21. Kiera
KIERA
Two days later, the ache was just starting to release from my muscles. Leo and Spencer had been angels throughout the recovery, offering massages and keeping me on a steady schedule of ice and ibuprofen.
I still couldn’t work up the resolve to make my big bed, but that had as much to do with my own laziness at this point as it did with any extra pain I was in. And I couldn’t begin to imagine how much worse it would have hurt without their help.
But the bruising didn’t really come into full bloom until long after Initiation. According to Dr. Callahan, the delay was a symptom of my connective tissue disorder. But unlike the knee pain I’d learned was, apparently, not normal walking up the stairs, this was a side effect I didn’t mind.
Leaning back on the couch in the den, I held my wrists up, looking at the watercolors that painted my skin. In some sections it was as black as ink, while others were lighter, smokier hues of blue and purple. Another day or two, and I was sure green would start to peek through around the edges.
Other than the bruises on my wrists, Dom had done a freakishly good job of keeping the bruises to areas that were easy to hide under my clothes. Probably wouldn’t do to have me walking around like a Rorschach blot on our next mission.
Lucky thing, too. The Oracle had reached out to Leo this morning, and we’d be suiting up in just a few hours now for another stakeout.
My wrists were easy enough to cover up with a jacket or some jewelry without looking too out of place. But while we were home, I liked to keep them out in the open where I could map their changes.
Am I really that bored? This is only a step away from watching paint dry.
At least it gave me something to keep my mind off of the South Wing.
I still hadn’t found a way in there — not one that came free of the risk of being discovered by Dom.
Even in the moments I thought I might be alone, it seemed that one of my saviors was always hovering around the next corner, waiting to come grab me.
Almost like they’re on orders to never leave me alone in the house. I rolled my eyes, shifting my leg away from Spencer’s. Her attention hadn’t come off her phone in a few hours, too distracted by the kids and her brother-in-law.
I’d have thought that killing a man and pledging myself in their crazy, sex cult ritual would have earned me enough trust to be left unsupervised in the house. But apparently, not.
To be fair, the only reason I want that is so that I can break their rules. Probably good instincts on their part.
My mulling was interrupted by the slam of a door on the second level before my captor-in-chief came thundering down the stairs.
Ducking her head into the doorway, Dom took a quick glance at what we were watching before grumbling to Spence and Leo.
“I’ll be back late. Gotta grab some weapons from the Vault and then talk to Teresa about installing some more security cams… ”
Spence gave a half-assed nod, barely listening as she managed a crisis on her screen.
“You’re not coming with us?” I sat a bit straighter, tilting my head. Ever since Initiation, Dom’s attention had an unwelcome effect on my body. It was like I could feel her gaze against my skin, and I didn’t like how much power that awareness gave her.
Her icy blue eyes flicked to mine, a slight snarl pulling at her lip as she gestured down at herself. “Does it look like I’m coming with you?”
Honestly, the answer was yes. Dressed in her usual button down and slacks with her hair slicked back, Dom looked like she’d stepped straight out of a mafia movie. Which wasn’t far off from whatever The Oracle was sending us to do, I guessed.
But I didn’t get a chance to answer before she was striding down the hallway to the foyer. As the front door swung open, she called back, “Try not to get killed tonight.”
“No promises,” Spencer teased, immediately earning a smack over the head from Leo.
And as the door slammed, the wave of irritation washed over my body in full force. “God for-fucking-bid I try to be nice…”
It wasn’t my fault I didn’t know who was on this mission. Despite being fully initiated, I still hadn’t had any direct contact with the higher-ups. So when Leo had let me know about the mission, I just assumed…
Despite the irritation, a part of me wondered if I even wanted to speak with The Oracle directly. Whoever they really were, they seemed like a bunch of pretentious pains in the ass.
Maybe they’ll do me a favor and take Dom off of our hands. Seems like she’d fit right in with those jerk-offs.
“Don’t mind her too much, Princess.” Leo looped her arm over my shoulder with a squeeze. “She gets bitchy when she’s stressed.”
‘Bitchy’ didn’t seem like quite the right word for the vitriol that made a home where Dom’s heart should have been. She might call me Viper, but she was always coiled and ready to strike.
But Leo wasn’t one to cower, even in the face of a monster like Dom. Fucking snake-charmer.
“You should probably start to get ready, though…” Spencer glanced down at the time on their phone.
“What?” I groaned, “We’re not leaving for hours . I just wanna veg.”
“As much as I’d love to keep you down here all day, you’re going to want some extra time to cover the hair and the bruises.”
Groaning, I threw my head back against the sofa. “No fairrrrr. What are you two going to do while I get ready?”
Spencer glanced at Leo over my head. “...Call of Duty?” Her phone was still dinging every few seconds with a new text, but that wouldn’t stop her from enjoying some game time with her bro.
“Call of Duty,” Leo nodded back solemnly.
“Ugh, you guys suck,” I pushed off of the couch with a scowl. “All you’ve gotta do before we leave is comb your hair. Some masc privilege bullshit.”
Spencer chuckled as I stomped toward the door. “Sorry, babe, can’t help that I’m a natural beauty.”
Leo flicked her eyes from my thighs up to my face hungrily. “Real privilege is getting to see you all dolled up and feeling hot.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the smirk from my face. “You’ll get to look, but we’ll see if you’re lucky enough to touch.”
My palm gripped the doorframe as I prepared to turn down the hallway, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt the urge to swing through the doorway: an urge that came as naturally as if I’d done it a thousand times.
The feeling was driving me crazy — all of these tiny, blurry glimpses of another life, a whole world mapped beneath the surface of this house. I couldn’t even make it a step before the feel of that wood teased at a memory, something so infuriatingly close yet just out of reach.
I was growing more certain every day, this house didn’t just look like one of the hundreds of mansions my dad’s friends owned. I had been here — more than once, I’d bet. But all the memories felt like they were frozen behind thick ice, too hazy for me to see.
If I ever wanted to figure out why I recognized this house, I needed to see more of it.
But even while they were hanging around down here, I had no chance of making it into the South Wing undetected.
Knowing my saviors, they wouldn’t make it one round of their game before sneaking up to my room, eager to take a sneak peek at my outfit for the night.
Sitting around waiting wasn’t getting me anywhere, though. And with Dom gone, this seemed as good a time as any to ask.
Turning on my heel, I leaned my right shoulder against the doorframe, tracing over the edge of the wood with my left index finger. “Before I go, I was wondering…”
Leo and Spencer set down their controllers, sitting at full attention.
“Do you think now that I’m initiated, I could get access to the outside when I’m home alone? I’ve been feeling a little… stir crazy lately.”
What I really wanted was twenty-four hours in the house by myself, but I knew there was no way in hell I was getting that. Still, starting to widen the bars of my cage would only help me in the long term.
Exchanging a glance, Leo shrugged as Spencer turned her eyes to me. “I don’t see why not…”
“We’ll have to check with Dom first, obviously,” Leo added.
“Of course,” I smirked. “Wouldn’t want to upset Her Majesty.”
It was less access than I wanted, admittedly. Less than I needed if I was ever going to get to the bottom of things. But it was a start.
I knew my saviors would fight for me. And if we could get Dom used to that, maybe it would open the door for more. And at the very least, I could get some fresh air next time the Beast came skulking around the house in one of her moods.
“Thanks, guys,” I smiled sweetly before bounding up the stairs.
My mind was already running wild with the possibilities of being out on the grounds unsupervised.
A bit of privacy would be a welcome reprieve from the deceptively close quarters of the mansion.
Maybe I could bring my sketchbook out there, get some practice drawing landscapes…
But as I swung the door open to my room, all thoughts of outside evaporated. I stopped in my tracks, hesitant to even step through the doorway once I saw the small black box with a perfect bow set atop my perfectly made bed.
What the fuck is that?