Page 68 of Haven

Fuck.

The door to the gym creaked open, and I turned my head to see Hades leaning against the door, watching me. I wiped the sweat from my face as I followed her eyes dropping to the V of my abs. I should walk away from her, but instead I stepped closer, caging her in with my body.

“What do you want, hellfire?”

“I want to talk.” Her voice was low, amused, but there was a rawness under it. Her eyes were studying me, watching me. There was something intoxicating about that beautiful gaze of hers…Wait…no. “Vesper.”

My eyes traced to her plump lips, licking my own as she watched me intently. I needed to back away and get my head on straight. “Talk, hellfire.”

“I don’t think Cinder’s dead.” Those five words derailed my world. The idea of her still being alive echoed in the back of my mind. “We heard a gunshot. We don’t have a body or any proof that she is gone.” There was no proof yet, but what could Hades do?

Did I trust the enemy or did I trust the gut feeling and work with the enemy? God, if Cin were here, she would castrate my nonexistent dick for even thinking of partnering with her or the…it didn’t matter what I was thinking.

“And if she’s alive?”

“We bring her back to Rory.”

“This person’s a professional. We don’t know who he is or where he took her. Cinder could be dead.”

Hades sighed, her mesmerizing eyes looking into mine. “And if there is even a small possibility, I want to take that chance for Rory. Don’t you want to see our girl smile again?”

The words hit me like a sucker punch. Our girl. I wanted to see that smile again more than anything. If there was a chance Cinder was alive, we needed to take it so we could reunite them; the alternative though, if she was truly dead, would only add salt to the wound. I needed to do whatever I could because without Cinder, the Vipers would fracture and our enemies could wiggle their way in when we were distracted.

“We need to talk to Rory about it, too. We all need to work on this together,” Hades said.

Finding Cinder would be a priority along with protecting Rory. If he wanted her, he would have to put up one hell of a fight.

Fifty-Nine

Hades

Icrawled out of her bed and scurried to the bathroom. It took two minutes for me to finish and wash my hands before getting back to her. She slept for a long time, but Rory was always running on autopilot to avoid her trauma. I could see it the first night we were together. Sex and art were her ways of staying busy and keeping her mind silent.

I didn’t want her to be alone in this state; not because I thought she was fragile or weak, but because she needed someone to lean on for support. Loss was difficult, and until I could prove it, Rory would believe Cinder was dead because of the gunshot and the boy from her past. What I was gathering was her stalker, whoever he was, wanted to hurt her and he knew enough about Rory to target her via her trauma and relationships. Something told me Cinder wouldn’t be his only target. This was a game, and we were the pawns.

We all needed to watch our backs because Rory had feelings for all three of us, even if the other two didn’t reciprocate the same feelings or show their emotions that well. I’d been in Briarwood for a few days, and I could already read them like a book. They both wore a mask and used aggression to hide their true feelings. I knew it wasn’t my job to help grown women express themselves, but they hurt my girl when they put themselves in a box.

Rory stirred in her sleep, her body jolting and a hoarse scream escaping her lips. She was on the verge of a panic attack, but I reassured her and pulled her back to reality. Rory stayed in my arms, breathing evenly out as her tears soaked into my shirt. I kissed her temple, running my fingers up her arm.

“Was it a dream?” she mumbled, her voice low and broken.

I didn’t want to break her heart more, but I knew giving her false hope wouldn’t help her. “It was real, valkyrie.” I wasn’t going to confirm or deny what we heard.

I saw her reaction instantly. Her entire body started to shake and her lip trembled. Rory’s fingers tangled into my shirt with surprising strength. Her sobs were broken and incomplete, causing her breathing to stall as warm tears soaked into the fabric of my white tee. This sound was something I never wanted to hear again. She wasn’t just sobbing, she was shattering, everything she held in breaching the dam and flooding her.

She hiccupped, her sad, blue eyes filled with anguish. “The last thing I told her was I hated her and she was just like our mother. I compared her to the woman that abused me, Hades.”

I combed my fingers through her hair in slow, steady motions, giving her comfort the best way I could. “C’mon, breathe for me. She knew…She always knew you loved her.” Cinder’s tactics weren’t the best, but she loved her sister. Just from what I’ve heard, her overprotection was a reaction to the fear of losing Rory. I couldn’t confirm it because I never met the woman, but it was something I knew in my bones.

She wiped her face against my shirt and peered up at me. “I didn’t mean it. She was…I can’t do this without her.” More tears filled her eyes.

I leaned forward, pressing my forehead to hers. She could use me to gain strength and reassurance because I wouldn’t leave her, but I also wouldn’t hold her down. “Listen to me, my valkyrie. You’re the strongest damn woman I know. She’s part of you and now you live for her.” She buried her face into my chest once more. I wished there was more I could do for her, but I could only hope my presence brought her some comfort. “Come with me to Crestview?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to right now.”

“You just say the word, okay? However long it takes. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

She stumbled out of the bed and made a beeline for her bathroom. I left her alone momentarily so she could have a moment of peace, and then she came back out with more tears streaming down her face. When I went to her to comfort her she stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself.