Page 33 of Dark Knight

"We're about to find out," I answered as I slowly pushed to my feet. My legs shook, and my whole body seemed to think I was crazy for moving, but I needed air and I needed to be clean. I didn't want to admit that Dylan's words had altered my mood completely.

Everything I'd known was gone.

Again.

This time, I thought I might have found myself in a better situation, but I couldn't be sure yet. After the reminder, I knew I needed to get back on the right path though, eating, working out, and regaining my strength and stamina. After all, who knew when I would need it next?

16

Evie

I made my way back to my room on shaky legs, having not expected any of what just happened. When I got there, I shut the door and leaned against it.

Ever since I found out I was going to be the Light Mother, I knew my life wasn't going to be an easy one. This wasn't what I'd had in mind, though. Never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted my current situation.

It took a while before I had the strength to push to my feet once more. My body was still reeling from what just happened. I walked through to the ensuite bathroom and took a shower, rinsing off all the sweat and dirt from the day and its events.

I wandered around dripping dry before going over to the dresser that held most of my clothes. When I opened the top drawer intending to get some underwear and a bra, I hesitated. I could have sworn I left my underwear on the left side of the drawer, but it was on the right now.

It was a small enough change that I couldn't be sure of it. Was I just being forgetful? Maybe the maids had tried to straighten up for me or something. I'd only seen one of them, but I’d heard multiple female voices in the house. Not that that necessarily meant they were maids.

Still, something about the drawer and the way the contents were situated made me uneasy. As I moved around the room and got dressed, it seemed like there were other things that weren't quite where I left them either. The hairbrush that I bought was on the opposite side of the table, and the robe I'd used was inside out, which was definitely not how I left it.

I didn't think it was enough to talk to Dylan about, but it was definitely strange. I had never lived in a house that had people clean for you before. Maybe this was just to be expected? I was too inexperienced to know either way. It made me want to get out of the room, as though it wasn't mine anymore and I was intruding on someone else's space.

The idea that the room was mine wasn't a good one to have anyway, so I reminded myself that it wasn't. I was just staying there for the time being. I threw on another pair of leggings and a t-shirt with a sports bra underneath. Nothing fancy, but enough that I felt comfortable walking around the house.

For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to just stay in my room. I knew I was there to repay a debt, to be used as a pawn, but I also felt safe with these guys. At least with Hudson and Dylan.

I hadn't spent enough time around Theo to form any kind of opinion. He obviously didn't like me, though, and I wish I understood why. When I’d first met them I thought Ty was the closest to them, but that was wrong. It seemed like Theo was the third pillar of their little trio, and the idea of him not liking me when the other two did made me feel like I was missing out on something. Plus, he was just so different from the two of them that I wanted to figure out how the three of them worked together. I wanted to know how they had become friends.

The day wasn't quite over, and it wasn't time for dinner, so I decided to go take a nap in the living room. I knew it was a weird place to choose, but the idea of sleeping in my room right now wasn't something I could tolerate.

As I came around the corner, I saw Hud walking toward me, clearly fresh from a workout. I would have thought what we did in the office was workout enough, but apparently not. His t-shirt dangled in his hand while he rubbed a towel over his face. Sweat dripped down his body, the rivulets gliding over his skin. The sight made me want to devour him.

The man was a paradox. When he had his shirt and suit on, he looked like any All-American boy with golden retriever energy, as though nothing could ruffle his feathers. As soon as he took his shirt off or mussed his hair and you saw all the tattoos and scars that hid underneath, it changed your perception of him, or at least it did for me. He went from being the boy next door to Mr. Unapproachable.

Hudson's expression could go from open and friendly to serial killer like a flick of a light switch. It was something I'd only ever seen before on Lyric, and it made me nervous, but I also understood it. It was like there was a whole different personality just waiting to come out that had never had the opportunity to do so.

"What are you doing roaming around here, sunshine?" His use of the nickname that Dylan had given me surprised me. Hudson didn't seem much of a nickname kind of guy, but it didn't bother me. I'd rather be Sunshine than Blondie, that's for sure.

"I was wondering where the gym is?"

Hud jerked his head over his shoulder. "Back that way and to the left. It's the opposite direction of Dylan's office."

I nodded. "Thank you."

He started to walk away, but something inside of me didn't want him to go yet. It felt better having somebody by my side. "Do you think..." I started, but lost courage to finish the sentence. I was going to ask him if he thought he could stay with me. If he thought somebody could break into my room in this place. If he thought I was safe here. Instead, all I managed was, "Do you think you could show me some self-defense moves sometime?"

Hud's gaze narrowed as he looked at me. I presumed he could tell that it wasn't my original question, but I wasn't about to backtrack now. Plus, I really did need to learn something about self-defense if this was going to be my life now. Especially after being at the club the other night and having that panic attack.

I knew I needed to do something to help myself feel more secure in my environment, and if I couldn't control my environment, I needed to be able to control myself. I needed to learn how to fight. Somehow, asking to learn to fight was more difficult than asking to learn to defend myself. If anybody wasn't going to judge me asking, I felt like it was these guys.

He ran a hand through his hair, exposing some of the tattoos that hid underneath for just a second. They weren't noticeable when his hair was combed and he was all put together. It was only when he was flustered or moving about a lot that the thin black lines became visible.

I desperately wanted to ask him about them, but I didn't dare. Tattoos could be extremely personal. Some people just got things because they looked cool. Other people got things because they reminded them of their dead grandmother who raised them and taught them how to write, and bake, and whatever else.

It just seemed like a barrier that we weren't ready to cross yet in our relationship…or friendship for that matter. Could whatever this was even be considered friendship? I wasn't sure, but it definitely seemed like Dylan. Hudson, and I were more than some kind of tentative agreement.

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