65. CHAPTER 60
SAYLOR
Priest is sitting on the empty bed beside mine with his left arm wrapped from shoulder to wrist, eating Jell-O with his right hand and acting as if nothing happened.
He’s pretty much refused to stay in bed.
Priest and I are both getting cleared to go home later today.
Axl arranged a place for us since he didn’t want us at the Talon mansion.
I’d be happy to never go there again. Same as my parents’ house. I just want to start fresh.
“Be glad it wasn’t your right hand,” Axl tells him from the chair beside me, which he hasn’t left for hours. His hand is on my thigh over the blanket, and his thumb traces circles against my leg without thinking about it.
“You’re fucking hilarious.” Priest takes another bite. “Saylor, are you sure you want to be stuck with this asshole for the rest of your life?”
“I’m sure I want to be stuck with his dick for the rest of my life.” I pat Axl’s hand on my thigh. “The rest of him is negotiable.”
Priest chokes on his Jell-O, and Axl squeezes my thigh hard enough to make me bite my lip.
“Careful, little heathen. I’m not going easy on you when we leave here.” His voice is low enough that only I hear it, and my cunt clenches on instinct. This man can make me wet in a hospital bed surrounded by his friends, and I don’t even have the decency to be embarrassed about it.
Crew is leaning against the wall near the window with his arms crossed and his ankles stacked, scrolling his phone. He hasn’t said much since he got here, but he shows up to check on me every day.
“You’ve turned our pretty girl into a dirty girl,” Crew says without looking up.
“Change the fucking subject,” Axl snaps. I knew he’d let this conversation only go so far.
The door swings open, and Kase walks in first, holding it for Kynlee behind him. She’s in an oversized t-shirt and leggings with her hair thrown up. She’s carrying a white box with both hands. It’s about the size of a shoebox, and she’s holding it close to her chest with a wide grin.
“Hey, slut.” Kynlee crosses the room and leans down to kiss my forehead. She sets the box on the bed beside my legs, and it shifts under its own weight.
“What the fuck is that?” Axl eyes the box, then Kynlee.
“It’s not for you.” She doesn’t even look at him. “It’s for Saylor. A little something to help you feel better.”
I look at the box. It shifts again, and I hear the faintest sound from inside—a soft, high-pitched noise that’s barely there.
“Kyns, what did you do?”
“Just open it.” She’s practically bouncing. Kase is behind her with his arms crossed, watching his sister with an expression that tells me he already knows what’s inside.
I lift the lid carefully, and tears sting my eyes.
A tiny black kitten is curled up on a folded towel inside the box, fast asleep. Its fur is short, and it’s so small that it barely takes up a corner of the space. One of its ears twitches when the light hits its face, and it stretches a paw out, meowing, and then tucks it back under its chin.
“Oh my God.” My hand goes to my mouth, and my eyes are already burning. “Kynlee.”
“Every girl needs an emotional support kitty.” She sits on the edge of my bed and strokes the kitten’s back with one finger. “She looks just like Veronica. She has the same green eyes. You’ll see them when she wakes up.”
The room is quiet. That’s how I know it’s hitting everyone, because these men are never quiet.
I reach into the box and scoop the kitten out with both hands. She’s warm and weighs almost nothing. When I bring her against my chest, she lets out a tiny sound and burrows into the space between my jaw and my collarbone.
I didn’t know I needed this until right fucking now.
Axl’s hand is still on my thigh. He’s staring at the kitten pressed against my neck, and I can feel him watching my face. He runs one finger along the kitten’s spine, and she arches into it without opening her eyes.
“Now you’ve got two pussies to take care of.” Priest doesn’t miss a fucking beat.
Kase loses it. He drops into the chair by the door and puts his head back, laughing so hard no sound comes out. Crew’s shoulders are shaking against the wall. Even Kynlee presses her lips together to keep from cracking.
“I’m always surrounded by fucking children.” Axl huffs, but doesn’t take his eyes off me. “Does she make you happy, little heathen?”
“She already does.” I press my cheek against the kitten’s tiny head, and she purrs. The vibration is so small, but it’s there.
Axl leans forward and presses his lips to my forehead, then drops his mouth to my ear. “Anything for my queen.”
“You’ll love having a cat. Another female in your life that’s going to scratch the shit out of you.” Kase stretches his legs out and pulls up the sleeve on his forearm. The scar from Veronica is still visible. He dramatically waves at the mark.
“You deserved it.” Kynlee leans back on her hands beside me on the bed. “For the fact that I have to walk around knowing what you and Crew do.”
I laugh and the kitten shifts against my neck, letting out a small meow before settling back in. Crew pushes off the wall and walks over to look at her. He crouches beside the bed and studies her for a second, then reaches out and scratches under her chin with one finger.
He glances at Axl. “She’s so fucking sleeping in your bed at night.”
“She’ll be a true Raven, because she’s going to see some things.” Axl reaches over and runs his knuckle along the kitten’s back. She stretches and yawns without lifting her head from my neck. “A future little voyeur.”
“That poor cat.” Crew is chuckling next to the bed.
I hold the kitten closer and stroke her fur with my thumb. Kynlee is beside me on the bed pretending she’s fine, the way she always does when she’s trying not to cry. I reach for her hand and squeeze it. She knows what I lost.
She squeezes back and gives me a small nod. That’s all we need. We’ve never needed many words between us.
Priest shifts on his bed, wincing when his arm moves wrong. He looks at Kynlee and something in his expression changes. It’s quick enough that I almost miss it, but I wonder what that was about.
“How are you doing?” I ask her. “I mean with everything going on.”
Kynlee focuses on the kitten. “I’m fine, Sayl. You’re the one in the hospital bed.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
She glances at Kase, then back at me. “I guess I will go to auction. Thankfully they’re only once a year, so I have some time to enjoy myself.”
“Fuck that.” Kase’s jaw tightens from the chair by the door. “I’m not watching my sister get sold.”
“It’s just what’s going to happen.” Kynlee gives him a look that dares him to keep going. “It’s not like I haven’t already been on my knees for a psychotic asshole. Can it get much worse than that?”
Nobody answers her. Because the truth is that in our world, it absolutely can get worse. Auction isn’t a choice. The highest bidder gets to fuck you in front of everyone, and then you belong to him. I can’t believe my mother is going to be on the same auction block as my best friend.
Kase is gripping the arms of his chair and staring at the floor. Priest is looking at the ceiling, but his good hand is fisted in the sheets beside him.
“We’ve got time to figure it out.” Axl’s tone is sympathetic. “You never know what might happen.”
Kynlee nods once, and I know she doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. That’s Kynlee. She’ll crack jokes about the worst shit in her life, but she never wants anyone to feel sorry for her.
Whatever comes next, we’ll get through it. I won’t leave her to face it alone. It’ll be the both of us and our emotional support kitties.