Page 82 of Knot All that Glitters: Part 1

Her legs slowly inch over the edge, and my hands stretch toward her as she bends at her hips, her torso still on the roof. “That’s it, baby girl,” I encourage, straining to touch her, to hold her, to keep her from falling. “You’re doing so good.” Her fingers curl around the edge of the roof, just like mine did, and my heart leaps as her body drops until she’s dangling.

My hands slide up to her thighs. Fuck, I wish I could get her waist, but no matter what, I will not let her fall. “I got you, baby, let go.”

She does and I catch her easily, keeping her in my arms and cradled against my chest as I creep through the back garden. Haven doesn’t make a noise as we go, content to stay curled up in my arms, face nuzzled against my neck.

Her trust in me is staggering. I don’t deserve it. Not in the slightest.

“Ren told us about the gap in the camera coverage,” I murmur to her. “Told us how you used it to sneak out to meet her. Figured we could do the same thing.” Her breath puffs overmy skin as we approach the fence, and I cherish every gust of air, every validation that she’s here in my arms. “She told us you climb this fence like a freaking spider monkey, but tonight I’m gonna help you up and over, okay?”

She nods against my neck, still silent. I miss her voice, but I know it’ll be a while until I hear it again. Until we can figure out a way around the commands her father has put on her that doesn’t involve barking at her again.

I refuse to do that to her.

Some commands fade over time. Especially if the alpha who gave them lets their control over them slip. I have to imagine that Frederick Bell has too many commands in place for his daughter, too many to track or hold. So some of them are likely weakened. The ones about talking to us, though?

I’m sure he’s got those held on lock.

When we reach the wall, I shift the omega around in my arms until I’m gripping her waist, hoisting her higher. She stretches up and grips the top, wincing slightly. I don’t know if it’s because of the rough wood or if I pressed into one of her bruises. Either way, I hate myself a little for causing her even a moment of pain.

Gritting my teeth, I push her up and in the next moment she’s over, landing with a soft thud on the grass on the other side.

I let out a relieved breath, just knowing she’s off his fucking property.

Three seconds later, I’m next to her. One second after that, I have her up in my arms again, cradled against my chest. Haven lets out an amused huff that puffs over the skin of my neck. I glance down and find her gray eyes twinkling with amusement, and her mouth curled into a rueful smile.

“What’s so funny?”

She arches a brow and kicks her feet, telling me she’s capable of walking, I think.

I shrug. “I haven’t held you in weeks, baby girl. Let me do it now. Besides, you don’t have shoes on. I’m not risking you stepping on something and getting hurt more. Not on my fucking watch.”

Her expression softens and so does her body, melting into mine, before she tilts her head and places a soft kiss at the corner of my jaw. I feel that gentle brush of her mouth on my skin all the way down to my toes, but the warmth from it settles into my chest. Her head drops to my shoulder and I hug her a little tighter, hurrying my steps to get her into the car and away from here.

It’s waiting right where I left it, a few blocks from the Bell mansion. The engine turns over as we approach. I juggle Haven in my arms, and throw her bag into the back seat, before I yank open the front passenger door, and slide into the seat, arranging Haven on my lap.

She makes a surprised noise but doesn’t protest. Not that she’d be able to, even if she wanted to. Dark rage bubbles into my stomach. “This okay, baby girl?” I ask, wanting her permission to keep her tucked in my arms.

She nods and settles against me, looking across the car at Tic behind the wheel.

“Hey, angel,” Tic says softly, reaching over to run a knuckle down her cheek. His eyes darken with the promise of violence, taking in the fading bruises marring her pale skin. It’s been almost two weeks since we last saw her. Either he beat the shit out of her when she first got home, badly enough that she’s still healing from it, or he’s been using her as a punching bag this entire fucking time. “Did he give you anything? Force you to take anything? Any drugs?”

Her brow furrows like she doesn’t understand the question, why he’s asking it, but she shakes her head after a moment and mouths the word ‘no.’ He winces at the wordless reply, at the proof of the command holding her captive, but quickly buries it with a soft smile, one I haven’t seen on his face for years. “That’s good. We wanted to be sure. I brought something to help burn out other drugs, just in case, but I’m so fucking glad we don’t have to use it.”

Haven catches his hand when he goes to pull away, pressing it to her cheek, before turning her head to kiss his palm. Tic watches her, his expression as soft as I’m sure mine was when she kissed my jaw. He strokes her cheek again and then turns to grip the wheel, pulling out to the road.

We’re quiet as we drive through the neighborhood, and then into ours. Not nearly far enough from Frederick Bell, but we don’t have a lot of other options. We could have taken her to a hotel downtown, but we don’t control the security there. Here at least we have cameras with motion detection on every corner of our property thanks to the stupid game we’d devised years ago.

Jude has made our security system impenetrable and we’re a damn sight more careful about intruders than Frederick Bell seems to be. That’s what happens when you have a drug lab in the basement of your house.

Home is the best place for Haven. The safest.

Especially since I’m pretty sure all of us will have a hard time letting her out of our sight for the foreseeable future.

She’s asleep by the time we pull into the garage, her chest rising and falling with gentle even breaths. I don’t want to move her, disturb her. Something tells me she has gotten little sleep in her time away, not the restful kind she undoubtedly needs to help her body heal.

I’d happily sit in the front seat of this car for the rest of the night if it means she gets the sleep she needs, but the door intothe house yanks open almost as soon as Tic shuts the engine off and Jude hurries out, coming to my side of the car and pulling the door open. His lips part and I slam my palm over them to keep him quiet.

Green eyes narrow at me, but then drop to take in Haven’s sleeping form and he nods his understanding. We’re going to be fucking quiet,silent,so she can sleep.

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