Page 118 of Bliss & Her Idols

Jin loops his arm around Cricket. “It’s because I have my little Chirp in my arms. I didn’t think that I’d ever see you again.”

“We promised to save you.” I allow myself to nuzzle against Torin’s neck.

He plays with my hair, and I purr.

“Don’t you remember what I swore to you, when I was sent away?” Torin’s expression is unexpectedly serious, as his piercing gaze meets Jin’s. “I told you that when I came back, we’d be together. This time for good. Nobody would ever be able to take you away from me again. I’dkillthem, before I allowed that to happen. I may be a possessive Alphahole but I’m not a young Alpha who can be broken and controlled anymore. My family are going to discover that.”

The hairs on the back of my neck rise.

I stop purring, peering up at the sharp look on Torin’s face.

I know that look.

He’s scheming.

Somehow, I’m not worried that I’m snuggling in the arms of such a dangerous Alpha. After all, I was raised by Chase, an unhinged cage fighter.

I know dangerous men and I can feel deep in my bones and blood that this man isn’t dangerous to me or to anyone who he loves.

But if anybody hurts us — has hurt us — then they’d better fucking watch out.

“What happened?” I ask. “Why were you sent to Ireland?”

I can sense a shift in the room.

It’s a terrible tension, a reopening of a wound.

“Can I trust that you’ll never use this against me?” Torin’s hold tightens on my hair. “Don’t you realize that I’ve already shown both you Omegas more than I have anybody outside the Idols? You could destroy me with a single online post. If I share this with you, then…”

Jin reaches out and takes Torin’s hand between his.

He doesn’t say anything.

The gesture feels familiar between them.

Loving.

It gives Torin strength.

Finally, Torin licks his dry lips. “It’s forbidden for Idols to have relationships. But Jin and I fell in love. I was naive. I promised to bond with him, as if I had the power back then to make it happen. I lived like we were in a fairy tale.”

“I’m older than you all,” I reply. “I know that there are no fairy tales.”

“Don’t worry, when I was twenty, that was proved to me.” Torin’s expression becomes anguished. “Jin would sneak out of the Idol Camp to meet up with me at night. He’s good at escaping, as you’ve seen. I’d climb out of my window at the mansion. We had a special secret meeting place in the forest at the back of the estate. None of my siblings cared or noticed what I did. I didn’t think that Rory would be worried about me going missing. But one night, he went searching for me. He found me in the early hours. He was exhausted and furious. And I was kissing Jin…”

Cricket whines. He can tell where this is going, as much as I wish that I couldn’t.

“What did Rory do?” Cricket whispers.

“I begged and I’dneverbegged my brother for anything.” Fury flashes in Torin’s eyes. “Rory, more than any of my siblings, must have known what would happen to me once I’d been caught kissing an Idol. I’d never joined in the bullying of Rory.But he still told Mena on me.” His sense of betrayal is a palpable thing shimmering in the air. I understand more about his rage at Rory now.I wish that I could kick his ass myself.“I was thrown out of the pack. I was sent to live with distant cousins back in Ireland. As anoutcast. You have no idea what that feels like toan Alpha to be cast out from their pack.The shame.The feeling every day like their soul is being clawed to shreds. The crushing loneliness of being separated from the Beta who I loved.”

I lick down Torin’s throat in comfort.

How can his sister have been that cruel?

“I wrote songs, however,” Torin continues, “brilliant songs that the producers loved so much, even Mena couldn’t reject them. I could speak to Jin through them. I could hear him singing like we were still with each other.”

When Torin turns his face to Jin, as if he’ll die if he doesn’t check that Jin hasn’t been torn away from him again, Jin hurriedly shifts close enough to turn his head and kiss him.

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