Dulce

Noise from inside draws my attention.

Hunter sits up and looks around for us, heading our way when he sees me.

He tugs me from Dmitri’s lap and kisses my forehead.

Dmitri’s hand wraps around my thigh to prevent Hunter from taking me with him. I hold back a snort, realizing this will be something we’ll have to work on if he’s planning on sharing me.

“You good? How’s the shoulder?”

“I’m fine. It’s a little tender and in need of more pills, but it’s not so bad.”

“Good. I’ll go grab you some more—”

I stop him with my hand on his arm. “I’ve got it. I wanna see Cain anyway.”

He opens his mouth to protest but stops himself when he sees how determined I am.

“All right, I’ll get these two to fill me in on what I’ve missed, then we can order some food. Ask Cain if he wants something.”

Ah, there’s my kindhearted man even though Cain isn’t his favorite person.

Oh, shit. My eyes fly to his. “I need to talk to you about Molly.”

Hunter shakes his head. “It’s okay, Griff filled me in.”

I bite my lip. “It wasn’t Cain. He didn’t have anything to do with Molly’s disappearance. It was Abe. He’s been impersonating his brother.”

Hunter closes his eyes and swallows. “I figured as much. It’s still not easy seeing him with you after hating him for so long, but I’m willing to try. I’m finding there isn’t much I won’t do for you.”

I reach up and kiss his jaw. “You’re the shit, Hunter.”

“Oh, I know.” He winks, moving to sit beside Griffen.

I turn to look at Dmitri. “I’ll be back.”

He nods, releasing me. I head inside and find the painkillers on the coffee table with my bottle of water from earlier. I pop a couple in my mouth and swallow them down with the water before placing the bottle back on the table and heading to Cain’s room.

I don’t bother knocking. I let myself in and close the door quietly behind me.

Cain is lying on his bed, staring at nothing. He doesn’t look my way when I walk in, but he doesn’t ask me to leave either.

I crawl up beside him, which isn’t easy with my arm in a damn sling, but somehow I manage to avoid face planting. I lie beside him and stare into his eyes, unsure how I can help, or if I can even help at all.

“He was a bad person. Evil, cruel, so fucking messed up in the head. And yet,” he whispers, sucking in a deep breath as I move closer.

“I miss him. He was a part of me. My twin, for fuck’s sake. I hate him, Ev. I hate him so fucking much, but I miss him,” he chokes out before he buries his head against my chest and wraps his arm around me.

His body shakes as his tears dampen the front of my shirt. My own tears run down my face as I whisper words of comfort. His grip on me is brutal. I know I’ll have bruises tomorrow, but nothing could make me move away from him right now.

The door opens and Hunter stands there with a look of understanding on his face.

He must have followed me in and heard Cain speak. Cain’s too lost in his grief to realize we’re no longer alone.

When Griff and Dmitri appear behind Hunter, I close my eyes, wishing I could tell them to fuck off, knowing Cain would hate for them to see him this way. But I don’t want to draw attention to them.

Hunter walks toward us, and to my utter shock, climbs onto the massive bed behind Cain. He doesn’t press close but his large hand clamps onto Cain’s arm, offering him support.

Cain jolts, but he doesn’t pull away. If anything, he burrows further into me.

Bolstered by Hunter, Griff and Dmitri walk over to us too. Griff climbs in behind Hunter, wrapping his arm around him and pressing his hand on Cain’s arm.

Dmitri climbs on behind me. Holding me tightly, he watches over us all.

It’s right here, in this moment, that I know, somehow, we’ll make it work. It doesn’t have to be logical or conventional or practical. None of that would work for any of us.

We’re all a little wild, all a little crazy, and all of us fucked-up from our collective histories.

We’ll never be normal, whatever that is.

But why be normal when together we could be extraordinary?