Bend Me, Daddy

That stubborn chin of hers dropped in defeat, and it broke my heart to see it. But I needed to get her inside and cleaned up before Luca and Tristan got home. "Okay," she whispered so softly I barely heard her. I held out my hand, but she ignored it completely as she walked around me and started toward the glow of lights from the house.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I followed her, knowing this docile act was only temporary.

As we approached the circular driveway in front of the house, I pulled my sunglasses out of my inside jacket pocket and put them on. One of the guards standing by the front door was having a smoke as he scanned the trees surrounding the drive. It wasn't one of the men who'd come running earlier, but I still saw Sera's steps falter when she noticed him standing there.

Taking her arm, I propelled her toward the front door before she could try to run. The guard glanced over at us when we approached. With one look, he took in our wet clothes and the scrapes on Sera's face. "Everything okay?" he asked. "Everything is fine," I told him. "Any word from Luca?"

"Not yet."

"Let me know if you hear anything," I said as I opened the front door and led Sera inside.

"Yes, sir." He pulled the door closed behind us. I released her arm once we were inside and followed her through the house.

Veda came out of her room just as we reached the top of the stairs. She took one look at Sera's face and went into panic mode. "Holy shit! Sera! What happened?" Running up to her, she took her by the shoulders and tried to look at Sera's face as Sera tried to hide it. Only Veda was having none of it and it didn't work. She sent me a furious look. "What did you do?"

"Go back to your room, Veda," I told her firmly.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not going anywhere until Sera tells me she's okay."

"I'm okay," Sera told her. "Seriously, I am. I just...tripped in the dark and fell into a tree."

I noticed she didn't try to explain to Veda what she was doing outside at night in the rain, which meant Veda knew damn well what was going on. Something I'd talk to her about later. "Are you sure?" Veda asked her.

"Yeah," Sera said. "I just want to take a bath and go to bed."

Veda didn't seem completely convinced. She glanced at me, then back at Sera, before finally giving in. "Okay. If you need anything, just yell. Do you want a cup of tea or something?" "That would be great," Sera told her. "Thanks."

"I'll bring it to your room," Veda told her. With another unreadable look at me, she left to go get the tea.

"Come on," I told Sera.

In our room, I walked over to the closet and took off my sunglasses and my jacket, watching Sera as she passed me and went straight into the bathroom. Her movements were stiff as she stripped off her wet coat and dropped it on the tile floor, then kicked off her shoes. She was careful not to look at me as she sat on the side of the tub and turned on the water, but I could see the tense set of her jaw and the flush to her cheeks.

There was a knock at the door, and I told Veda to come in. She entered cautiously, holding a steaming cup of tea for Sera.

I came out into the bedroom and lifted my chin toward the bathroom. "She's in there," I told her. As she went to walk by me, I took her arm. "You knew what she was doing, and you didn't stop her. Why?"

She looked up at me. "Did you hurt her?" she asked quietly.

"Answer my question, Veda."

"Answer mine, Enzo."

Veda and I had gotten comfortable with each other in the time she'd been Luca's guest here in the house. I was her guard. I trained her in self-defense. I watched out for her. But right now, she was staring at me like she had no idea who I was. The same look Sera had given me earlier, and I was surprised by how much it bothered me. I removed my hand from her arm. "No," I told her. "Not intentionally." Not physically.

After a moment, she told me, "I knew she planned to try to leave tonight. I chose to shut myself in my room. I didn't see anything."

"Why did you do that? She could've been hurt."

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ñe5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now!

Her expression darkened. "Because no matter how happy I might be now, I remember how terrified I was when Luca first brought me here."

"Does she seem terrified to you?"

Her eyes softened as she glanced toward the bathroom door. "Maybe not of you, but she is terrified." She paused. "Be careful with her, Enzo," she warned. "Or you're going to lose her. One way or the other."

I was about to tell her that what happened with Sera and I wasn't her business, but she was right. "Go ahead and give her the tea. And then give us some privacy, please."

Her eyes traveled over my face. Whatever she was looking for, she must've found it. "I'll just be a minute." Partway to the bathroom she stopped and turned partially toward me. "Have you heard anything from Luca?" "Not yet," I answered. "But I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah." She gave me an unsteady smile. She didn't seem convinced.

"He's fine, Veda. He always is. And Tristan is with him."

She glanced down at the floor and took a breath, then nodded and took Sera her tea. When she came back, she said, "She told me to tell you to stay the hell out." One eyebrow lifted. "I don't suppose you'll listen to her request?"

One corner of my mouth lifted in a smile. "I'm glad she's feeling more like herself." I walked over to the door and held it open for her. "Goodnight, Veda. I'll let you know if I hear from Luca. But no news is good news in these kinds of situations. I'm sure he'll be home in a few hours."

"I hope you're right. Goodnight, Enzo. Don't be an ass."