Chase

I pull open the drawer and take out the key, but as I fumble with it near her collar, she grabs my wrist.

“Can it stay on?” she asks, biting her lip.

I frown. “Why?”

She has always disliked how it felt. Has something changed?

“I like what it means.”

Her words bring a warm smile to my face, and I grab her face and press a long-drawn-out kiss on her lips.

“I love you,” I whisper.

She gives me a sugary sweet smile. “I …”

I place a finger on her lips. “You don’t have to say it. I just want you to know how much you mean to me.”

She nods. “I know.”

I place another kiss on her forehead. “We can keep it on.”

I tuck the key back into the drawer and grab her hand.

“I want you to decide,” she says. “I’m yours.”

I cock my head. “But I want you to be happy too.”

She falls into my arms. “I am happy. Here. With you.”

My body feels numb against her skin. Like her ray of sunshine scorches all the pain out of me and leaves nothing but compassion.

“Will you stay?” I ask.

She takes a deep breath. “Maybe.”

“I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.” When she doesn’t reply, I add, “I might even be able to stop myself from … killing. If it means you’ll stay with me.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she says. “I think I can live with it.”

I swallow away the lump in my throat. “With a killer?”

“If it’s only bad people … criminals.”

“Yes. Only them. No innocent people.” I breathe out a sigh of relief hearing her say that she’s okay with me being … me.

“Am I free to leave whenever I want?” she asks.

I nod. “Always.”

“Then I’ll stay.”

I close my eyes and smile as she buries her head in my chest, and there we stay for a while. And it’s okay. It’s what we both need.

Slowly, I back away from the door and walk toward the bed. I hug her tight as we lie down. Her body snuggled against mine is the best feeling in the world. I can’t stop sniffing to smell her scent, reveling in the idea that she’s here. That she’s mine. And that she’s not going anywhere.

I don’t mind if I have to beg for forgiveness the rest of my life. I know what I did can’t be easily forgotten, but I will work hard every single day. She’s worth it.

* * *

Syrena

Months later

As my heart begins to beat faster and faster, I clutch the paper tightly in my hand.

“Nervous?” Chase asks, driving along the road.

I nod. “Just a little.” That’s a lie. A lot. But I don’t like showing just how much this means to me.

He places a hand on my leg. “You’ll do great. It’s going to be okay. I just know.”

He always knows what I’m really feeling; I can’t ever hide it from him. Just like he can’t ever hide his true feelings from me.

I guess that’s why we’re so attached to each other. We both know what the other’s weakness is … and it only makes us feel more powerful.

“We’re here,” he says as the car comes to a slow stop.

As I unbuckle, I take a deep breath and crumple up the paper in my hand, tucking it into my pocket. We no longer need the address if we’ve arrived.

“You wanna go in alone?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I say, chewing my lip. I’m normally never this restless, but this situation isn’t normal. Not even close.

“I think it’s for the best.” He leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll wait out here until you come back.”

“But what if I want to stay?”

There’s a silence that seems to last an eternity.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll respect that,” he says, and I can hear him smile.

I lean in to touch his face, feeling the ridges of his stubbly jawline, the smooth skin of his forehead, the thick lashes on his eyes, and the slick hair across his head. I memorize it … picture it in front of me, so I can always keep this in my thoughts. So I’ll always have him with me, wherever I go. Knowing that makes me feel safe.

As my hands end on his lips, he presses a kiss to my palm and whispers, “Go … go meet your brother.”

I nod and smile the brightest smile I have before opening the car door and jumping outside.

With renewed energy, I walk along the path, making sure I don’t bump into things. A few more seconds pass before I ring the doorbell.

As someone’s footsteps approach, my throat clamps up, and I cough out loud. Right then, someone opens the door, and I’m left scrambling for air.

I’m here.

I’m finally here.

I kept the paper with the address for so long, it almost faded, but I just couldn’t push myself to actually go visit. Even when I had already deciphered the address using an app on my phone, I still couldn’t bring myself to throw the paper away. It was the only tangible thing I had of them.

When I was still living at Roy’s, the mere thought of facing them made me so anxious I could barely breathe. And when I went back to Chase, it never slipped my mind. I just couldn’t bring myself to actually take that step.

It took me months to gather the courage and ask Chase to take me to their place.

And now the time is finally here.

“Sy…rena?”

Is that … Ella?

Suddenly, warm hands wrap around my neck, enveloping me with love and kindness, and I almost want to burst out into tears.

The last time we met, we were both still trapped behind glass, held prisoner by a cruel man whose only interest was to use us in whatever way he desired. And now we’re finally free.

“Syrena!” she mutters, crying into my shoulder. “You’re here. You’re really here.”

“Ella?” I mutter, overwhelmed by emotions. It feels so unreal.

She nods, whispering, “Yeah. It’s me.”

“Oh, my God …”

I blink as tears well up in my eyes.

I’ve never actually heard her talk.

When we were still in the cage, she never talked because she had selective mutism … Did she finally learn to speak to people?

“How did you find us? Are you okay? What happened to you?”

I have the exact same questions, and I don’t even know whether to answer her first or to ask her first. So much is happening right now.

“I’m so sorry,” she mutters, still whimpering.

I caress her back and say, “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“It was … because I couldn’t … Graham took you … and then the buyer …”

She still feels guilty about the fact that Graham made her choose between giving her body to Cage when she didn’t even know who he was yet and losing me. Graham used me as a bargaining chip against her. It was barbaric. But none of it was her fault, and I don’t blame her for making the difficult decisions that she faced.

“Shhh …” I shush her. “It’s okay. It happened. I don’t blame you for anything.”

“But you were sold!” she says. “Did that man hurt you? Did you escape?”

I shake my head. “No. Well, yes, but no.”

“What?”

“It’s a long story.” I chuckle.

“God, we have so much to catch up on,” she says, pulling back.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner,” I say. “I was afraid you’d—”

“Oh shush, you don’t have to explain anything,” she says. “How did you manage to come here? All by yourself?”

“No,” I say, licking my lips. “Chase brought me.”

“Chase … is that your …?” She leans in. “The one who bought you? Is he still here?”

“Yeah, but … he’s not all bad,” I say. “It’s hard to explain. But he’ll stay in the car, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” she mumbles, caressing my arms. “God, it feels like ages since we last met.”

“And finally in freedom,” I add.

“That too.”

“And you can talk,” I mutter, still flabbergasted.

She laughs. “I guess we all changed.”

That’s true. So much has changed since we were in the cage. My whole world was turned upside down by Chase. But in a good way, I suppose. I feel much more free than I ever did before.

“Well, we’ll have all the time in the world.” She grabs my hand. “C’mon. Cage is inside.”

She drags me along with her, closing the door behind us before I can even say a word to Chase. But it’s all right. I feel good about this, and I know he’ll wait. Maybe even forever.

“Cage!” Ella calls out. “Syrena’s here!”

“What?” a voice roars from upstairs.

A loud banging noise follows, and someone storms down so hard it feels as if there’s an earthquake happening right now. Like a bunch of elephants are having a disco.

Except it’s just him … and his footsteps are coming right toward me.

I have no time to prepare for the massive arms pulling me into his embrace, practically choking me into a hug.

“Syrena, fuck … you’re here,” he growls, hugging me so tight I feel as if I might pass out.

“Can’t … breathe,” I mutter into his chest.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” He puts me down on the floor, and I suck in some oxygen.

“Are you hurt?” he asks.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Did he hurt you?” His voice darkens.

“No … but it’s a long story,” I say.

“What does that mean?” he asks.

“That it was a bumpy ride getting here,” Ella replies.

“A what?” he growls, making me laugh.

“I’ll explain,” I say, sighing. “I just don’t even know where to start.”

“Sit, sit,” Ella says, “I’ll make us some tea, so we can catch up.”

She goes into the kitchen as Cage directs me to sit with him on the couch in their living room. When she comes back with tea and cookies, she tells me how she and Cage escaped and how they fell in love. I adore the story and can’t wait to hear more, but she asks me about mine too. So I tell them everything that happened to me. From beginning to end, no details are left unmentioned. Except maybe the few times we had sex and just how dirty it was … because fuck, whoever can talk about those things without blushing like crazy?

“So you’re with him now?” she asks when I’m done talking. “Like … a couple?”

I rub the back of my head. “Well, sort of.”

“You want to stay with him?” she asks.

“I think so … yes,” I say, smiling. “I don’t think I could live without him at this point, to be honest.”

“Definite yes then,” she muses.

Guess I’ve already made up my mind then. I’m going back with Chase. For a minute there, I was almost doubting whether I should, if I even could, but now that I’ve finally come here and talked to them, I’m only more convinced I belong with him.

I love these guys—they were everything I had for a moment in time—but we’ve all moved on. We all have our own lives now … and that’s okay.

We’re free and happy. Just as we should be.

“She’s blushing,” Cage says.

“No, I’m not!” I hiss.

Ella giggles. “It’s okay. I get it. Love works in mysterious ways.”

I snort. “Can you be any more cheesy?”

“Way more,” she retorts.

“Anyway, he’s good to me. Or at least, he tries.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining. It’s great that you’ve found a place to call home.” She places a hand on my lap. “As long as you’re happy. That’s all I want for you.”

I smile. “Thank you. I … I think I am, actually. I don’t wanna be anywhere but around him.”

I wasn’t sure at first because I felt so guilty for having these feelings for Chase, but the more time I spend with him, the more that guilt begins to fade.

“Good,” she replies. “And don’t forget, you’re always welcome here. And so is he.” She clears her throat. “Maybe you can even bring him to meet us sometimes. Only when you’re comfortable, of course. Someday, when you feel like it.”

I agree. Today isn’t the day, but maybe someday. “Sounds good,” I say.

Suddenly, I hear the noise of a crying baby coming from above. Ella immediately jumps up and says, “Oh, be right back!”

She runs up the stairs and then comes back down again slowly. A baby makes some noise, but she shushes it softly, humming a song. “Syrena …” she says as she stands in front of me. “Meet Forest.”

I smile as she places the little boy in my hands. He’s so big already, yet still so small compared to my hands. His head fits snuggly into my palm, and the soothing sounds of his mother’s voice have lulled him straight back to sleep.

“He’s sweet,” I say.

“An angel,” she says.

“My boy,” Cage says proudly.

We all chuckle, and Ella takes him from my hands again after a while and places him back into the crib upstairs.

“There … he’s asleep again.,” she says.

“Did you have him after … being free?” I ask.

“Yeah. Although, I got pregnant in the compound,” she says, and I can hear the pain in her voice. “But it’s okay. I love him and Cage to bits.”

She sits down on the couch again, and I think they’re hugging.

I just can’t help but think about how much of a family they are … and how I’m still keeping this giant secret from them. They should know. I just never know when the right time is to tell them, and it’s making my heart palpitate.

“What’s wrong?” Ella suddenly asks.

“Nothing, I just … have something to tell you,” I say.

“What?” she asks.

“Chase told me … Graham admitted that I was … his daughter.” The words come out in one difficult breath.

“What?” Cage gets up from the couch.

“My mother was held captive by Graham. Our mother.” I grab my hair and pull it away to show them my neck. “We know because of this birthmark.”

“Oh my,” Ella mutters. “Cage …”

“I’ve got that too,” he says, his voice low. “On my inner thigh.”

“I swallow away the lump in my throat. “Graham lied to us all.”

“You’re my sister?” His voice cracks.

I nod, tears welling up in my eyes.

Suddenly, he goes to his knees in front of me and wraps his arms around my neck again, only this time without squeezing. It’s loving, warm, and as he holds me tight, the tears begin to fall.

“I have a sister too,” he mutters. “I didn’t even know.”

“It’s okay. None of us did,” I reply. “Graham didn’t want us to know. It’s how he held power over us.”

“But he hurt you. He tried to use you for …” Ella says, unable to finish her sentence.

“I know.”

“And he still sold you!” Ella shouts.

“I know, it’s crazy,” I say. “I’m sorry, I should’ve contacted you to tell you sooner. Should’ve come to you with this.”

“No, don’t apologize,” Cage growls into my ear. “You don’t apologize.”

He hugs me even tighter, and we stay there for a while until my tears have dried and his heart is no longer beating out of his chest.

“Our mother, she …” I mutter.

“Shh … it’s okay,” Cage says. “You can tell us when you’re ready.”

I appreciate the gesture and take a deep breath, trying not to hiccup from my own pent-up tears.

After a while, Cage asks, “So do you know about my, I mean our brother too?”

I nod, wiping my face. “Yes, what’s his name? Is he here too?”

“His name’s Lock,” Ella says. “But he lives on an island by himself.”

“That’s what Chase said too,” I say.

“I’ll contact him. Tell him about you,” Cage says.

“You sure?” I ask.

“He has to know he has a sister,” he adds.

I nod, licking my lips. “Not one … but two brothers. And here I was thinking I had no family.”

Chuckling, Ella joins in the hug, and says, “You always had a family, Syrena. We were right here, waiting for you to come home. And now you finally did.”