Page 44 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

I fling myself at him, wrapping my arms around his middle, burying my face in his chest. He’s so big. So huge. And he smells clean and crisp, wintergreen and rubbing alcohol. I tighten my arms around his back as tightly as I can.

In a world of all that’s wrong, he’s a rock.

My rock.

I might not make him smile, but he makes me safe.

His arms come around me slowly, sitting on me gently. And the screaming pain inside me, the one that I haven’t been able to get rid of, quietens.

“You’re okay now. Nothing will touch you again.”

He repeats the words, standing in the sunlight for hours, just saying the same thing, holding me.

I don’t make a sound. There is no word or sound that can match this feeling. I don’t cry. There’s too much in me, too many conflicting, confusing emotions to just grab one. I don’t fall apart. He puts me back together. I just sink into the solid strength of this alpha, allowing myself to need, to take something.

He strokes my back gently in circles, which have me leaning into him harder.

“Hey, where are you-” Rolly cuts off. “Oh.”

He comes and sits down near us and lies back, his hands under his head, staring up at the sky.

“It’s a nice day. I like days like today.”

Rolly chatters. He keeps up a steady stream of conversation, and I find that the sound of it has become as soothing as King’s solid strength.

I freeze, staring at Rolly. He bites his lip as he talks, using his hands to tell this story, but when he looks at me, he smiles.

I start to cry and crawl out of King’s hold and into Rolly’s arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder.

“Um, Merle? King? What did I do?”

“It’s okay Rolly, this is good.”

“Are you sure?” he asks, panicked. “Did I break her? I don’t want to hurt her.”

I squeeze him harder, dragging myself even closer.

King chuckles and strokes one of his massive hands down my back. “This is good, Rolly. You did good. Just keep talking. Tell us that story about the dogs.”

Rolly starts talking, and I cling to him, refusing to move until my muscles lock up.

It’s only when it starts getting colder that I pull back, getting to my feet. I look up at King, staring at the massive alpha and quickly looking away before his hypnotizing blue-green eyes can pull all my secrets from me.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lollipop. I stare at it in silence, then reach out and take it from him.

He hums with approval.

“No fair, where’s mine?”

“You get nothing.”

“Aw, but I want one.”

“No.”

Rolly bounces around, but to my surprise, his rapid-fire movements no longer startle me. I watch him curiously as he heads back to the cabin. He pauses, looking back over his shoulder at me.

“Coming, dead girl?”