Chapter 9 Laim
Chapter nine
Laim
I’ve finally found my emerald-eyed beauty, and she's coming home.
Isla is my home and she is coming back to the stadium with me.
Yes, she's part of a larger group of women — seven others to be exact — but she is the only one I care about.
Her safety and happiness consume me. I would gladly burn the entire city just to see a smile on her face.
The smile I have felt so homesick for these past few months that we have been apart.
Vish’s speech was nice and he was truthful in what he was saying, but it was hard to keep following along with him once he called the stadium home, because how can I agree with him when my home is sitting across the room from me, refusing to look my way.
Emerald green eyes hidden behind a scowl is my home and just being in her presence makes the familiar heartache I have grown used to a little bit more manageable.
It's clear Isla isn’t ready to speak to me yet and after the small dark-haired woman sternly told me to disappear from outside their room, I’ve settled on the idea that I will keep my presence discreet. But what I will not do is leave her again. I’ve lost her once and I will never do that again.
Standing at the back entrance of the school, I breathe in the spring air.
The brighter skies have been a recent welcome compared to the persistent dull winter we just had.
Endless snow clouds came in early this past winter and it was a struggle to deal with them.
Thankfully, the early start to the winter season did not mean that it was an extended one and spring came just on time.
And thank fuck for that because despite how I acted this winter, always finding any excuse to go out on a scouting mission, I hate the cold.
I feel much more comfortable feeling the sun on my skin and hearing the birds sing from their perches.
The door behind me creeks and Vish’s warning voice greets me before I can turn. ‘No fighting.’
Oh shit, that doesn’t sound like a good start. I don’t make it a rushed attempt to turn around — I know from the ache in my heart it’s not her and she is the only person I care about speaking to right now.
The male grunt narrows the possibilities down. And since he is the only other man with us apart from Vish, I know as I turn around to greet the furious leader of The Skulls I'm right.
‘My little sister is the woman you have been… pining after all of these months?’ Ru’s tone doesn’t give much away, but by the way his fists are clenched, I decide it's in my best interest to keep my distance for now.
‘Yes,’ I respond, not sure how much he wants me to say.
From the look on Ru’s face, he doesn’t quite know either. If this were a different situation he would be congratulating me, giving me reassuring pep talks about how she’ll come around but we aren’t there and the woman he knew I was searching for turned out to be his sister.
With a sigh, Ru shakes his head. ‘I don’t know what to say. Finding Fauna and then Isla and now…’ he trails off, gesturing towards me. ‘I haven’t spoken to Isla much but she said you didn’t force her.’
Horror skates through me at the thought of ever harming Isla never mind something like that. I snatch the dark material of his collar, still damp with blood from his earlier kills, transferring onto my knuckles.
‘Let’s make one thing perfectly fucking clear. I would never force any woman and you know that. But I would rather rip my own heart out than hurt her, never mind.’ My throat tightens at even the suggestion I'd do something so disgustingly unthinkable. Clenching my teeth, ‘I would never.’
Ru nods once, ‘she said… she…’ He shakes his head again and I don’t think I’ve seen him struggle for words so much before. ‘She was happy with the situation, so that’s that.’ But his expression turns hard. ‘If she isn’t happy with anything, and I mean anything, Liam, I will always have her back.’
I nod, ‘I’d expect no less.’
We stare at each other, silently working through our shit.
I know Ru can see in my gaze how I’m feeling, the determination to be there for her, to work this out and most importantly, protect her.
As if settling on the latter, Ru tips his head and claps a slightly concerned-looking Vishrut on the back.
‘The girls are packed. Let’s take them home.’