Lucian’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue—at least not directly. "Fine. But I’m not babysitting her. I’m moving to Jason’s room until she’s gone from mine. And don’t even think about forcing me to look after her, or I’ll slit her throat myself. No bitch, no trouble."
Kael didn’t flinch. He simply shifted his gaze to Roman.
Before Kael could speak, Roman shook his head. "Kael, this time I’m disobeying you. I need time... and distance from her."
That alone was enough to make us pause. Roman rarely refused Kael, but his tone made it clear—there would be no persuading him. And honestly, he’d already been the one handling her for days without complaint.
Kael’s gaze landed on me. "You’ll look after her."
"What?" I stared at him in a disbelief.
’Do I need to torture her again so the responsibility of baby sitting her won’t fall on me?’
"That’s final," Kael said, his voice ice. "And this time, I expect you to obey. You still haven’t made up for hurting her—or she’d have healed by now and wouldn’t need anyone to babysit her."
"Yeah," Rafe chimed in, his smirk back. "That kick to her chest, the broken ribs, the torture... really did a number on her. All thanks to you."
This bastard had to open his mouth just at the wrong time. Now Kael won’t back down on his decision.
I exhaled, low and grudging. "Fine. But I’ll do it my way. Don’t expect me to turn into Roman. I don’t have that kind of patience."
Kael’s eyes hardened further. "One scratch on her because of you, and I’ll kill every one of your pets."
The memory of him killing my two before still burned in my mind. I wasn’t about to risk my snakes or scorpions.
I gave a curt hum.
We exchanged glances, each of us silently asking the same question—who was going to bring her inside? She couldn’t possibly stay out there the entire day.
One by one, their gazes settled on me.
"I have to go with Lucian to find out who caused last night’s attack and—"
"I’m taking this little bat with me," Lucian cut in smoothly, his tone dripping with mockery. "You can continue with the responsibility you just got."
His smug look told me exactly what he was doing—getting back at me for agreeing to let her stay in his room earlier.
I exhaled a slow breath and rose to my feet, heading toward her.
When I reached her, she clearly sensed my presence but didn’t so much as glance at me.
"We have to get inside," I said, my voice deliberate. "It’s not safe here... for Vixen. She might get hurt... and Fluffy as well."
Without hesitation, she lifted Vixen from the tabletop beside her and rose to her feet. "Fluffy," she called softly, gesturing for him to follow.
She began walking, her injured feet treading over ground still littered with shards of glass. I found myself frowning—was she truly incapable of feeling pain?
Without thinking, I stepped forward and scooped her up into my arms.
She stiffened instantly, clearly startled, but before she could speak I warned in a low voice, "Keep quiet, or I’ll dump you here and leave with Vixen and Fluffy. And, I will make sure you never get to see them ever again."
She kept quiet, only holding Vixen closer, her arms wrapped protectively around the cat as if the creature were the most precious thing in the world.
I still couldn’t understand why she was so protective toward a cat she’d only met yesterday.
Whatever.
When I carried her inside, every single one of them shot me mocking glances—silent but loud enough to say, You hurt her. Now you’re the one tending to her.
I took her upstairs to Lucian’s room and set her down at the edge of the bed.
"You need to take a bath or whatever you want to do," I said in a strict tone, heading to Lucian’s wardrobe. I pulled out a shirt and tossed it onto the bed. "Change into this. There’s blood on what you’re wearing."
She glanced down at her dress—still stained with Lucian’s blood from last night—yet remained unbothered.
I entered the bathroom, turned on the hot water, and came back out. "Hurry up. I don’t have much time for you."
She placed Vixen gently on the bed, then walked toward the bathroom without a word.
I frowned, searching for something to wrap her freshly bandaged feet so she wouldn’t reopen the wounds. Finding a roll of plastic wrap, I stepped into the bathroom without knocking.
I froze.
She was already standing there, naked, her hand reaching for the shower tap. My breath caught—damn.
She glanced back at me briefly, then turned away again, as though my presence meant nothing.
"Wait," I told her, setting the plastic wrap on the shelf. "Cover your feet with this—"
Before I could finish, she had already turned on the shower, ignoring my words as if they were nothing more than a passing breeze.
I clenched my jaw and walked out of bathroom without another word and slammed the door behind me.
That bitch can die for all I care.
I headed downstairs, my mood soured. I needed something—anything—to occupy my mind before it wandered back to where it shouldn’t. Cooking. Breakfast was still undone, and the thought of it felt like a lifeline.
In the past, I had little interest in the kitchen, but over the last six years it had become my quiet refuge. A way to drown out pain and shut the door on my thoughts. Cooking was my own form of meditation, and right now, I needed that calm more than ever.
"Has that bitch bitten you, or what’s got you so angry?" Lucian’s voice came from behind, dripping with amusement.
"Wouldn’t I be carrying her teeth with me if that were the case?" I shot back, not bothering to look at him, and made my way to the kitchen.
The bastards were clearly enjoying the sight of me riled up.
"I’m going to your room to have a bath, then I’m leaving for the investigation," Lucian announced before walking away.
Kael disappeared into his own room, while Roman and Rafe went to theirs, which were at least somewhat usable.
Meanwhile, my mind was already turning. What could I do to shake off this ridiculous responsibility of babysitting her? I need to find a way.