Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Ryder
I ’d just gotten into bed when my phone rang, and I groaned as I rolled over to check it, finding Channing’s name on the screen. I knew before I answered that it was something about fucking Tempest.
“What?”
“Might want to come get your girl, she’s a mess,” Channing grunted, music and chatter in the background.
“She’s not my girl or my problem, asshole.”
“Tell that to her. She’s drunk and crying about you.”
“Still not my problem.”
“She’s bleeding if that helps,” he said dryly, saying something to someone else before continuing. “She’s cut herself pretty badly. Mase is trying to calm her down to patch her up, but she won’t let anyone near her. She’s asking for you.”
A curse left me and I raked a hand through my hair, sitting up with a sigh. “Can’t you call an ambulance or something?”
“I could, but then cops will show up and see all the underage drinking and drugs. The way she’s babbling nonsense and attacking people would get her a holiday in the whacky shack.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m coming. Tell her I’m on my way and to let Mason help her,” I said as I got out of bed and held the phone to my ear with my shoulder while putting my pants on. “What nonsense is she saying?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I said it's nonsense. She mentioned you, then said something about her father, and now she’s trying to stab Wolfe for trying to restrain her. I’ve never seen her like this before, it’s like she’s having a breakdown.”
He didn’t sound that concerned, just annoyed.
“See you soon,” I muttered before hanging up to finish getting dressed, snatching my keys and wallet on my way out of the room.
The house was quiet since most people were still out, but I did find Hunter in the kitchen. He glanced up when I started rummaging in the cupboard for one of the medical kits, a frown on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll be back soon. Tempest is having a breakdown or something at a party, and she’s hurt herself,” I said absently, feeling him move towards me.
“Call her father. You’re making that girl your problem, and you don’t need to deal with that shit, Ry.”
“I’ll take her home, but I don’t want Archer going there. It’s not the guys’ fault that she’s a fucking mess, she’s an adult, but he’ll start taking shots at people and you know it,” I snorted, turning to face him. “I can handle her, she listens to me.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got this.”
“I don’t care. I can drive and you can deal with her,” he said firmly, and I knew he wouldn’t budge.
“Ugh, fine.”
I carried the kit out to the garage and tossed him my keys, not arguing about him driving my car. He drove fast when he needed to, so I wasn’t worried.
Sure enough, he ignored all road signs on the way, only slowing once we got to Blackwater.
“Why aren’t these other boys helping her? Why’d they call you?” he asked calmly as I guided him to the right street.
“They’re trying, but she’s being aggressive.”
“She’s a tiny girl.”
“Yeah, a tiny girl with a knife. She’s asking for me, so here I am,” I muttered, hating how easy it was for her to get me to show up. “She’s driving me insane, but I don’t want to abandon her either. I understand her.”
“You understand her? She’s a mess. You got bad, but not that kind of bad.”
“I hid it well, that’s all. We’re both addicts. She feels comfortable talking to me about things because she knows I won’t judge her for it. When we get in there, can you just stand back and let me deal with it? She'll flip out if you get in the way,” I warned, a little surprised when he agreed.
Wolfe was waiting for us out the front, his eyes skimming over Hunter for a moment before landing on me. “Get your psychotic girlfriend out of here. Lock her up in your basement and dry her out or something.”
“She’s fine until she comes here and you drug her up,” I deadpanned, making him scoff.
“She’s not high, she’s just drunk. If you give a fuck about her, you’d do something about it.”
I shoved him, getting in his face. “She’s a grown-ass adult. You think it’s my fault that she’s like this? It’s hers. I never once blamed you for my addiction, I chose to fuck myself up. What she’s doing to herself is exactly that, her own doing.”
“Boys,” Hunter said sharply, and Wolfe narrowed his eyes.
“I didn’t think you wanted your family to know where we lived?”
“He’s just here to drive so I can help Tempest. It’s not like he hasn’t picked me up from here before anyway. Where is she?”
He rolled his eyes and started walking with us, motioning to the house. “She’s under the dining table. I tried to drag her out, but she pulled a knife out of nowhere and tried to stab me. She can bleed out for all I care, I’m not getting cut up over her.”
“What set her off?”
“Not too sure. Channing was being a dick, but that’s nothing new. She had a fight with one of the other girls earlier too, and she’s had multiple rounds in the bedroom with Mase since she got here. None of that would set off the meltdown she’s having.”
It was quiet inside, other than Tempest’s hysterical screaming, and Channing clenched his jaw at the sight of my father beside me. Luckily, he kept his mouth shut about it.
Mason was standing near the table, distress written all over his face. He had a small cut on his arm, telling me he got too close to the hissing hellcat, but I ignored him and squatted in front of the table, finding Tempest’s wild blue eyes on mine instantly.
She tried to swipe at me too, but she paused when I spoke. “Temp? Channing called and said you wanted me to come help you. Can you stop stabbing people and come out for me?”
“Ry?” she mumbled, leaning forward a little to see me better, giving me a good look at her. Her makeup was streaked down her cheeks, blood all over her arms and hands, and I saw a cut on the inside of her forearm. It was still bleeding, and she looked a little pale.
“Why’d you want to see me?”
Her face scrunched, and I knew she was going to start screaming at me before she even opened her mouth. She was losing the plot.
“No one fucking understands me! You do! They’re all laughing at me!”
“No one’s laughing at you.”
“They are! Why don’t you believe me?” she spat, taking a swing at me with the knife again, and I let her. Her movements were sloppy, and the sting on the shallow cut on my arm barely registered with me as I watched her.
No one was laughing, everyone was quiet as they watched her warily, so she must have been making up scenarios in her head again.
I waited for her to finish yelling and swiping at me, then I grabbed her wrist and bent it back, forcing her to drop the knife.
“Ouch!” She tried to hit me with her fist next, but I grabbed her wrist more firmly and yanked her out from under the table, losing my patience.
“You wanted me here, so don’t fucking attack me, or I’ll leave. No one’s fucking laughing, look around the room. Did you take something? Are you having a bad trip?” She struggled against my grip as I got to my feet, pulling her with me. When she managed to slap me, I grabbed her throat and squeezed, getting in her face. “If you get rough with me, I’ll get rough with you, then leave you on your father’s doorstep. Look around, Tempest. I mean it. Snap out of this shit.”
She glanced around, her body relaxing slightly as she leaned into me.
“They were laughing before. I swear.”
“Did you take anything?” I repeated, waiting for her to shake her head before lifting her wrist to inspect her arm. “Why did you do this?”
She shook her head again and I sighed, letting her slide her arms around my middle as she started crying into my damn shirt. Mason stepped closer, speaking to me.
“She was fine until now, honestly. I didn’t give her anything, we were just drinking and fucking.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t get her father to come and get her. He’d kill you,” I scowled, dropping my arms around Tempest as her legs almost gave out from under her. “I need to get her out of here. I’ll be talking to you later.”
I didn’t think Mason did anything to her, he cared more than the others, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t grill him about it.
“I want to come with you,” Mason blurted out as I lifted Tempest bridal style into my arms, ignoring the phones that were pointed at us. This would be all over the internet by morning.
“No.”
“Please? I want to make sure she’s okay,” he begged, and I sighed, glancing at Hunter who shrugged. If he didn’t mind, then I didn’t give a shit.
“Fine, but we’re leaving right now,” I stated as I carried Tempest through the crowd and out into the cool air, feeling her blood seeping into my shirt. I got her into the back of my car and climbed in with her, letting Mason sit up front with Hunter so I could assess Tempest’s cut better.
The bleeding had slowed, and I grabbed my phone from my pocket to use the flashlight on it to see better.
“You need to stop doing this,” I murmured when I felt her staring at me, her voice soft in response.
“Don’t take me home, please. I want to stay with you.”
“Did you do this tonight to get my attention?”
“No. All I have to do is get my tits out if I want attention,” she snorted, and Hunter scoffed from the driver’s seat as he started driving. She seemed to finally notice him, and she jerked slightly. “You told your dad?”
“It’s a bit hard to hide you. Not to mention they would’ve found out about it when I got home covered in blood.”
“You’ll let me stay at your house tonight?”
“No. You need a hospital, and you’ll likely get a holiday in the nuthouse if you’re lucky.”
She started crying and begging, and I could tell Hunter was waiting for me to tell him where to go. I didn’t want her like this at home, but she was breaking me down as usual.
“You need stitches.”
“You can do them!”
“Not properly. If I call Jade to come and help, she’ll call your mom,” I warned, and she slumped in her seat with defeat. Jade was the best person to do it, she had more medical training than the rest of us, but she was also besties with Lexi, which made things difficult.
“I just want to be left alone in your room. Everyone else will just yell at me and?—”
Hunter cleared his throat, catching her attention. “We’ll patch you up, but I’ll have to let Archer know where you are.”
“He’ll drag me home!”
“I’ll talk to him about it.”
That seemed to perk her up, until I spoke. “You can have your own room. You’re not staying in mine.”
“I’ll make it worth your while,” she purred, and I gave her a dirty look.
“I’m not sleeping with you when you’re like this.”
“Why not? I thought you liked my skin painted with blood?”
My eyes flashed to Hunter, and he gave me a pointed look. He wasn’t keen on listening to us fuck all night, and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t approve of me railing her while she was in this state.
“I’ll bunk with her,” Mason offered, and both Hunter and I replied at the same time.
“No, you won’t.”
He scowled but didn’t argue, and Tempest whined, the sound grating on my nerves as I grabbed a bandage to try and wrap her cut until I could clean it properly.
“But why can’t I just sleep with you? You don’t even hate me, so stop pretending you do.”
Hunter shot me a warning glance in the rearview as I grabbed the side of her face with my hand and shoved her a little roughly against the car window, leaning closer to her as I abandoned the bandage.
“I hate you when you’re like this, that’s my problem. You want to jump on my dick when you’re sober? Go for it, Temp. I’ll treat you like a slut whenever you want if you’re sober. I’ve worked so goddamn hard to put myself back on the right path, and I don’t need to be picking your strung-out ass up in the middle of the night, fixing all your problems when you don’t even think you have any.”
“I don’t!”
“You do!” I barked, only letting her go so I could grab her chin and force her to look at me. “Look at yourself! I’m saving your ass in the middle of the night from yet another one of Channing’s parties, where you’ve gotten so fucked up that you’re having psychotic episodes and delusions!”
Mason sat up straighter, glaring back at me. “Don’t blame Chan.”
“I’m not blaming him. Although, he’s the one who lets her get this bad and then calls me to take her away when he can’t handle her anymore,” I scowled, releasing Tempest and pushing her away from me when she pawed at my chest.
“Ry, don’t be mad. Please just let me crash with you tonight, it won’t happen again.”
I was losing my temper, and I focused on breathing exercises for a moment, needing to calm down before I did something stupid like punch her.
I gritted my teeth when she gave my shoulder a gentle shake, getting in my face. “Hey, don’t ignore me.”
“I’m blocking you out for your own good. I’m very close to breaking your fucking nose,” I warned, and she snorted.
“You’re so dramatic. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Unlucky for you then, you’re not a fly. You know what? You can do these stupid breathing things too.” I turned in my seat, ignoring the annoyed look on her face. “Do as you’re told and you can sleep in my room.”
That worked.
She kept her mouth shut and copied everything I told her to do until we arrived at home, and by then she was much calmer.
We all climbed out of the car and Hunter pulled me aside once we were in the kitchen, his voice low. “I can see that you know how to handle her, but you admitted you were struggling in the car. Should I call Archer to come and get her for your own sanity?”
“I can call him if I need to. She’s fine now.”
“I know she’s fine, but you’re not. You look like you’re going to snap a tooth,” he grunted, and I relaxed my jaw.
“Mase is good with her too, we’ve got it,” I promised, rejoining Mason and Tempest as I led them upstairs to my room. Mason’s eyes scanned the massive house in disbelief as we walked up the stairs, his voice a little quieter than normal.
“I knew you were loaded, dude, but this is insane.”
Tempest giggled, clinging to my arm like she was my fucking trophy wife.
“Right? Wait until you see the rest of the house. His bedroom is basically the size of my whole house.”
I opened my bedroom door and gave her a gentle push into it, waiting for Mason to follow before locking the door behind us.
“We’re not touring the house. This room and the ensuite are the only places you need to go. Mason, you can sleep on the wall side,” I muttered, his eyes widening.
“You’re letting me crash in here?”
“I can keep an eye on you in here.”
“I won’t go wandering.”
“You’re not exactly who I’m worried about. People end up dead or missing around my family sometimes, and they don’t like you,” I said with a dry chuckle, earning a frown from him.
“Why don’t they like me? I didn’t do anything to them.”
“Maybe not, but they know you’re in the drug scene, and after tonight, they’ll know you guys were the ones I was buying drugs from. Hunter would’ve put it together when he realized who you were and that we’re friends,” I answered before walking into my bathroom and motioning to Tempest. “Strip, shower, then sit still while I try and stitch you up. I don’t want to hear a complaint about it either since you refused proper medical care.”
She shrugged, stumbling slightly as she stripped naked and made her way towards me. “You can play doctor with me any day.”
“I’m serious, Tempest. I was asleep, so I’m dealing with this, and then you’re going to be a good girl and go to sleep for me. Or I choke you out and get a good night’s sleep regardless,” I deadpanned, turning the shower on and moving out of her way. “Get in.”
“Are you coming with me?” She was still stumbling, and I was a little worried she was going to fall over and break her damn neck.
“Jesus Christ,” I bit out, shoving her in and stepping in fully clothed to help shower her. I wrapped my fingers firmly around her arm, making her hiss as I held the wound under the spray.
“Ouch!”
“No complaints,” I reminded her, clicking my fingers at Mason and not giving a shit that he looked mad about it. “Antiseptic wipes are in the cupboard.” He grabbed them and held the packet out to me, so I grabbed one and started wiping at Tempest’s cut to clean the dried blood. “You need to stop this shit, Temp. I mean it.”
“You want to cut me and make me bleed, so what’s the difference?” she pointed out, earning a weird look from Mason.
“I told you I don’t,” I replied, grabbing a second wipe and making sure the cut was as clean as possible. “There’s no point taking drugs and alcohol to numb yourself, just to cut yourself to feel. Do you want to hurt, or not?”
“Don’t act like you don’t understand it,” she muttered, leaning into me and pressing her forehead to my chest. I did get it. It was a contradiction that I’d dealt with frequently, but I’d just fight and fuck when the numbness became too much.
Tempest fucked and took it out on herself.
Then again, all the hits I’d taken were basically the same thing.
“Mase? Are you getting in or not?” I asked instead of replying to Tempest, surprise filling his eyes.
“Why would I get in?”
“To clean the blood off you. You’re not getting in my bed bleeding,” I scoffed, pulling my wet shirt over my head and kicking my pants and boxers off. I grabbed a cloth and handed it to Tempest, knowing she’d want to wash her makeup off, then I left her in there with Mason while I got dry and into a clean pair of boxers, leaving a bandage for her to wrap her arm with until we could look at it better once she was dressed.
I found a shirt for her, knowing she probably wouldn’t keep it on, but I had to try and restrain myself from fucking her.
I returned to the bathroom to find Mason dressed in his boxers, and Tempest brushing her hair in the mirror with the bandage wrapped around her arm, telling me I’d been longer than I thought.
I snatched the towel from the floor and patted her dry, shoving the shirt over her head and taking the brush from her hands. She was making more knots, not fixing it.
I plugged the hairdryer in and started brushing the blonde strands, her eyes fluttering closed once I replaced the brush with my fingers. I tugged a little, her eyes flying open to meet mine in the mirror, and I smirked. “If you fall asleep standing up, I will let you fall on your face.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Try me,” I snorted, not saying anything else as I finished her hair.
I wasn’t surprised when I was holding her hair back so she could throw up in the toilet a few minutes later.
“I’m going to find something for her to eat and some water,” I muttered, offering my handful of her hair to Mason. “Tag, you’re it.”
He switched with me without complaint, staring at me like he didn’t know me as I left the room, and I almost ran into Beckett in the hallway.
She was the last person I wanted to deal with right now.
“Whatcha doing?” she asked suspiciously as she followed me downstairs. “It’s like, three o'clock in the morning.”
“What are you doing here then?” I scoffed, making her shrug.
“I stopped by with Maddox on the way home from the shed.” Tempest giggled from my room, and Beckett paused, glancing back along the hallway from halfway down the stairs. “You have company?”
“Something like that,” I muttered, encouraging her to keep walking when it became obvious she wanted to go and torment whoever it was. “Beckett, don’t.”
“What? If you’re going to start bringing girls home now that you’re sober, it must mean you like them. Is my new sister up there?” she taunted, but she didn’t make a move to run back up the stairs.
“I promise you, that’s not my future wife up there,” I answered as we walked into the kitchen, and Maddox gave me a grin when he saw me.
“Hey, man.”
“Hey.” Them being here was bad. I was trying not to draw attention to my visitors, so I was hoping no one was around. Hunter gave me a knowing look as I started rummaging in the cupboard, his voice low.
“She good?”
“She’s fine. Emptying her stomach in the porcelain throne as we speak,” I sighed, grabbing some bread to make her some toast. Maddox raised an eyebrow, obviously hearing us.
“Is this alcohol, or morning sickness?”
“Alcohol,” I grunted, giving him a dirty look. “Knocked up our sister yet?”
“Touchy tonight?” Beckett asked sarcastically, and I turned to tell her to fuck off as I put the bread in the toaster when Tempest spoke from somewhere.
“What are you doing? I thought we were going to bed?”
“Sorry, man. I tried to keep her in the bedroom, but she bit me,” Mason said as he appeared behind her in the doorway, noticing our company. “Oh. Hey.”
“Who the fuck is that?” Beckett asked bluntly, narrowing her eyes on Tempest. “And what the fuck is this bitch doing here?”
“Be nice. This is—” I didn’t get to finish before Mason stepped forward and offered her his hand.
“Mason Ridgegate. And you are?”
Beckett smirked, telling me she was going to say something to try and scare him, but Maddox simply pulled his gun out from the back of his pants and placed it on the kitchen counter, glaring at him. “She’s none of your fucking business. You’re one of the boys that run the Blackwater parties.”
“Yeah, I am,” he replied cheerfully, and Beckett chuckled.
“He’s not making conversation for the fun of it, he’s sizing you up for a coffin. You fucked my brother up on drugs,” she said dryly, and Hunter finally got between them to glare at Beckett.
“Enough. Mason is here helping Ry with Tempest, so leave them alone.”
“You’re really letting this junkie slut in the house? And a drug dealer? The fuck, Dad?”
“Not your concern,” he warned just as Mom walked in with Skeeter and Slash. I couldn’t help the quiet curse that left me.
I noticed the toast was done so I quickly slapped some butter on it and grabbed Tempest’s wrist, tugging her towards the stairs.
“Good night!” I called over my shoulder, noticing Mason following quickly behind us. He was smart enough to not end up alone with my family.
Mom said something to Hunter, but I left him to deal with it, dragging Tempest and Mason into my room and locking us inside. I shoved the plate of toast at Tempest, pointing at it.
“Eat that then go to sleep.”
“I’m not hungry,” she said flatly, so I grabbed a piece off the plate and forced it into her mouth.
“Chew, swallow,” I ordered, and Mason dropped back onto my bed with a chuckle.
“You two are like an old married couple. Maybe I was wrong, and you don’t have wild sex without me, it’s missionary with some candles and wine. Am I right?”
“Wrong,” I deadpanned, forcing Tempest to take another bite despite her scowling at me. “You know how we fuck in a drunk group, you’ve seen it. It’s like that, but on our own and sober.”
“Speak for yourself,” Tempest muttered, finally taking the toast from my hand to feed herself. “My arm’s still bleeding, by the way. Mason bandaged it, but?—”
“Eat. If you haven’t bled out by now, you won’t.” I should’ve just had Hunter drop her off at her house for her father to deal with. I was tired and getting cranky.
She sat on my bed while I headed back down to the kitchen for a small first aid kit, ignoring Beckett as she made a joke about raiding the medical stash for prescription drugs. I knew that it wasn’t aimed at me, but it still stung.
Being an addict was hard, especially when no one saw you as anything else.
Tempest would never get clean with shit like that being said. I said nasty shit to her, but I was allowed to. I was an addict too, but my nasty words were supposed to make her see sense.
“Ryder,” Mom said firmly from behind me as I grabbed what I needed, and I scowled.
“Can everyone back off from me? I was already woken up once tonight, and I’m getting twitchy. I’ll be the one raiding the prescription drugs in a second,” I said bitterly, and Beckett rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be a drama queen. I wasn’t talking about you.”
“Why not? You’d be right. Can’t keep an addict out of the drugs,” I spat, and Mom gave me a stern look.
“No one’s backing you into a corner. Go deal with whatever that shit upstairs is about, and get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow. I mean it though, okay? I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I muttered, heading back upstairs to find Tempest pawing at Mason. In his defense, he didn’t look too into it as he swatted her hands away from his boxers.
“Hands to yourself or I’ll put the hose on you,” I scolded, sitting beside them and grabbing Tempest’s wrist. “Mase, hold her.”
“Wait, what?” he asked with a frown, but Tempest rolled her eyes.
“I don’t need to be held still. I’m not a baby.”
“Have you had stitches without numbing agents before?” I asked seriously, and she shrugged.
“No, but I cut myself all the time so?—”
“It’s different, trust me. I mean it, Mase. Hold her,” I said before pulling the needle and thread out. He thankfully did as I asked him this time, and as predicted, Tempest let out a shriek when the needle first pierced her skin. Not that I could blame her, I had no idea what I was doing. “Told you.”
“That hurts like hell!”
“Good news, your depression has gone. You can feel again, what a miracle,” I said dryly, and she slapped my bare chest.
“This isn’t funny!”
“I’m very close to throwing your ass in my car and taking you home to daddy. Sit fucking still,” I snapped, annoyed when Mason kept letting her go as she fought him. “You’re useless. You have one job, dude.”
“It’s hurting her,” Mason grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
“What would you like me to do? Knock her ass out?” I asked, giving up when she jerked away from me again, almost tearing the damn stitch I’d already done. “This is ridiculous.” I walked to the door and opened it, calling down the hallway. “Hunter! Can you help me?”
Footsteps sounded soon after, and he appeared at the top of the stairs.
“With what?”
“Mason’s a little bitch and won’t hold her still so I can give her stitches. Can you hold her down or something?” I asked with a sigh, and he snorted.
“I’ll stitch, you hold her.”
“Deal.”
Tempest actually paled a little when Hunter walked in and took over, and I sat behind her to hold one of her arms against her side, the other I gripped firmly in one hand. She tried to yank back with no luck, her voice genuinely full of fear. “Ry, we don’t need to.”
“We do. Every time you cut yourself too deep, I’ll drag your ass here and we’ll do this,” I said sharply, gripping her tighter as Hunter picked up the needle to keep going where I’d started.
“Last chance. Hospital?” Hunter offered, shrugging when she shook her head. “Suit yourself.”
Mason winced as Tempest screamed and cried, but I didn’t let go, and Hunter didn’t stop threading. She’d drag this out all night if we let her, and we wanted to go to bed.
I noticed Riley poke her head in, just as she cursed, then Luna appeared.
“Temp?” she asked softly, her sleepy eyes going wide when she noticed what we were doing. “What happened?”
“Your sister had a breakdown at a party while drunk and cut herself,” I replied casually, and Tempest glared at me.
“Shut up.”
“No. Everyone knows you cut yourself, I’m not exactly telling her your secrets,” I scoffed, fighting her flinch as Hunter pierced her skin again.
“Does Dad know?” Luna asked, pushing into the room more.
“Mind your fucking business!” Tempest screamed between sobs, which only pissed Riley off.
“Do you want more stitches? I’m more than happy to beat you to death if you keep speaking to her like a piece of shit,” my sister said sweetly, and Mason gave me a weird look.
“ That’s her sister?”
“Yeah, I know,” I snorted, knowing exactly what he was thinking. They looked nothing alike. Luna had a sweet girl vibe and was quiet, whereas Tempest looked like the whore edition of Barbie.
All the noise drew Slash’s attention, and he looked ready to strangle all of us.
“Would you all shut the fuck up? It’s late, go to bed. Stuff Tempest’s mouth with something to stop her screaming the house down too.” I went to make a joke about my dick, but he glared at me. “I’m not playing, Ry. Silence, now.”
I shrugged, leaning over to grab a shirt off the floor, and shoved it in her mouth so Hunter could finish stitching her in peace.
He’d just finished when she stumbled to her feet and raced to the bathroom to throw up, making Mason sigh as he followed. “I’ve got her.”
That was fine by me, I’d helped her enough tonight.
Hunter left a fresh bandage for me to wrap her arm with to keep it clean, then he went to bed himself, and the second Tempest emerged from the bathroom with Mason, I wrapped her arm and ordered her to get into bed, grateful when she passed out within minutes.
Mason thankfully didn’t talk either, meaning I finally got to go back to sleep.