Chapter 34 Eloise
Eloise
Roaring applause sounds in my ears, echoing in my chest and in the rapid thrum of my heart. The overhead stage lights blind my eyes and heat my skin. I turn my head, searching the audience for one singular individual—my reason for breath, for laughter, for hope.
My eyes find Riot through the masses, and it’s like a lightning bolt reaches down from the sky and strikes my heart. My knees go weak, and I stumble, catching my balance by gripping the edge of the piano.
When I look up, Riot has pushed to the front of the crowd and looks like he’s about to storm the stage.
I hold up a hand, catching his attention, then gesture to the wings, hoping he’ll know to meet me there.
He nods, once, eyes shining with a deep emotion.
And then he’s gone—disappearing in the mass of cheering people.
With one last look at the audience, I turn and race off the stage, moving as fast as my heels will allow me.
I burst through the door of my changing room, every muscle in my body clenching at the sight of Riot in his black suit.
I hadn’t noticed it on stage, but he’s switched his septum jewelry for a simple hoop that matches the two in his bottom lip.
His messy black hair has been pulled back, showcasing the sharp angles of his face and revealing more of the beautiful art covering his neck.
The dark kohl around his eyes brings out the gold in his irises, and they shine with a look that’s so much deeper than hunger. It makes my knees weak, and I’m powerless to do anything but stand there frozen as he prowls toward me.
“Eloise.” My name rolls off his tongue like something sinful, and a pleasant heat builds between my thighs.
He stops when we’re a breath apart, curling his arms around my waist and pressing his forehead to mine.
“You played beautifully, my muse. You were…” He blinks, gaze swirling with wonder.
“It’s hard to put into words, because you are.
You’re every beautiful sunset, the softest, most loving embrace.
You’re breath, and fire, and starlight. You’re…
truly indescribable.” He smiles, the motion crinkling the corners of his eyes and his mouth.
“But since I don’t have the words, I’ll simply tell you that you were incredible. ”
He presses his lips to mine, causing heated sparks to flow over my skin, making me dizzy. I want to take it deeper, to touch him like I’ve been dreaming of for the past two weeks. But then there’s a knock on the door, and the spell shatters.
I jerk in Riot’s grip, whipping my head over my shoulder as my heart takes off. “W-who is it?”
The door opens, and Forest steps inside, a rare smile brightening his stoic expression. “Hey, guys.” His strange eyes meet mine, and the corners wrinkle with emotion. “Eloise. You played wonderfully. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, Forest,” I whisper, the pressure behind my eyes building. “And thank you for the note. I didn’t… I never would have stood up to Dave tonight if you hadn’t given it to me.”
He nods, meeting Riot’s gaze with a conspiratorial grin. “It was really no problem. I was just part of the plan.”
I gaze from Riot to Forest, hope blooming in my chest. When I received Riot’s note earlier, I was too scared to believe he had actually found a way to free me from my situation. But now, with the way he and Forest are smiling, the possibility is looking like a reality.
“What’s going on? Why do you both look so happy?”
Riot brushes his thumb over my cheek, his gaze so tender it makes my chest ache. “Maybe it’s because we’ve finally figured out how to help you.”
My breath catches in my throat. “H-how?”
Before Riot can explain, the door bursts open, dragging our attention to the intruder. Dave storms inside, his expression twisted with rage. His combover is askew, his large chest huffing with furious breath.
He raises a short, stubby finger and shoves it in my face. “You. I don’t know what that stunt was, but you’re coming with me, Eloise. You’re obviously not well.”
Dave lunges, attempting to grab my arm in his meaty hand—but Riot’s having none of it. He draws me to his chest, moving my body to the side and out of Dave’s reach.
“How dare you!” Dave hollers. “I’ll have you fucking arrested again—”
“No, you fucking will not.” Riot straightens, towering over him with a heated glare, hands curling to fists at his sides. With a snarl, he steps in front of me, blocking me from the evil little gremlin’s view. “If you lay one fucking finger on her, I will end you. I don’t care what happens to me.”
Dave jerks back, his face whitening at the pure honesty in his tone. Unfortunately, he’s too stupid to listen. With a determined frown, Dave lunges toward me, the movement so sudden that he manages to clip my pinky with his fingernail.
I jerk back with a yelp, but it’s too late. He touched me.
A bellowing roar explodes from Riot’s throat, a sound so powerful it echoes off the walls, shuddering beneath my skin with raw, angry fury.
He’s on Dave in the blink of an eye, knocking him to the ground with an elbow to the jaw.
Dave’s scream partially covers up the crack of his eye socket breaking, but not by much.
He lumps to the ground, but Riot doesn’t give him any time to recover. He straddles Dave’s chest, delivering a few powerful blows to his face, coming away with his fists bloodied and chest heaving with ragged, savage breaths.
His eyes gleam with pure malice as he reaches down, grabbing Dave’s wrist and hoisting his arm straight in the air. With a smirk, he grips Dave’s thumb, yanking it back at a painful-looking angle.
“This is for Eloise,” he says, snapping the thumb back against his wrist. A massive pop sounds, and Dave squeals, his face twisting in agony. But Riot’s already moved on to the next finger.
Riot goes through each one, systematically snapping the bones, his eyes unblinking. When he gets to the pinky, Dave screams, his eyes looking at Forest with desperation.
“Forest! Call the fucking police! Help me!”
Forest tilts his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “What are you talking about? Why would I call the police because you tripped and broke your own fingers?”
Riot snaps the last one, and Dave lets out another choked scream. Satisfied, Riot gets off Dave, dusting his hands off on his pants as he stares down at the sad, writhing heap.
“Forest, you can’t be serious!” Dave squeals. “You have to do something!”
“Actually, I don’t,” he says. “And there are no cameras in here, so good luck getting anyone to believe your story over ours.” He looks toward me, his lips tipping. “Actually… I think I will call them. I have evidence that you’ve been abusing Eloise for months, and I’m sure they’d love to have it.”
Dave looks up, his face going pale. “Wh-what did you say?”
“You heard me,” Forest deadpans. “It’s over, Dave. Riot’s found the best attorneys, and I have more than enough evidence for the judge to remove your conservatorship powers over Eloise and her estate. The only question is whether they’ll throw you in prison for how you’ve abused her.”
“You… you can’t do this!”
“It’s already done,” Riot snaps. “My lawyers are going through the evidence as we speak.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me protectively against my side.
“She’s coming with me.” At this, he gazes down at me, and the emotion swirling in his bright gold eyes makes my heart stutter. “As long as that’s what she wants…”
“It is,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “I… I’ve always wanted to go with you, Riot.”
He leans down, kissing me like I’m oxygen, and my heart nearly explodes with joy.
When he breaks away, he’s smiling like I’ve never seen before. And I’m struck by how happy he seems.
“Then it’s settled,” he says. He turns back to Dave, unable to hide his massive grin. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers soon. Oh, and fuck you. Fuck you very much, you crusty ball sac-looking motherfucker.”
Riot grabs my hand, and we run toward the exit, unable to hear what Dave is screaming over the sounds of our rising laughter. I look over my shoulder, beaming at the sight of Forest holding Dave down, waving brightly.
“Take care, you two! Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding!”
Riot slows, gazing down at me with a look that warms my heart. “We'd better not forget. It’d be a shame to disappoint him.”
“It really would.” I stop to plant a swift kiss on his mouth. “But before a wedding, we should really make our relationship official.”
“Oh, sweet girl,” Riot sighs, reaching up to cup my cheek. “I’ve been yours since the first day you smiled at me. I’ve just been waiting for you.”
I squeeze his hand tightly in mine, bubbles bursting in my stomach. “I'm yours, Riot. Of course I’m yours.”
“You promise?” He leans down to press his forehead to mine.
“Pinky promise.” I draw our clasped hands up between us, releasing him to curl my pinky in his. I lean in, pressing my lips to my thumb with raised brows, waiting for him to complete it. “Well?”
Riot places a swift kiss to his thumb before pulling our hands down and crashing his mouth to mine. When he pulls away, it’s too soon, but the commotion we left behind sounds like it’s about to catch up to us.
“Ready?” Riot asks, clasping my hand tight in his.
“Just about.” I kick off my heels, beaming as Riot does the same with his dress shoes.
We leave, our laughter echoing through the cool autumn air as we run barefoot into the night. Toward the beach.