Once they pull into their driveway, Adrian and Cade go straight into the packhouse, knowing that it would be their job to brief the others about what had happened. Lorcan refuses to let Elysian down, carrying her into the house as Taylor opens the doors for the two of them.“I’ll keep her in my room tonight, to make sure she’s okay. You go make sure Adrian's alright.”Lorcan speaks softly to Taylor when they reach the living room, giving the man a soft smile.“You know what to do if you need anything,” Taylor says simply, returning Lorcan’s soft smile as he gently rubs Elysian’s back. She hadn’t put the remaining barriers back up in her mind, so both boys knew that Elysian was absolutely exhausted and just trying to fi

Lorcan didn’t usually interrupt anyone, especially not when they were doing things with their bedroom door closed. He knew she was reading some book, but he figured she wouldn’t mind just one little interruption, so he knocked on her door quickly before opening it up, his gummy smile on full display.He was expecting to find her at her desk reading some books. What he found was Elysian curled up in her bed, a pillow hugged to her chest, brow furrowed in apparent concentration. He couldn’t help the fond feeling that rose in his chest as he watched the girl squirm slightly in her sleep, her face relaxing as he fully entered the room.In the back of his mind, he knew that Elysian must have been dreaming about something because of the way she twitched in her sleep, but he didn’t think of looking into he

For the next few weeks, things go more smoothly than any of them could have predicted. Elysian grew ever closer to the boys, now freely asking for kisses from whoever was closest to her constantly, the fear of rejection that had previously frozen her falling away as she fell deeper into the trap that was their love.Elysian barely noticed the passing of time, settling completely into the routine of the home in such a way the weeks just melted away, a mix of happy times that saturated everything in a positive light.It was during this golden time that Elysian was able to finally get the go-ahead to read more of her favorite book, finally, she was about to finish reading her favorite book.Needless to say, the girl was completely over the moon when she found out. She screamed and

When Issac pulls into the driveway of the mansion, Jacob is waiting outside with the other boys, barking out instructions in a tone that has Issac looking to help in whatever way he can immediately.They move as a unit, Taylor rushing to the passenger's seat and lifting Elysian out of the vehicle while Jacob does the same thing to Vincent. Adrian hops right into the car, helping to guide Lorcan out and onto Cade before he steps out of the vehicle, settling into the man’s side and walking in almost complete coordination with Cadde to get Lorcan inside as quickly as possible.Again Taylor holds open a door for the trail of people before he heads over to Issac, wrapping an arm around the man’s shoulders and leading him into the house. Quietly, he speaks to the shell-shocked man, assuring him that everyone would be

 Taylor stands, excusing himself from the table without finishing his food. He knows he shouldn’t be so angry, that he should just go with the pack and take up the bond instead of his parents, but he can’t. The thought of joining them sends a chill down his spine.Jacob can feel how Taylor’s resolve hardens in those moments, can see the way his young hands work to pack a backpack full of things he knew he would need. He shoves the go-bag under his bed, hiding it behind some dirty laundry that he knew his mother wouldn’t dare to touch. He wants to scream, wants to cry, wants to hit something. Instead, he lays calmly on his bed, flipping through a comic book and waiting. Just waiting. It seems like only seconds to Jacob but the clock is ticking through numbers like crazy.His brother sneaks into