Page 77 of Shattered Silence Duet

She looks so peaceful in sleep, and I can’t help but admire how beautiful she is. Her soft, plush, pink lips, her little nose, her soft wavy brown hair. Even the curve of her cheek is perfect. I’m not sure how we got so lucky to meet her, but now that she’s in my life, I’m determined to keep her, no matter what it takes. Whoever has hurt her is going to pay.

The front door opens and closes with a bang, but Mina doesn’t move, proving just how tired she is.

“Where is she?” Max asks, and a moment later, both twins are kneeling in front of us, staring at her.

“What the fuck happened?” Max whispers angrily.

“It might not be anything that happened in the hall, she was off all morning, falling asleep everywhere,” Jasper says softly, his eyes never leaving her face.

Dom steps up behind them and crosses his arms. He looks worried as he says, “we need answers, it’s time to wake her up.”

Chapter 47

Mina

“Malishka, wake up,” I feel a soft kiss on the top of my head and strong arms surrounding me, making me feel warm and protected.Atlas.My strong protector is here. I snuggle into him, seeking the comfort he provides, and he chuckles.

“Come on now, I need to see your beautiful eyes and make sure you’re okay.”

Why wouldn’t I be okay? I try to remember what happened before I fell asleep. I was in class, then I was going to the bathroom and… Oh. I remember now…Brad. I shiver at the memory.

I open my eyes up when I feel a hand resting on my forehead. Atlas frowns down at me. “Did she seem overly warm to any of you?” Atlas asks, looking up at the twins, then Gideon.

Another hand presses against my forehead, but I can’t tell who it belongs to, as so many bodies surround me.

“Well, now that you mention it, she seemed really warm in the truck this morning, but I thought it was just her reaction to my kiss,” Jasper says, sounding upset.He kissed me!My heart flutters warmly at the memory as I smile at him. But then I realize he’s just told his whole family we kissed. What will they think of me? Willthey be upset? Looking around at all their faces, they all look concerned and worried but nobody looks upset.

“I guess I was too focused on her sleeping to notice,” Max admits.

“I did think she was a little warm,” Gideon adds.

“Open up, Princess,” Ben says. He holds up a thermometer to my mouth and I open and let him place it under my tongue.

“Close,” he says, and I do as instructed.

“Good girl.”

I feel my cheeks flush at the praise as Ben stares at me. I try to look down at the thermometer, but it makes me want to go cross-eyed, so I close my eyes and lean my head back against Atlas’s chest. His fingers gently stroke through my hair against my head, soothing me. Why am I still so sleepy?

When the thermometer beeps, Ben pulls it out and reads, “One hundred. She has a fever.”

Atlas starts softly rocking me. “You shouldn’t be in school with a fever, Malishka. You should be home in bed, sleeping this off and getting rest so you can recover.”

I know that’s how you treat a fever, but it’s not like my mother would let me stay home, I don’t believe so anyway. I’ve never been in this situation before. I’d rather tough it out at school, anyway. I don’t respond because there’s nothing to say.

“Mina?” Gideon’s concerned gaze meets mine. “Is that why you were upset in the hall? Because you don’t feel well?”

I should agree, so I don’t have to tell them about Brad. But I’m already keeping too many secrets and this doesn’t need to be one of them. They might even be able to help me. I shake my head.

Jasper sits down beside Atlas and passes me my phone, already open to a group chat with the guys. Atlas leans back on the couch and carefully adjusts me upright, so I’m in a seated position. I hiss in pain when he grabs my sore arm and he immediately lets go.Dammit,that really hurt, I hang my head so they can’t see my face as I try to breathe through the throbbing pain.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Atlas asks, sounding worried and angry all at once.

I shake my head quickly, but it’s a stupid move because I’m obviously hurt, and he knows it. I feel his gaze bore into the side of my head before he gently wraps his arms around my waist, holding me tightly against his chest, facing the rest of the room.

Dom sits on the table in front of me, leaning his elbows on his knees as he stares at me in contemplation for several tense filled minutes before he eventually speaks. “Tell me what happened in the hall.”

I take a deep breath. I could do that.