Page 35 of The Bonding Games: Part 2

Ezla shrugs, seemingly unaffected by all of this. “Nothing in particular.”

Cooper’s eyes narrow. “Are you lying?”

Unimpressed, she replies blandly, “No. It was simply build-up. I . . .” She hesitates, and I straighten, giving in to the urge to move closer.

Kneeling at her side by her head, not wanting her to have to look up at me, especially not when she’s in such a vulnerable position, I encourage soothingly, “You can tell us anything, Love.” I reach out slowly, waiting for any sign of protest before tenderly placing my hand on her head and stroking her hair, which I freed from its tight braids while she’d been unconscious so that she’d be comfortable when she woke. Tate, Cooper, and I were also the ones to clean the dirt and blood from her, sure she’d prefer less people touching her. Though I’ll admit, it wasn’t entirely unselfish with the need to comfort myself by caring for her so strong in me.

“Hm.”

Sighing and scrubbing a hand over his stubbled jaw, Cooper takes a seat on the edge of the bed. “Fuck, Vengeance. How much more horrors are you hiding, huh?”

“Quite a few.” Her admission is as unbothered as ever.

He groans. “And will you tell us all of them?”

“There would not be time.”

His jaw clenches. “Even if it took all the time in the world, I’d want to know any minor detail, Vengeance, just so I can carry some of the burden.”

“Awwwww, how romantic,” Tiger coos. “And I agree, Ezzy.”

Lips twitching as if she could almost smile, she flattens them out again before revealing quieter than her previous words, and somewhat haltingly, “Sometimes, I have found it . . . too much. Over the years, I have been . . . I have provoked my father on purpose, searching for the magic button that would . . . end it all.”

Tate lets out a dangerous growl like he’s attempting to scare her demons away. “You’ve been attempting to take your life—my life—away? Because of him?” He doesn’t wait for a response before spitting, “When the fuck can we kill this vile, disgusting, pathetic, motherfucki—”

“Calm, Tate.”

He pauses at once with Ezla’s hand on his thickly muscled arm, pupils blowing out as he lasers in on the action.

She continues, “I had always planned to make it through the Games and never return. But thirteen years is a long time. It should come as no surprise that I began to spend time searching for a faster way out of my situation.”

It’s silent for a few beats after that, no one knowing what to say.

Alby breaks that silence with red-rimmed eyes and a whispered, “I . . . I wish we’d found you sooner.”

A beat. Then, “So do I.”

Breaths hitch and eyes widen all around.

“You do?” Tiger pops back up again from where his face had dropped with her previous words.

“I do,” she confirms, not meeting anyone’s gaze, though I don’t know if that’s deliberate or if she’s as intrigued by Tate’s arm that he subtly flexes for her as she outwardly appears. Honestly, I think it’s probably a mixture of the two. I’m not appearance-obsessed, but I can say with pride that recently, as Ezla lets herself indulge in us more, it’s blatantly clear how much she appreciates how we look. “I am . . . I have not tried another escape since in that sense. You are . . . I . . . I think I am sure I would like to stay now.” Her nose wrinkles in that adorable way of hers as she struggles with her words, and my heart squeezes.

“And you have no idea how fucking good that is to hear, Love,” I murmur, thumb drifting along her hairline.

She hums absently, briefly eyeing that thumb like she’s considering biting it off, but I only smile softly. I’m not expecting her to immediately be able to accept me touching her in all these affectionate ways so easily, even if she has been phenomenal with it all lately. And when she has reactions like this, it’s honestly a little cute.

Slowly, a malice-filled glare slides up to meet my gaze.

I roll my lips in. “I’m sorry, Love. I didn’t mean to call you cute.”

Cooper snorts while Tiger gushes, “But she is! Look at this nose!” Ezla’s eyes flare with a concerning amount of menace as he boops its slightly upturned tip.

“Do not do that again, Puppy, or I will whip you until you are crying for mercy I will not give you, and then collar you like a true pet and drag you around on a leash whilst you crawl on all fours for me for as long as I see fit.”

It’s soundless for a beat.

Then Tiger breathes with goo-goo eyes, “Oh . . .”