my bedroom. I pace my room, occasionally glancing at my door, tempted to go downstairs again to make sure Aiden is okay.
What if something happens to him?
What if those people come back with another body part?
I grab my phone from my bed where I left it and open the screen. Right as I pull up the thread with Aiden, a new message from him appears.
Aiden: I have to leave for a little while, pretty girl. Keep the doors locked and stay away from the windows.
I close the text with a harsh sigh.
If his definition of “a little while” is fourteen hours, then yeah, sure. A little while.
I don’t game or even text my friends because I’m so worried. Instead, I crawl into bed and stare at my door for what feels like forever.
I hate this. I hate it so much.
My eyelids inch lower.
Don’t fall asleep. If Aiden texts me and he’s in trouble—
My eyes fly open, and I sit up in bed. I rub the back of my finger against a closed eyelid and turn toward the bathroom door at the sound of running water from the shower.
I scramble out of bed and stop halfway to the bathroom. I scratch a spot behind my ear and nibble on my bottom lip, torn if I should check on Aiden.
It’s just to make sure he’s okay and to see what happened. That’s all.
I crack open the door and squeeze through after making enough space. Warm mist curls in the air, fogging the mirror and the shower’s glass panel.
The water shuts off and a second later, Aiden steps out of the shower, his hand reaching for the towel hanging from the rack. His gaze immediately finds me, and he pauses.
“What are you doing up, pretty girl?” he says, voice gentle and affectionate.
I swallow hard at the sight of his naked, tattooed body littered with cuts and bruises.
Aiden wraps the pink towel around his waist and shoves his wet hair out of his face in a slicked-back style.
He smirks when I don’t say anything, staring at him like a weirdo, but it’s his busted lip that I can’t ignore.
“What happened to you?” I ask.
He closes the space between us and tilts his head as his gaze moves over my face, disturbed by whatever he’s seeing. “I’m sorry for being home so late. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
I shake my head. “Don’t deflect, Aiden.”
He winces. “So it’s Aiden now and not pretty boy, hm?”
I fold my arms over my chest and scowl.
He sighs and fingers a lock of my hair between two fingers. “We were blindsided and attacked on our way back here. Hawk and I had to take Ryder back to his stepfather’s house, then help Jaxon with our new captive. I lost track of time. I’m sorry.”
My eyes widen, and I drop my arms to my sides. “Who attacked you?”
“We don’t know. All of them were wearing helmets to hide their identities. We don’t know the one we took, though. He doesn’t look familiar.”
“And the hand?”
“It was Declan’s hand. They couldn’t reattach it because of the damage and too much time passing after it was sawed off.” Aiden winces in sympathy. “I feel bad for Hawk’s cousin. He really went through a lot, and we had no idea he was being held captive this whole time.”
“Why did they throw it through the window?” I grimace at the memory.
“It was a message.”
I swallow hard at the grim look on his face. “How did they know where we live?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.” His voice comes out robotic, and his eyes lose focus.
I step closer to him and rest my hand on his chest. “It’s not your fault. A lot has been happening.”
He nods and doesn’t say anything, but I hear the gears turning in his head. I see the guilt on his face.
The only way I know how to pull him out of that dark pit is distraction.
“I’ll help you with the cuts and see if you need stitches.”
Life returns to his eyes, and he pulls on the mask he wears so well. But he’s not fooling me. He flashes his flirty smile and settles his hand on my waist before bending and kissing my ear. “You really like playing nurse with me, don’t you? You gonna kiss them better?”
“Do you have a medical kink?” I shove his chest, and he barely budges. All I get is an exhausted laugh from him as his hand slips to my ass for a quick squeeze.
“Nah.” He chuckles and kisses beneath my jaw. “I have a sister kink, though.”
A shudder rolls through me, and my breath hitches.
Stepping back, I grab his hand and tug him to the counter. “Behave. I want to clean the cuts.”
“I’ll be a good boy.” He bites his bottom lip, a smile peeking through.
I duck my head to hide my cheesy smile and search through the cabinets for the first-aid kit, which at least has some ointment I can slather on the wounds and call it good. I inspect his face and check whether any of the lacerations need stitches.
Aiden watches me, dark circles bruising under his dull eyes. He doesn’t complain that I’m worrying over him. The whole time he has a lopsided smile and occasionally squeezes my side roll or rubs my thigh like it’s soothing for him, just as it is for me.
I finish putting ointment on the cuts and turn to the counter, giving him my back. “It looks like they’re not deep enough for stitches.” I tuck the kit back into its place beneath the sink. “You should go to bed and get some sleep.”
Aiden grabs my shoulder and spins me toward him. His lips crash against mine, full of possessiveness and affection.
“Thank you, baby,” he mumbles against my mouth. His teeth nip my bottom lip before pulling away with a sleepy smile.
My stomach flips, and I stare at him, unable to form words.
I love it when he calls me his pretty girl. However, something about him calling me baby makes it more intimate. Possessive. Like I really am his and that he feels the same way I do.
Aiden takes my hand in his and leads me out of the bathroom and into my bedroom.
“What are you doing?” I say.
He flips off the lights, lets go of me, and sinks onto his stomach on the mattress. A groan rumbles from him as he buries his face in my pillow and hugs it.
“Going to sleep.” He peeks at me. “I don’t want you sleeping alone for a while.”
“Because of what happened?”
He closes his eyes. “Mmhm. I’m not taking the risk of something happening to you.”
I take my meds, strip out of my pants and underwear, then unfasten my bra before crawling into bed beside him. Keeping my back to him, I stare at the shadowed wall and listen to his even breaths, needing the reminder that he’s okay and here with me.
It feels like we’re oceans apart despite there being only a foot of space between us.
How could I have been so stupid as to catch feelings for him? I missed the warning signs and kept going along with his plan, realizing too late that I’m now in the deep end for him.
Aiden shifts behind me, the mattress dipping as he turns onto his side. He lets out a frustrated breath.
“Fuck the rules,” he growls. He drops his arm around my waist, then yanks me into his chest. “Just for the night. Let me hold you.”
My breath hitches, and I peek at him. He kisses my shoulder and tucks me against his body. The towel falls away, and his dick presses against my bare ass. But he doesn’t try anything. He just holds me.
And suddenly, I’m not as heartbroken about my demise.