It damn sure hadn’t been that bastard Roger.
I forced myself to sit still when I was tempted to press up against the wall, to cower from the demons I knew weren’t there. He’d brought them back tenfold, dredged up bits and pieces of memories that were better left buried. I didn’t know what Roger had done to Danny the Dickhead, but I knew it wasn’t good. It was a wonder the man was still breathing. Didn’t mean he wanted to be. I knew all too well the pain that bastard could administer.
Then again, if he’d inflicted even a fraction of the pain on Heaven’s ex that he had me, there’d be nightmares to follow. They would come after the body healed. Everly had witnessed them, but she never forced me to talk. Because I didn’t want her to worry, I’d started reducing the amount of time I slept. I figured if I was still functioning, I was doing an okay job.
A knock sounded on my door. I immediately looked over at the clock, then to the window. The sun was just starting to turn the sky from black to gray, it would soon turn pink as the earth continued to spin.
“Come in.”
Isaac stuck his head in, scanned the room. The bed was still made. I was sitting on top of the blankets. He frowned, obviously realizing I hadn’t been to sleep.
“Want to get an early start on the run? Maybe add some distance?”
“Yes, Sir.” I hopped off the bed, grabbed my running shoes.
“When we get back, we’re going to talk,” he said simply.
“Yes, Sir,” I said by rote. Everyone seemed to want to talk to me.
“See you in five?”
“Yes, Sir.”
I was out of my room and standing on the back porch in under three minutes. Ian and Isaac joined me shortly after.
And as we’d done for the past three mornings, we took off down the street. I’d learned which route they took and had forced myself to keep their pace, although I was almost positive they’d slowed a bit, coming closer to my time.
My head cleared as my feet pounded the pavement. I focused on my breathing, the wind on my face, my thoughts drifting.
After the neighbors had found me in the attic, I’d gone to live with a nice couple, though I’d heard rumors that I was going to end up getting stuck in some shithole with the scum of the earth supervising my every need. That hadn’t been the case. And while I didn’t open up to them, I had grown attached. Tom, my foster father, had inspired my desire for running. He’d been big into marathons, invited me to train with him. Since they homeschooled me, I’d never had the chance to join the track team, but Tom had told me all of his stories.
On the day I turned eighteen, I had thanked them for taking care of me, then set off into the world on my own. My instincts had been relatively decent, though there was no denying I’d made a few stupid choices in my life. Looking at Roger had been one of them.
Before I knew it, we were back at the house, having added two miles and an additional fifteen minutes to the run. We stepped into the house to the smell of bacon and eggs, Everly and Heaven in the kitchen, laughing about something as they worked.
“Breakfast in ten,” Everly told us. “Might want to hurry through those showers.”
I nodded, looking forward to a few minutes to myself.
“Actually,” Isaac said, motioning toward me, “you pick up where they’re leaving off. We’ll be back in twenty.”
While it should’ve seemed strange, I watched with interest as Isaac walked right over, scooped Heaven up over his shoulder, as Ian did the same with Everly.
They were switching. Though it didn’t shock me completely, I couldn’t deny the surprise. I could tell Isaac and Ian had deep affection for Everly, but they’d kept to the same dynamic since we’d arrived.
Was the switch signaling some sort of change?
I made my way to the stove, began working to finish breakfast, all the while thinking that the events that transpired in the next few minutes would either strengthen this bond or shatter it altogether.
“Twenty minutes,” I muttered.
That was how long I had before I learned whether my life changed once again.
For better or worse.
ISAAC
Heaven drummed her fists on my back, giggling as I hauled her down the hall to the guest room she’d taken over. She kept it up until I deposited her in the bathroom, setting her little butt right on the counter.
“What are we doing in here?” she asked, giggling.
“Showering. What else?”
She grinned. “So, is this … you know … normal for people like you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “People like me?”
“Dominants,” she said, drawing out the word.
“I don’t think there’s a game plan. Do you have a problem with this?”
