Chapter 9
Omari
Dinner dragged on. I considered it slow and painful. At this point, I was willing to do anything to be relieved from this torture. I didn't want to be here.
The triplets sat across from me, quiet, but their eyes never left me. Every time I looked up, one of them was already staring. Watching. Waiting.
Beside me, Kael barely touched his food. His busted lip was swelling, and though he tried to hide it, I caught the way he winced every time he chewed.
My mother noticed too. “Kael, sweetheart,” she said softly, her brows pulling together, “what happened to your lip?”
My fork froze mid-air. My heart pounded so loud I thought everyone could hear it.
Kael dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, forcing a crooked smile. “Ah, nothing serious, ma’am. Just… slipped and hit the door earlier. Clumsy me.”
I almost choked. Door?
Mom’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t convinced, I could tell, but she didn’t press. “Still, you should put some ice on it. It looks painful.”
“I’ll be fine,” Kael muttered quickly, eyes flicking toward me for the briefest second before dropping to his plate.
Across the table, Leighton smirked, clearly amused at the lie. Paxton leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming lazily against the wood. Aston’s fork scraped against his plate in slow, deliberate strokes that set my teeth on edge.
I forced myself to eat, though every bite turned to stone in my throat.
When dinner finally ended, Mom stood.
“It’s late. Kael, I don’t want you going home like this.”
Kael looked startled. “Oh no, I’ll be okay, really” he tried to reassure my mother.
“I insist,” Mom cut in, her voice firm. “Stay the night. We have a guest room ready. I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe here.” She was suspicious. Even though she wasn't pressing. I knew she was.
Safe. The word twisted painfully in my chest. If only she knew.
Kael hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Good.” She smiled warmly, already gathering plates. My stepfather said nothing, sipping his wine like everything was perfectly normal.
I dared one glance at the triplets. Their smirks were gone now, replaced by something darker. Possessive. Territorial.
When everyone finally dispersed for the night, Kael tried to catch my arm in the hall, but Aston’s shadow fell between us before he could.
“Guest room’s this way,” Aston said smoothly, his hand clapping Kael’s shoulder a little too hard. “Come on. Wouldn’t want you to get lost.”
Kael’s eyes locked on mine. Silent. Desperate. Then he was led away.
My heart ached. I wanted to run after him, but Paxton appeared at my side, his whisper brushing my ear.
“Don’t look at him like that, little mate. He won’t save you.”
I jerked away, forcing myself to my room. I locked the door, pressed my back against it, and tried to breathe.
Silence filled the halls. The house slowly settled into the quiet of night. For a while, I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d get to rest.
But then…
Click.
The sound of my door unlocking.
I bolted upright. “No…” I whispered.
The door eased open. Three shadows slipped inside, moving like they belonged here. Because they did.
Leighton shut the door behind them, the lock sliding back into place. His eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight spilling through my window.
“Miss us?” he drawled.
My chest tightened. “Get out.”
Aston leaned against the wall, casual, dangerous. “Not a chance.”
Paxton stepped closer, his presence suffocating. “You thought the night would end without us, little mate?”
I backed up until my knees hit the edge of the bed. My hands trembled, but I balled them into fists anyway. “If my mom finds out-”
Leighton chuckled darkly, cutting me off. “She won’t. We’re very quiet when we want to be.”
The room felt smaller with all three of them inside. Hotter. My pulse hammered as Leighton moved closer, his eyes locked on mine like a predator closing in.
“Why do you keep running?” he asked softly, tilting his head. “Your body doesn’t lie, darling. You want us here.”
“I don’t,” I whispered, though my voice betrayed me, shaking.
Aston’s smile was slow, knowing. “Then why are you trembling?”
“I’m not-”
Paxton’s hand brushed my wrist, light as a feather, but it set fire through my skin. “You are.”
I yanked my hand back, my breath coming quicker. “Don’t touch me!”
Leighton’s grin widened. “Say it louder. Maybe Kael will hear you from the guest room.”
Heat shot through my face. “Leave him out of this!”
“Oh, but he’s part of it now,” Aston murmured, pushing off the wall. He came closer, circling behind me like a wolf herding prey. “He saw too much.”
Paxton’s fingers tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes gleamed in the dim light. “We could make you forget him, you know. Make you beg us instead.”
My knees weakened. My body screamed to move, but I was frozen, caught between them.
Leighton bent low, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “One word, little mate. One word, and we’ll ruin you tonight.”
The air left my lungs.
I wanted to scream. To shove them away. To run. But the heat in the room, their closeness, their voices held me in place.
Paxton’s thumb brushed my lower lip. Aston’s breath ghosted against the back of my neck. Leighton’s fingers trailed along my arm.
Every nerve in my body was on fire.
The silence stretched, thick and unbearable, until-
Knock. Knock.
“Omari?”
My mother’s voice.
The triplets froze.
I sucked in a sharp breath. My heart hammered so loud I thought it would burst.
Leighton’s grin returned, softer now, dangerous. He pressed a finger against my lips. “Don’t make a sound.”
The knock came again, firmer this time. “Sweetheart? Are you awake?”
Paxton’s hand slid away from my face, curling into a fist. Aston cursed under his breath.
My throat tightened. If I spoke, if I screamed, maybe she’d come in
Leighton leaned close, his whisper sharp as a blade. “Try it, and Kael pays the price.”
My blood ran cold.
The door handle rattled once. My mother sighed on the other side. “Alright, darling. Sleep well.”
Her footsteps faded down the hall.
Silence.
And then Leighton’s smirk deepened. “Now… where were we?”
The lock clicked again. This time, from the inside.
Trapped.
With no escape