Seriously? For crying out loud, seriously?!
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“It burns!” I cried, still holding my face. I wanted to cry, which was new, and surprising. I have endured pains more intense than this, and my throat has never closed up, but now my chest, my throat, and eyes were burning, and it wasn’t even the coffee.
It was Axel, fussing over me.
“Christ, Rosette,” he muttered, concern evident in his voice, grabbing my hand and peeling it off my face, leading me out of the kitchen. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Is that how you n to escape us?”
“What happened?” I heard Kross‘ voice, his usual cool voice rough with worry. I didn’t open my eyes, first because they were burning, and second because I might
cry.
“She spilled coffee on her face,” Axel informed them, making me sit.
“What?!” Kross and Kade asked at the same time, almost shouting.
“On her face?” Kade asked, and I felt him beside me. Without opening my eyes, I knew he was kneeling from how close and low his voice was. “How could you be so
careless?”
“How much does it hurt?” Kross asked, also kneeling in front of me.
“It doesn’t hurt much,” I whispered, lying through my teeth. It fucking hurts.
“Liar,” Axel said, returning. “Can you open your eyes?”
I didn’t want to, so I shook my head even though I knew I could.
“That’s okay,” he said, and I felt a cold towel on my face and another at my feet. I sighed, the tension slowly melting away.
I finally managed to open my eyes and all three faces came into view, so close, tight with worry, filled with worry.
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“Well, hello there,” Axel said softly, smiling. “Wee back to thend of the living.”
I closed my eyes back when they burned, swallowing hard to push that lump down my throat. When has anyone ever cared when I got hurt? Never, that’s the damn answer. I had always licked my wounds alone. I never cried. I never even felt sad. I just shrugged it off and went on with my life, and the pain fell back into the background no matter how serious it was.
“Come on, open your eyes,” Axel teased. “I know it doesn’t hurt that much.”
“It doesn’t,” I admitted, squeezing my eyes shut.
“Then why keep it closed?” Kade asked.
I couldn’t answer, I didn’t even want to speak, because if I did my voice would break and I know I’ll cry. My bottom lip trembled, and I bit it.
“Oh, poor Rosette,” Axel whispered, sounding genuinely… sad. “You’ve never had anyone care for you. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
He always knew. I don’t know how he does it or how he knows me so well, but he always knew even without me saying anything. He caressed my cheek softly, and I found myself nodding.
The room fell silent, and then Axel said, “Let’s give her some space.”
The other two moved without hesitation, and when Axel stopped touching me, I
knew he had moved too.
I finally opened my eyes but I just looked at my feet where a pack of ice was resting. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Kross asked, his voice oddly soft.
For being an emotional bitch.
Axel scoffed. “For being emotional.”
My head snapped to him, my eyes wide. What the hell?! Does he read minds?!
His smile widened. “No, sweetheart. I don’t read minds.”
13:04 Mon, Sep <b>8 </b>
My eyes got so wide, I was shocked they didn’t dry out. “Liar.”
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Heughed. Not a scoff, but a fullugh that shook his whole body, the sound rich
and deep. I could only stare at him, my chest… warm.
He stoppedughing, wiping tears off his eyes. “Oh, you’re funny.”
“I’m… funny?” I asked, confused.
He smiled softly at me. “That’s what I just said.”
“Why will you be sorry for being emotional?” Kross asked and my attention
moved to him.
I quickly looked away, biting my bottom lip, looking down at my feet, my cheeks pink. What was I supposed to answer to that? That I wasn’t allowed to be emotional growing up? That I’ll get beaten if I throw a tantrum as a child?
“What was your rtionship with your parents, Rosette?” Kade asked. “With your mother?”
I fought the urge to fidget and just stayed still. “It wasn’t good.”
“That’s a sweet way to say it,” Axel muttered. “She hurt you, didn’t she? Both of them before your bastard of a father died.”
I nodded slowly, and all of a sudden, the atmosphere in the room changed. It went from soft to heated before I could even blink.
I looked up and saw the men’s eyes… glowing. But then I blinked and it was…. back to normal. Was that just the light? Was I so delirious from the burn that I was now seeing things?
“Well, your father is dead,” Axel said, his voice deeper than usual,
“But your mother is still alive,” Kade continued for him, his voice just as rough. I looked between them as they spoke, my eyebrows furrowed.
“Will you like payback?” Kross asked, his arms crossed. He appeared calm, but his eyes… they were hard.
“P–payback?” I stammered, looking between them with my eyes. “What kind of
payback?”
:
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“Make her feel what you felt,” Axel said, lifting his hand and counting on his fingers as he listed. “Make her suffer like you did. Make her as miserable as you were. The list goes on, sweetheart. All you need to do is just say the word.”
My eyes couldn’t get any wider. If it did, I’m afraid it might pop out from their sockets. I looked between the men, searching, but they looked so damn serious, that I could pass it out as a joke.
“Why would you even do all that for me?” I asked, looking at them.
They shrugged, all of them at the same time, so in sync and I decided I’d had enough. I stood up, the ice pack falling off. “I think I need to go back to sleep.”
“Wait,” Axel said and I turned to him. He stood still, noting close as he said, “I won’t be home for a while. Something came up that I need to handle.”
I nodded, turning and going up the stairs.
“Don’t go to the greenhouse today,” Kross called after me and I gave him a thumbs up without looking back.
“And apply some ointment on your face and feet!” Kade said and I didn’t even bother to answer.
I need sleep. Maybe when I wake up, everything will go back to normal. Because nothing about any of this was normal.
***
Hunger woke me up. So I left the bed and was about to go downstairs, but paused when I saw a tray outside my door. I bent and picked it up, going back inside and suiting the door. The tray was filled with food–exactly what I ate every day—juice and an ointment. And besides all that, there was a note.
I picked it up, unfolding it to see the most beautiful handwriting I had ever seen.
“See you in a week,” it reads. “The tray was Kross’s idea, by the way. To tell you I was shocked when he suggested it would be an understatement. The ice king is melting. Don’t miss me too much.
With love,
Axel.”
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I read the note twice, and when I caught myself smiling, I tossed it aside. I ate everyst food in the tray, and went to shower afterwards. After that, I went back to sleep.
Things aren’t normal yet. I needed them to be normal again.
When I woke up again, it was already dark. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes but then I froze when I saw my window was open. I was sure before I slept it was close.
I got off the bed, walking slowly to the window, the only sound was my bare foot on the floor and the sound of the wind blowing against the window. I got to the window and looked around, but there was no one there.
I closed it, releasing a breath as I turned around, but my eyes met glowing eyes, and before I could scream, hands were on me, covering my mouth.
“Hush now, sweetheart,” a familiar voice whispered, his hot body pressed against
mine.
“Axel?” I muttered against his hand on my mouth.
“Uh–huh.”
It was Axel, yet it didn’t feel like him. He felt… wrong. And this time, his eyes were really glowing. His face was close to mine, and I could see nothing but his eyes.
This was Axel… yet he wasn’t.
Mon<b>, </b>Sep