ODETTEI curled my fingers around the stress ball and was happy when they moved by even an inch. It had been another week and I had been going to physiotherapy every day since I had that weird moment with Jericho. We had shared a few words here and there but almost never more than one sentence at a time. It was becoming uncomfortable to stay in the house with him especially when we bumped into each other constantly. With me being able to walk again it meant that I was more active at home. Sometimes I just went on a walk to avoid Jericho completely. I had a plan though, as soon as I was done with my session today I would tell him that would be able to go home.I knew he wouldn't like it but, at the end of the day, he needed to understand that I was no damsel in distress. He may have regarded me as his swan but I was not fragile even with my hands unable to move I could still fend for myself. I didn't like the awkward tension between us. It wasn't something that I expected but it was som

ODETTEI sat on the barstool with my back pressed against the kitchen island. Gunnar looked like a raging bull with his nostrils flared in anger. He was doing his best to stay calm, breathing in through his nose and expelling harsh breaths through his mouth. Before Quinn came into his life—according to Jericho—Gunnar had serious issues when it came to controlling his anger. Now, he was better at it but I wouldn't go as far as calling him a timid, changed man. There were times, like this instance, when his anger got the best of him. But, it wasn't just anger. He used that as a base emotion to cover up everything else he felt. I watched him from where I sat with Jericho standing between Gunnar and myself as a barrier. Usually, I would insist that I didn't need Jericho to place himself as a sounding board between me and his brothers but this situation was different. This was a sensitive topic for all three Astor brothers and I knew this. That was why I kept it away from them. But things

JERICHO "Are you sure about this?" Odette shifted uncomfortably next to me. We were tucked at the back of a coffee shop across town from where I lived. It seemed like the safest place to meet and, considering the dim lighting in the booth we were seated in, I was certain no one would be paying us any attention. "It's the best option we have. I trust him completely. There's no need for you to worry," I reassured, weaving my fingers with Odette's and squeezing. Her gaze dipped to our joined hands on her lap and a frown weighed the corners of her lips down. I wondered if she could feel my thumb caressing the top of her hand, tracing the scarred flesh, or at least feel the slight pressure of me squeezing said hand in assurance. By the grimace twisting her features, I knew the answer to my questions. I forced myself to withdraw from her even though I didn't want to. If I attempted to comfort her in some other way right now, I knew I'd only make her feel worse. She was doing better, th

ODETTE"Don't you look happy," Miranda crooned, leaning in to kiss my cheek before taking a seat beside me. Her sister, Tory, and Quinn slipped into the seats opposite, greeting me with a chorus of 'hey'. "Want to tell us what's got you smiling like that?" Quinn prodded as she rested her elbows on the table and perched her chin on her hands. She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively with a knowing smirk curving her lips upward. For a brief moment, I wondered if Jericho had called her and said anything but then I shook the thought away. I was usually the first person he called when he had news. If it wasn't me, then it was Ace. He was probably talking to Ace right now about the kiss we shared. I shook my head when I realized I hadn't answered Quinn and bit back my smile, "We aren't here to discuss me. We're here because you said you have something to tell us."Quinn shrugged a shoulder, "We're just waiting on Priyanka."I had only met Priyanka a handful of times but she seemed li

JERICHOI swerved into my designated parking and was out of the car in the next breath. Ace hadn't explained what the rush was but I couldn't ignore the trepidation which sunk in my gut after Ace had disconnected the call. All he said was that the girls were in trouble at my apartment. No one even knew how the girls ended up at my apartment considering they were all meant to be out for lunch. My first thought was Odette. I was petrified that something had happened to her and she had no way of defending herself. The thought of her injured yet again—looking as battered and broken as she did on that hospital bed a few weeks ago—had my heart thrusting against my ribcage in heavy, hard drum beats. The organ pumped with the ferocity of a jackhammer, determined to break through the confinements of my ribcage and land at my feet. No matter how much I willed myself to calm down so I could start thinking rationally, the foreboding feeling only intensified the longer I was away from her, and di