Page 8 of Feral Monsters
He was perfect just as he was. I preferred him like this—at ease. Mellowed out. Comfortable. It was clear he felt safe here with us, and that was what I wanted most of all.
His safety. His comfort.
He sighed. “I shouldn’t. Not after everything I’ve seen and everything I’ve been through. But knowing you two want to fight for me and are willing to take out anyone you deem a threat to me… I’m a little obsessed with it.”
I smirked. “Little killer, we’ll burn the fucking world down for you and watch you dance in the ashes.”
His breath hitched in his throat. “And if I wanted to burn it myself?”
Ike pressed his lips to Merit’s shoulder. “Then we’ll hand you the lit matches, little killer.”
Six
Merit
If I thought I slept good my first night in Wraith’s bed with him and Ike watching over me, it was nothing compared to how well I slept last night between the two men. I’d been warm, and for the first time in a long time, I truly felt safe. I knew—even subconsciously—that with Ike and Wraith around, no one would ever touch me again without my explicit permission.
They might never be able to love me, but honestly, I was sure I would be okay with that. Because their obsession ran deep, and while obsession could be dangerous, I craved the way they needed me. It was a protective kind of ownership. Even if they said they had no interest in actually being my owners, I wouldn’t mind if they did.
Because with them, I knew freedom would always be mine to have.
I rolled onto my back and slowly opened my eyes. I was alone—had noticed it immediately when I woke up. Turning my head, I glanced at Ike’s pillow, frowning when I saw a phone there, along with a note written in messy scrawl that looked more like chicken scratch than anything an adult would write. Grabbing the note, I rubbed my eyes, then read it.
Wraith and I got you a phone and put you on our phone plan. The entire family’s phone numbers are in it, and Wraith and I listed ourselves as your emergency contacts. This phone is yours. Feel free to use as you wish.
—Ike
I grabbed the phone, swallowing thickly. It was a heavy device, and they’d already placed it in a protective case for me. When I unlocked it, I was surprised to find a picture of the three of us here in this bed as the background. I was asleep. Ike had his face buried in the back of my neck, and Wraith was looking at me like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to eat me or lock me away somewhere.
A soft breath expelled from my lungs.
I hadn’t been sure about these two men at first, especially since they’d essentially kidnapped me and hadn’t given me much choice in the matter of staying with them. I hadn’t been sure if I was just getting yanked into another shit show with two new shitty owners. But with every second spent with them, I was less and less wary and quickly falling head over heels for them. And who could fucking blame me? I’d been abused for years. I didn’t think it was all that abnormal for me to latch onto the first people to show me kindness. To treat me as a decent human being with real thoughts and emotions.
If anyone had a problem with how I was quickly beginning to feel about both Ike and Wraith… Well, they could quite frankly go fuck themselves with a brick. Their thoughts didn’t fucking matter.
The door opened, and Kasey, their dad, walked in. Wraith and Ike had clearly taken after their Pops, Winston. All the quadruplets had. But the one who took after Kasey was Sabbath, the youngest of the brothers, who was about as neurotypical as someone could be when they were surrounded by a bunch of psychopaths, just as they had warned me he would be.
“I was hoping you would be up,” Kasey said, a warm smile on his face. “I have breakfast ready downstairs. Wraith and Ike aren’t here, but they want you to eat. Frankly, so do I.”
I quickly sat up, not wanting to disappoint him. He’d been so kind to me yesterday, making me feel normal. “I’ll be down in a few,” I told him.
Kasey walked out, quietly shutting the door behind him with a shnick. Grabbing the phone again, I opened it to the text messaging app and began a thread with Wraith and Ike. I hadn’t been in captivity so long that I didn’t remember at least the basics of how to operate a cellphone.
Merit: Where are you?
Wraith: Taking care of business.
Ike: Don’t worry your pretty little head.
Merit: Don’t talk to me like I’m a child.
Wraith: We will tell you soon. Be patient.
Ike: Go eat. I saw Dad come get you. Stop wasting time.
Merit: Are you fucking watching me?
I looked around the room, searching for a camera, but I couldn’t spot it. But still, knowing they were keeping track of me filled me with a stupid warmth I chose not to study too closely. I should’ve been freaked out that they were watching me so damn closely, but honestly, I liked it. Had to do with that safety thing I’d come to crave from them.
