13
ROBERT
I descend the stairs quickly, needing to intercept my brothers before Hunter races up to confront me with Goldie. The conversation we’re about to have isn’t for her ears. Not yet anyway, and especially not immediately after what we did.
My body is singing. My mind, too, like Goldie unlocked the door to my cage and let me fly free.
Fuck.
My hands are trembling, the sting of them meeting her flesh still ringing through me. Her whimpers still flood my ears.
Hunter grips the banister at the bottom of the stairs fiercely, and when our eyes meet, his fury is obvious.
“You brought her here without telling us. You sent us out on a fool’s errand so you could keep her to yourself.” Hunter snarls, his animal rage bleeding through.
“No,” I say.
Yes . The truth whispers guiltily.
It’s not what he thinks, though. I don’t want to keep Goldie just for me. And it wasn’t about claiming her first. I’m not a territorial dick. My brothers are extensions of me, and I share everything with them, Goldie included. I didn’t claim her. There’s no mate-mark on her body. Nothing that makes her formally ours. I wouldn’t do that without my brothers. I couldn’t do that without Hunter, our alpha.
But Hunter wouldn’t be able to handle Goldie without scaring her away. This was the only way to bring her into our lives. Give her a taste of what it's like to have her fantasies become reality. Make it so good she’ll never want to leave. We can’t force her submission. She has to want to give it freely.
Hunter’s too wrapped up in folklore and legend. He’s too entitled, and he’s never been able to control his temper. I don’t blame him. Those traits come with being the alpha in a family. Without them, our kind wouldn’t have survived.
“She needs a careful hand,” I say.
He looks down at my huge hands hanging at my sides. “Careful? You took her into the room, didn’t you?”
He doesn’t miss a thing. The room isn’t a place of hearts and flowers. It’s a place of pain and release. He knows this. Careful hands don’t belong in the room. Or maybe that’s wrong. Maybe gentle hands don’t belong in the room. Careful hands are always required.
“Yes.”
Evan, who’s been standing quietly behind, shakes his head. Even my happy-go-lucky, life’s-a-party brother’s disappointed in me .
“So, that’s it. She stays now.” Hunter climbs three stairs, his intent clear from his narrowed eyes to his tight jaw. Goldie’s in the room. It’s his turn to claim her.
I put my hands out and sidestep into the middle of the staircase, determined to block him.
“This isn’t the time or the way,” I say. “I didn’t claim her.”
Hunter isn’t used to me going against him. In our day-to-day lives, we don’t have reason to disagree. We live harmoniously, maintaining the house, investing our wealth, defending what’s ours. Our parents raised us to be allies, not rivals. It was the only way to ensure we’d live happily with one woman, the only way to guarantee the next generation would arrive and thrive.
“Get out of my way, Robert,” he all but growls as the primal urge to fulfill what’s promised overcomes him.
“I can’t,” I say. “You don’t understand. If you go up there, we’ll lose her. She’s ventured into the unknown. She’s uncovered truths about herself that she needs to process. Everything about this house is unfamiliar, including us. We have to be patient. And I didn’t claim her.”
His brow furrows, his mouth forming a disbelieving frown. I said it three times, and it’s just registered. “You didn’t claim her?”
“I fulfilled her fantasies,” I say. “We claim her together.”
Hunter’s shoulders relax just a fraction. I’ve overstepped, but I haven’t dishonored him. I haven’t stolen what’s rightfully his to take first.
“Tell him about her store,” Evan interrupts. “Tell him what we saw. ”
Hunter crosses his arms over his chest. “Her store was burning. The firefighters were there, putting out the blaze.”
“What?” I frown, looking to Evan for confirmation that this isn’t some kind of ploy to distract me so Hunter can sweep past me. Inside, a rumble of fury strains forward, desperate to break free. I can’t allow it to. Not with Goldie upstairs.
“It’s revenge, Robert. They know who she is.”
“Shit.” I swipe my hand through my hair as my suspicions are confirmed. The incident in the woods didn’t feel like a coincidence, but I hoped I was wrong. Goldie’s not ready for the danger she’s in. She’s not ready to understand why her life’s being destroyed piece by piece. She’s not ready for the truth.
“She can’t leave. You understand that. She has to be told everything.” Hunter sets his jaw, and his muscles bulge as he folds his arms tighter. He’s a wall of determination and pigheadedness, and I love him more than I love myself.
“Will you let me handle it?”
“Who made you the lead on this?” he asks.
“I guess Goldie did by coming here when I called her. She met me first.”
“It’s okay, Hunter,” Evan says. “You know Robert can handle this. You know he’s right. It won’t make any difference in the long run. All we need is patience.”
“I’m all out of patience,” Hunter roars.
Evan smiles up at me, rolling his eyes at Hunter’s stroppiness. “No, you’re not. Not really. We’ve been waiting since we can remember, since Pop told us the story that felt like a fairytale of the golden-haired girl whose curiosity would lead her to our house in the middle of the woods. A few more days or weeks won’t hurt.”
My brother is clever to remind Hunter of those moments with our father, his deep melodic voice, and the promises he made. The memory softens Hunter’s features. He might be impatient, but he’s not a fool.
“She needs to be told, Robert. If you want to be the one to handle it, go ahead. But I'll step in if you fuck this up. It’s for her safety above everything else.”
I nod but wait until he turns and strides back down the stairs, disappearing into the kitchen.
Evan lingers and raises his eyebrows. “Worth the wait?” he asks, cocking his head to one side.
I grin despite the threat Goldie faces and the challenge I have to deal with when I return to her. “Worth every second,” I say.
Evan nods, and his smile is so broad, I shake my head and laugh.
Back upstairs, I turn the key in the lock, and as I push open the door, Goldie scrambles to sit up. Her eyes are bleary from sleep and her hair is mussed. Her eyelids flicker in confusion, taking in the room before she stills. She must have fallen asleep and forgotten where she was. Without the restraints and pain inflicting implements, the bed in this room is comfortable. She stares at the window, which is covered by drapes, trying to decipher the time of day. It’s only been twenty minutes, but she blinks quickly, clearing deep sleep from her eyes.
“What happened? Is everything okay?” she asks, seeming relieved that it’s me entering the room and no one else .
I shake my head, conscious that my expression is grave. “It’s too late,” I say as nerves get the better of me. I haven’t had time to consider how to deliver the message, and I start in the wrong place. The responsibility weighs heavily. Maybe I should have left it to Hunter. Maybe his bluntness would have cut through the crap. Or maybe Evan could have made Goldie see the good in what I’m about to tell her. Turn the frown upside-down with his humor and cheeky smile.
“What’s too late?”
“You can’t leave.” I shove my hands deeply into my pockets and shake my head.
“What do you mean I can’t leave?”
“I mean, you can’t leave… it’s… it’s complicated.”
She throws back the comforter, getting to her feet quickly. I don’t move as she walks toward me, grabbing her purse en route. “I’m leaving.” She shoves her feet into her boots, but by the time she’s ready to go, I’ve moved to stand in the doorway. I rest my hand on the frame, leaning in, filling the space. She eyes me warily, lingering on my arm and chest. Her cheeks flush red. “You can’t leave,” I say again. “It’s not safe.”
“It doesn’t feel too safe in here right now,” she hisses. “You can’t hold me against my will. That’s false imprisonment, or kidnapping, or some other felony. I want to go home.”
“You don’t understand.”
“So make me understand,” she says, now so close to my face I can feel her breath. My nostrils flare with frustration, mostly at myself. How can I tell her our secret? How can I share something she won’t believe until she sees it with her own eyes. It’s too soon. I feel it in my bones. Best to keep it simple.
“I can’t,” I say. “It’s for your safety.”
“You’re holding me captive for my safety. Why am I in danger?”
I shake my head but hold my ground. I’m huge compared to her. Wide enough to block the doorway and strong enough that she won’t bother fighting with me to let her pass.
“You’ve got to explain this, Robert,” she says, her face darkening with anger.
“Something’s happened,” I say. “Something that changes everything.”