Page 37 of Healing Souls

You can fight back now, Harley.

I take a shuddering breath. I have been training hard for the last few months. I have never found myself in a situation where I needed to use those skills and honestly, I hadn’t thought about it or how I might react or respond.

I get pulled from my thoughts by voices and someone squeezing my wrist gently. I jump and try to back away, but someone else behind me stops me.

My eyes clear from… from the tears. Oh, I was crying. I go to wipe them away, but my wrist is still being held. I look down and see that I have the key clutched in my hand. When I clenched my fist, I kept the key in it, and now there is blood dripping onto the ground. I gasp and release the key, the noise of the hall coming back to me as my mind lets me out of its prison.

“Harley.” My eyes snap up from staring at the blood on my hand to familiar green eyes. “Take a deep breath with me.”

I inhale and hold it before releasing a shaky breath. I need to get away. I have to stop seeming so weak and fragile. I am neither of those things. I can’t be.

I shake my head and pull my hand out of his grasp. “I’m good.”

A scoff sounds behind me, and I turn so I can see both Grayson and Ryker. “You are not good.” He gestures towards my hand. “Let me look at that.”

“No!” I force myself to relax and speak calmly. “No, I am fine.” I bend down and scoop up the key. Heading downstairs, I find my way back to the kitchen and quickly wash off the key and my hand. When I am done, a bandage gets dropped on the counter next to me.

I mumble a thanks, not bothering to look up. Taking the bandage, I wrap my hand and then put my room key in the pocket on my leggings.

I look up to find both Grayson and Ryker standing there, watching me. Taking them in, I realize Ryker is in the same clothes that he had on last night, and Grayson is in sweatpants with no shirt on.

I know without a doubt my cheeks turn red as I look him over, not being able to take my eyes off his chest.Look away, Harley.But I can’t. I find him… intriguing. He is beautiful, and I feel like I’m staring at a model. Like someone you would see on a TV, not in real life. He is smaller than Ryker and Cayden, but he still has abs and some muscles in his arms. With his glasses, he looks handsome. His hair is mused, like he just woke up and rolled out of bed. His sweats hang low on his hips, and I find it really hard not to look any lower.

Ryker lets out a chuckle as Grayson turns red and rubs the back of his neck. “I’m just going to go get dressed,” he says as he takes off out of the kitchen, leaving me with Ryker.

My brain fog clears once Grayson is out of sight.

“Wait, why are you in yesterday’s clothes? Why did Grayson look like he just rolled out of bed?” I furrow my brows.

Ryker smirks at me. “You asked to be left alone last night. I left you alone. That didn’t mean I had to go anywhere. Now, why are you up at five in the morning, and where are you going?” He raises a brow at me.

I bite my lip, averting my gaze. “I just couldn’t sleep, and I was looking for my bag that I brought with me.”

He stares at me for a second before sighing. “It is probably in Rage’s house.”

“Right, so I’m just going to go get it.”

“No, you’re not. Was no one clear last night? We are on lockdown, Harley. Lock. Down. We don’t get to leave. It is even worse for us because we are all under eighteen. Rage gets extra protective.”

I had started to turn away, but after he is done speaking, I whirl back around to face him. “You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do. Nothing is going to fucking happen to me by walking out back to a house for two seconds.”

He steps towards me, and it takes everything in me to stay put and not back off and cower.You are strong.

“Normally, I would be the one to agree and even go with you. Fuck, I would even offer to go for you, but no. We can’t. You can wait until others are awake and ask someone to take you over there.”

I scoff and cross my arms over my chest. “Okay,Dad, are you going to go tell on me?” I raise a brow.

Ryker smirks and leans in closer. “Where is the fun in that, little brat? I could just toss you over my shoulder and take you back upstairs.”

I’m fuming now. “What the fuck is your problem, Ryker? You were all sweet and right by my side at first, and now I swear it’s like you want to piss me off.”

He rolls his eyes. “Right, that’s what I want to do. Do we have to stand in the kitchen all day? I can finish showing you around downstairs. You can go to Rage’s house when someone else is up.”

I’m fairly sure a small growl comes out of me as I spin around and stalk away from him. Maybe I am overreacting or being a little shit about things, but the thought of not being able to leave doesn’t sit well with me. It didn’t seem to sink in until now that they want to keep me here. Indoors. Not leave.

No. That isn’t happening. I walk faster and head straight for the backdoor that we came through last night and shove it open, heading outside. As soon as the slight breeze hits my face, I inhale through my nose and feel my muscles relax.

Not trapped. Not trapped. This isn’t the same thing.

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