16. Kiera
KIERA
A gentle rain was starting to patter on the windowsill.
Hugging my knees with one arm, I drank a cup of tea with the other. Across from me, Vivienne worked away on the papers.
The car ride home from the stadium was quiet, full of tension and confusion.
Would it ever be safe to go back to Dom’s mansion if Zeus was this close? Would any of us feel safe even if Isaac moved on?
Dom didn’t stick around to chat. As soon as we got back she went to the backyard and paced through the garden pathways, like a lion patrolling its territory or a ghost haunting the same hallway for centuries.
Lady had been out there with her, following her every move in the hopes of getting some treats. She was so excited to see us walk through the door, only to immediately catch the whiff of Dom’s bad mood.
It wasn’t until the sun was setting that Dom stormed off into the woods, bringing Lady with her.
Leo almost ran after them, wanting to help Dom deal with whatever she was feeling. But Viv was quick to remind all of us that Dom was an adult, that she’d come home when she was ready. And we deserved a quiet night in.
I struggled to convince myself that she was right, but I wasn’t going to challenge her. Not today of all days.
Even after years apart, Dom’s mother seemed to understand something intrinsically about her.
Leo and Spencer had thrown together a quick dinner, doing the dishes and playing rummy at the table next to me while I stared outside.
None of their attempts to distract me could pull me from the fear taking over my body. Isaac and Gabriel were going to find me, either we went to them or they would hunt us down. There was no corner of this planet that Isaac would stop at. Not now that I’d slipped from his grasp.
A shiver ran down my spine, remembering how he’d set my entire life up. Dominoes that he was tipping over at his leisure.
Not anymore.
I was done letting some man control what happened to me.
My eyes flashed to the papers in front of Viv, she’d printed fresh copies after making a few tweaks.
Exhausted by the day, she stretched out her arms and let out a deep breath. She rubbed at her eyes before checking the clock on the stove, the warm light above us the only light left on in the entire house.
“Time for bed, I think.” Vivienne slipped out from the breakfast nook bench and tapped the table with her glasses. “Don’t wait up for her. She’ll be out there all night at this rate.”
She must be cold. The rain would have soaked through her clothes, a chill still in the nighttime air. Winter’s last grasp on summer’s quick approach.
But I nodded. Because I wasn’t one to let Dom’s outbursts ruin my life. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Despite my concern for her, I tried to take comfort in the fact that Lady was with Dom. They’d keep each other safe and eventually Dom would stumble in.
There’s no point sitting here. It was already pitch black, impossible to see past the wooden garden boxes illuminated by the kitchen light.
I stood up, putting my tea cup in the sink before climbing up the stairs to the guest room. For a moment, I paused on the top landing, debating pushing open the door to Leo and Spencer’s room. They’d be warm from a couple hours of sleep, and eager to hold me close.
I also knew they were desperate for more. And so was I.
Probably better to get some rest.
Biting my lip, I slipped into my room. I tossed my sweater off and climbed into bed, keeping a piped pajama top on as I pulled the covers over myself.
The pitter-patter of the rain outside soothed my racing mind. Even if my body tossed and turned every few minutes.
As my eyelids grew heavy, the calm of the storm outside easing me into sleep, the light from the hallway poured into the bedroom as the door swung open.
Blinking in the light, I tried to focus my gaze on the towering shadow in the threshold.
There was a glisten on her skin, a mix of rain and sweat — and dirt. And then her voice, low and rumbling, filled the entire room as she stepped toward me. “I’ve been patient enough, Viper.”