Page 28 of Knotted By the Demon

Clearing my throat, I found my voice. “I’m... I was just shocked to be around laughter. Where I’m from... I didn’t experience much of that.”

Ugh!Why had I said that? Now, I was just bringing down the mood. I should’ve let Sofia talk. She always knew what to say. Now, they were both staring at me like I was a charity case, a victim who needed to be protected and coddled. And I didn’t want them to look at me like that. I wanted to feel normal.

“Same for me,” Demon said, his smile fading though its warmth seemed to linger in the air. “I’ve never laughed like that before,” he admitted.

“Ever?” Sofia asked.

He nodded. Now, I hated myself even more because the light was leaving his eyes, and his lips were forming a thin line once again.

Sofia took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Since we’re stuck in this cabin to ride out the coming storm, I’m making a few rules for us.”

“You’re making them?” Demon added.

“Yup.”

“In my cabin?” he queried.

“That’s what I said.”

“I have no say in the matter?” he continued.

“Oh, right,” she muttered, tapping her chin. “I don’t want to seem like a dictator. So, let’s vote.”

“Voting isn’t what I meant,” he started, but our fox spoke over him.

“Who all is in favor of me making the rules for how things go while we’re together in the cabin? Raise your hand.”

Sofia raised her hand. My gaze darted to Demon, who was now staring at me. So far, Sofia hadn’t steered us wrong. And Demon seemed to be like me, prone to getting lost in his own head, in his own fears. Sofia was a breath of fresh air, a wild rose, a sly fox. She was the reason there was laughter in this cabin.

I would follow her rules any day. So, I slowly raised my hand. A low growl rumbled through Demon’s chest, exciting my omega, prompting me to raise both of my hands. Sofia burst out laughing, the sound so sweet that even Demon smirked. I looked her way, and she was now raising both hands, too. I laughed. A real laugh. A throaty laugh. A happy laugh.

Hands still raised, Sofia faced Demon. “I guess that puts me in charge, alpha?”

“Outvoted in my own home.” Shaking his head, he said, “Showers first. Then you can come up with your rules.”

“Oh, right. Shower. I’ll let Greek go first so we can get him clothed. I’ll go after him.”

Demon only nodded.

Sofia moved closer to me and whispered, “Thanks for voting for me. Since you did, I’ll make you my right-hand man.”

I just wanted to be her man. But I’d accept this. For now. I smiled down at her, wishing I could stand here and count the cute freckles on her face. Maybe later. If she’d let me. As Demon turned to lead us toward the bathroom, I made a silent vow – I would try my best to keep us all from going our separate ways after the storm.

My omega wanted this. Wanted him. Wanted her. Wanted us. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel afraid to want something. Demon led us to a short hallway and opened one of the doors.

“This is the bathroom,” he told us.

“My bandages,” I said. “Should I remove them?”

“They’re waterproof,” Demon told me. “Sometimes I have to go out in the rain and work. If I’m wounded, it’s good to have waterproof bandages.”

Made sense. Demon nodded to the bathroom door. I peeked inside and gasped. Demon’s bathroom was huge, the biggest bathroom I’d ever seen, which wasn’t saying much. It was decorated, if that was what you could call the fact that it had a color theme, in earth tones – dark browns, blacks, and a deep gray. There was no tub in the room.

Hanging from the wall was a large mirror framed in what looked like reclaimed barn wood. Everything felt warm, rustic. I’m pretty sure it came like this. But then my eyes landed on the shower stall. It was smaller than I’d anticipated, nestled in the far corner, boxed in by plexiglass panels.

Though you could see in and out of the clear glass, the enclosed space still caused me to feel panicky. My throat tightened as I stared at it, my breath hitching. No. I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t about to have a panic attack. It’s just a shower. It’s not a punishment. It’s not the shed. It’s not them.

But the memories clawed their way to the surface, jagged and raw. My pack’s alphas had always taken pleasure in locking me away in their tiny shed – a wooden prison with no windows, no light, no escape. Just suffocating darkness and the scurry of unseen creepy crawlies slithering over my flesh.

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