Page 31 of Jezebel's Liberation

Phantom’s voice is in my ear, and I hate that it’s just as soothing as Jez’s. But as I let myself begin to relax, I realize that he’s not hurting me, not causing the same pain that Stewart and Ted were.

“That’s it, man, relax,” Phantom continues. “You’re safe.”

It takes a few minutes, but eventually, my body goes slack, and Phantom pulls me toward the wall and places me between his legs with my back to his front. Jez moves with us, and kneels between my legs, facing both of us.

“What happened?” she asks, sadness in her stare.

I shake my head, unable to talk about it.

“Fucking hell, that scared the shit outta me,” Phantom says. “I got here, and when no one came to greet me, I figured you were both down here. I wasn’t expecting to see you curled up in the fetal position on the floor, not responding to Jez at all.”

Fuck. I can’t believe they witnessed that.

I don’t say that, though. I don’t say anything. Even if I wanted to, my mouth is so damn dry that any words would get stuck in the cotton that blankets my tongue.

Jez reaches out and links her fingers with mine. “Hey, it’s okay, Demon. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“She’s right,” Phantom agrees. “Why don’t we go upstairs, and you can get some rest? I’m sure you’re exhausted now.”

I don’t miss the way he says ‘we’, and I ignore the way I like it.

Nodding, I try to get to my feet, but I’m too weak and only fall back to my ass. Both Phantom and Jez have to help me stand, and the only reason that pisses me off is because I know I need them to.

When we reach Jez’s bedroom, she rushes forward to pull the comforter and top sheet down before crawling across the mattress to the other side. Phantom urges me to climb in next to her, and then his weight settles behind me.

“Try to sleep,” Jez says, pulling the blanket over the three of us.

I’m certain I won’t be able to sleep, knowing what they witnessed. Not to mention, there’s a man that feels way too good spooning me, and the woman bracketing my other side is my every dream come true.

So, I’m shocked when, only minutes later, my eyes slide closed, and I drift into what I hope is the most peaceful sleep I’ve had in years.

“Shit.”

My eyes spring open at the whispered curse that comes immediately after an elbow to my gut.

What the fuck?

I try to curl in on myself, but my knees meet resistance because Demon is thrashing around in his sleep. I scoot away to dodge his flailing limbs and look past him at Jez, who’s staring at me with wide eyes.

“That looked like it hurt,” she whispers.

I smirk. “Ya think. Man’s built like a brick shithouse.”

“I’m sorry. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry,” Demon cries, caught in whatever nightmare he’s stuck in.

“We should wake him up,” Jez says, sliding her hand to his chest in what I assume is an attempt to soothe him.

Demon’s body settles, but only a little, so I settle my hand next to hers. He might be able to fight whatever he feels for me when he’s awake, but in slumber, he can’t resist.

“That’s it,” Jez coos as he relaxes, and his eyes blink open. “It’s just a nightmare. You’re safe.”

Demon rolls his head to look at her, but he stiffens when I rub my thumb back and forth across his pecs and darts his gaze to me. I remove my touch and sit up.

“You were having a nightmare,” I tell him unnecessarily. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Not even a little bit,” he snaps, his voice hoarse.

Jez rolls over and stands to walk around to my side of the bed. Demon’s eyes track her every movement, and a scowl appears on his face.

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