Bound by Obsession (Shadowed Souls #2)

44. Chapter Forty Four

I t’s surprising how quickly a routine can settle. The Shadowed Souls seem to take everything in their stride, pivoting and adapting to each other’s needs.

Bath time with Axel has become a daily occurrence, after Dax has accompanied me around campus each day. It isn’t lost on me that he’s the only one who seems to take me out in public, acting as my bodyguard and boyfriend. And it’s worked. The rumors have calmed down, no one stops to pull out their phones and record us walking hand in hand anymore.

Garrett attends to Axel during the day, the pair of them taking their classes online until Axel’s ribs are fully healed. Once I get home to take over, Garrett heads out with Huxley to work out and they’ve started stopping for food some evenings. Huxley always comes back in a mood, pissed off that Garrett has pushed him too hard in the gym and dared him to eat another few bites when he’s said he’s done, but I couldn’t be more thankful. Without realizing it, Huxley is quickly bulking up again and he doesn’t even question it when I hand him a bowl of cereal each morning.

Wyatt, as per usual, does his own thing. Sometimes he goes to work out too, other times he sulks around the house or disappears for hours, with no one knowing where he’s gone. Today is a sulking day. He’s currently sat at the kitchen island, rapidly tapping at the keys of his laptop with his headphones in.

The first few flakes of snow appeared in the early hours, dusting the backyard in a coat of sparkling white. I peer out of the window, watching as the frost clings to the tree branches and softens the edges of everything. Behind me, the sound of Wyatt’s fingers flying across the keyboard is the only thing breaking the silence in the house. He’s got that familiar furrow in his brow, the one that says he’s deep in thought. Probably a similar assignment to the one I should be working on with Dax at the dining table.

I’ve made a decent start, coming up with loads of ideas but now I need to just pick one and roll with it. Instead, I opted for a time out to clear my mind, wanting to put some distance between those ‘hidden demons’ I’ve been thinking about.

Stretching my back, causing a few cracks to sound, I return to the mixing bowl clutched in my arm. I relish the burn, whisking the batter by hand, letting the repetitive motion ground me. The scent of vanilla fills the kitchen, warming the air.

Wyatt clears his throat suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts. I glance up to find him watching me, his headphones now resting around his neck. “What’s all this in aid of?” he asks, only just realizing I’m in the room with him. Shocker, I know. We’ve been in the same room for a while now without any of the usual tension.

“I’m making Axel a cheesecake to lift his spirits.” I smile, and Wyatt frowns harder. I ignore him, placing down the bowl to retrieve the chilled base from the refrigerator. He watches me quietly whilst pouring the mixture onto the base.

“We all got beat up, you know,” he drawls and rolls his eyes. I stop pouring, sure my ears are deceiving me. Setting the bowl aside, I lean further over the kitchen island, searching for clarity.

“Are you saying you want me to bake for you? Maybe I should hold an ice pack to your bruises or rub you down in the bath?” I flutter my lashes, thoroughly enjoying the way Wyatt’s eyes blow out. Oh yes, I went there. For a man who fucked me with my own vibrator, Wyatt has been acting unaffected around me for days and the only one he’s fooling is himself.

Putting the cheesecake back into the refrigerator to set, I round the island. He follows my every movement, twisting himself so I can place myself between his legs. When I speak again, it’s a hoarse whisper with my lips inches from his.

“It’s okay to be jealous. You can admit you want me to take care of you, if you’re able to swallow your damn pride.” I tilt my head. Wyatt’s jaw is taut, his eyes growing dark.

“How about you get on your knees and swallow it for me?” he says, then leans back as if someone has slapped him. A rush of heat floods my cheeks, the image now flashing in my mind. Wyatt is losing his grip on that iron-clad control he holds so dear, and I’m here for it. Just waiting for it to slip completely.

“What on earth did I just walk into?” Garrett asks from the front door, although his face is lit up like a Christmas tree and he’s grinning from ear to ear. Huxley is just behind, shouldering both his and Garrett’s gym bags.

“Nothing,” Wyatt snaps his laptop shut and pushes through me in an effort to get away. I can’t help the small laugh that escapes me. I’m still smiling when Huxley drops his bags by the door, shaking his head at Wyatt’s dramatic exit.

“What got his panties in a twist?” Hux asks, wiping sweat from his brow. Clearly, their work out went harder for the weekend.

“I’ve made cheesecake, but I think he wanted muffins,” I shrug, a hint of mischief still playing on my lips. Garrett smirks, giving me a playful nudge on the arm as he passes.

“Your muffin, maybe,” he winks. I snort, making no comment. At this point, the only person standing in Wyatt’s way is himself. I gave in a while back, realizing that we’re inevitable. I just need him to catch up. Footsteps sound on the stairs and I raise a brow, wondering if Wyatt is back so soon, but Garrett rushes forward. “Woah, what are you doing out of bed?” He gently puts an arm around Axel’s lower back.

“I’m bored,” Axel winces, putting his arm over Garrett’s shoulders. He grips the banister, lowering himself step by step with careful effort not to pull at his healing ribs. The bruising is hidden beneath an oversize white tee, but I know it’s there. I frown at Axel’s flimsy shorts, although I suppose it would have been too much effort to pull anything else on. Ushering the pair towards the sofa, I help to lower Axel down and fetch a blanket.

“How was the gym?” Axel asks, lowering his head back on the cushion. He’s exhausted, even from such a short walk, but that comes with the territory of not sleeping well.

Huxley steps in behind him, his mood lighter than usual but he still gives me that familiar grumble when he catches Axel’s eye. “Garrett says I need to up my pre-workout shakes and double my creatine to bulk up even more. He also says I’m not trying hard enough.” Hux’s chocolate brown eyes roll towards Garrett, who pushes his hands into his sweatpants pockets.

“Just calling it how I see it. Your body is all that keeps Avery interested, so I wouldn’t let it slip if I were you.” I smack Garrett’s shoulder, reserving a small smile just for his eyes. I know what he’s doing, goading Huxley to get back to full form. He just goes about it in such a Garrett way, I can’t even be angry.

“Don’t listen to him,” I tell Hux. He grins, freeing his blond hair from its top knot and shaking it free. “You all know it’s your dicks that keep me interested.” Hux stops midway through dragging his hand through his hair, a blur of movement shifting to my left.

“Is that so?” Dax tackles me into an armchair, tickling my sides until I’m screaming for relief.

“Stop! You’re hurting Axel!” I shout through fits of laughter, knowing full well Axel is on a different seat over two meters away. Dax doesn’t stop. In fact, another two pairs of hands join in with Axel calling out instructions to not let me get away. My cries split through the recently silent house, re-energizing us all until they finally relent.

I lay limp on the armchair, my chest heaving and my smile infectious. Four beautiful men smile back, their eyes glinting with adoration and it’s all centered on me. Despite external situations, sometimes I don’t know how I got so lucky.

“We should do something together this afternoon. Play some games like we did at the beach house,” I suggest once I can breathe again.

“I’m in,” Axel nods, looking more relaxed than he has all week.

“I need a shower,” Hux leans over the back of the armchair to kiss my temple, “then I’m all yours.”

“I’ll get snacks,” Dax announces.

“And I’ll get Wyatt,” Garrett adds. I wish him luck with that one, but I should know that Garrett is rarely denied. Whether through being charming, or just annoying enough that saying no wasn’t an option, he returns a short while later with Wyatt begrudgingly following.

I sit between Axel and Dax, the three of us covered with the blanket as the snow starts to fall harder beyond the window. If I ignore the macho decor, I can almost imagine we actually are back in the beach house. Huxley returns, shirtless with his hair damp. He retrieves a case of beer and a bottle of pink gin he had stashed, placing them on the coffee table beside my cheesecake. And just like that, this became a party.

“Alright, who’s dealing?” Garrett takes charge, shuffling the cards with practiced ease. No one immediately steps up so I shrug.

“We could do paper, scissors, stone for it?” I sit forward, my closed fist at the ready. The others do the same, except for Garrett.

“Excuse me?” he stares at me like I’ve gone another head. “We could…what?”

“Paper, scissors, stone?” I repeat, my eyes flicking between the others. They’re smirking but only Garrett seems to have a problem.

“You’re fucking with me, right?” Garrett holds the cards closer to his chest as if I’ve offended them as well. “She’s fucking with me.” He huffs out a laugh, looking for backup and finding none.

“Just give me the cards. I’ll deal,” Wyatt reaches over. Garrett does what any man lacking sense would do and throws the entire deck over his shoulder, scattering the cards all over the floor. Wyatt looks to the ceiling for patience, probably wondering why he bothered coming downstairs, then crawls over to start picking them up.

“Forget it, Wyatt can deal.” I sit back, feeling suddenly out of place.

“No, no,” Garrett insists. “I’m afraid this is now embedded in my brain.” He shifts off the armchair to kneel in front of me, his fist held out. “It’s rock, paper, scissors. Repeat that back to me.”

“I’m not an idiot, Garrett. I was just incredibly sheltered as a child, some of the fundamentals are missing.” I roll my tongue over my teeth. These days, it’s not often my past creeps up to irritate me so easily. Garrett’s dark eyes shimmer with something I’m sure he thinks is understanding.

“Peach, I was neglected to the point of almost dying, but I’ve never heard of paper, scissors, freaking stone.” I push his fist away, tutting the word asshole .

“Lay off dude. It’s endearing,” Dax pitches in. Axel is leaning his head towards mine, attempting to kiss my cheek. I put him out of his strained misery and meet him halfway, pressing my cheeks against his lips.

“Actually, I prefer it,” Huxley says, leaning over. I give him an appreciative smile, and suddenly, there are four fists in front of me. Hux counts us in, as we play paper, scissors, stone like grown adults. Garrett moans that he’s died a little inside, but somehow wins. When he turns back to the table, we all find that Wyatt has already dealt and is waiting for us with an impatient expression.

“If you guys have quite finished,” he grumbles, grabbing himself a beer. Just like that, the tension is snapped and soon, the living room is filled with laughter and trash talk again. Garrett whines the entire time that he was dealt the wrong cards, and Wyatt surprisingly joins in without issue, his earlier annoyance fading into the background. Axel’s voice rises in playful protest as, on his other side, Huxley tries to read his hand over his shoulder.

“Don’t even think about it!” Axel warns, attempting to shuffle his hand away. Hux huffs in mock defeat, his lips quivering into a smile. The banter around us blends into a comforting backdrop as I steal glances at Axel, hunting for any discomfort. Beneath the blanket, his hand casually rests on my thigh. The warmth of his hand against my skin sends a shiver of anticipation through me. It’s a simple touch, but it’s warming to know that no matter what has transpired in the past week, he’s still here with me. With us, when it could have been so easy to retreat into his own mind.

The laughter continues as the drinks start to flow, each joke and tease drawing us closer together. The cheesecake is a huge hit as well, lasting through two rounds of a game Garrett calls ‘Skinny Joker.’

“I’m out,” Wyatt tosses his cards aside, but the glimmer in his eyes betrays his feigned disinterest. Huxley chuckles, and I can see the camaraderie blooming around us, a flicker of what could be coming to life before me. I find myself becoming more invested, not in the cards but in the way everyone interacts.

Garrett has his way of pulling the best out of people, and soon even Wyatt is leaning back, laughing more freely. Huxley’s competitive spirit flares up, and he’s gloating every time he wins a round. Dax is laughing, a sound I love, and it only deepens the butterflies in my stomach. I lean into Axel slightly, our shoulders brushing, and I can’t help but savor this feeling. After a week of worrying, of attending to bruised bodies and split knuckles, of facing the rumors flying around about me, this is nice. No, scratch that, this is home.